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10 useful apps that you should download immediately

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Be honest, you'd be completely lost without your phone. Without it, we feel naked, and afraid. Be it good or bad, we have become obsessed with staying in touch, staying informed and staying entertained. But did you know how useful some of these new apps can be?

From tracking your period, to apps that can help you to get out of a bad date, we highlight a list of essential apps you should download right now.

1.  Bad Date Rescue

It’s bound to happen somewhere in life. Especially with the increase of internet dating. You’re on a bad date and don’t know how to get out of it. Bad Date Rescue to the rescue! This app lets users fake incoming calls to their phones in order to help you break up a bad date. There are various ways of using the app. You can schedule a call or prompt a call in a few minutes (or even seconds).

(Only available on iOS. Other options like ‘Fake me out of here!’ are available in Play Store)

2. Period Tracker Lite

There are tonnes of apps to choose from for when you want to keep tabs on your period. With Period Tracker Lite (free, with an option to upgrade) you press a button when you period starts and stops. After 3 months the app will calculate an average and predict when your next period is due to start. 

You can also keep tabs on your mood, ovulation and ‘intimacy’. Honestly, I just like the fact that it discreetly displays itself as ‘P Tracker’ on my phone.

iOS download
Play Store download

3. PriceCheck

That frustrating moment when you buy something only to see it sold somewhere else for less, is something of the past with the PriceCheck’s app. This South African company has been around for ages, but truly makes life easier with an in-app bar code scanner.

Just scan that bar code in store to see if it’s cheaper somewhere else.

iOS  download 
Play Store download

4.  Find Free WiFi in ZA

Let’s be honest – data costs in South Africa are ridiculously high. Like Jimmy Choo high (okay, I might be exaggerating, but only a little bit.) Find Free WiFi in ZA is the answer. This app helps you find the closest places with Free WiFi.

They have over 2 000 locations and it’s growing daily. The best news of all – it’s not just limited to Cape Town and Johannesburg (even though the other places have much fewer Free WiFi spots listed).

iOS download
Play Store download

5. Hair color booth

This one is just for fun. Hair Color Booth (spelt the American way, urgh) helps you decide on the perfect hair colour. You upload a picture of yourself and get to ‘try out’ a litany of different hair colours.

Hair Color Booth is only available on iOS, but a similar app called Hair Color Studio is available in the Play Store.

iOS download
Play Store download

READ MORE: 50 best apps to track everything in your life

6. OPI

Like ‘Hair Color Booth’, but for your nails. Test out various different nail polish colours before committing to any. OPI is only available on iOS, but a similar app called Virtual Nail Salon is available in the Play Store.

iOS download
Play Store download

7.  22Seven

This South African app is a lifesaver for when you want to keep tabs on your finances. It helps you organise all your different accounts (loans, investments, savings etc.) and shows you all your money in one place (not always sure whether I’d like to see how much I owe in one place, but oh well, if it helps).

It has an automatic budget builder and you can even do some investing of your own.

iOS download
Play Store download

8.  Drunk Lock

Had one too many? Want to avoid that oh-no-what-have-I-done moment? There are a few apps that can stop you from drunk texting/calling someone.

Once it’s activated, Drunk Lock (only available for Android), requires some basic math from the user before he/she can SMS or call anyone. You can even choose the difficulty level of the math you’ll be doing. There are a few similar apps on iOS, but all seem to have terrible reviews.

iOS download

9.  Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

Deciding what to cook is a hassle. Left to my own devices I would probably eat the same thing over and over again (hello grilled cheese sandwiches!) This app takes out all the guess work from cooking.

With thousands of recipes and ideas, it makes deciding what to eat so much easier.

iOS download
Play Store download

10. Evernote

Evernote is hands-down one of the best organising apps out there. This app helps you organise ideas, web clippings, to-do-lists, pictures and even helps you sync this across all devices.

When it comes to staying organized, no app is more helpful than Evernote. The app lets you organize notes, ideas, to-do lists, images, and more, all within a platform that syncs across all devices. If you've ever wished for a personal assistant, Evernote is the answer to your prayers.

iOS download
Play Store download

READ MORE: 17 incredibly weird, funny and cringe-worthy Tinder messages

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