The measures that are being taken to curb the coronavirus pandemic are affecting us all. Everyone must follow the rules being implemented to slow the spread of the virus and, ultimately, save lives. Restrictions around the world are expected to last anywhere between a couple of months to a year or even 18 months. Naturally, people are needing to adapt practically all aspects of life, including work, keeping in touch with loved ones, exercise, and free leisure time. Thankfully, our smartphones can help make life within our four walls that bit easier. Here are 8 apps we recommend downloading today.
Fitness
Fitbit
While going to the gym is off the cards for now, most countries and regions still permit exercise in the great outdoors providing you keep your distance from others. If you own a Fitbit activity tracker or wish to use your phone to track activities, you can now access some of the premium features, such as training content in the Fitbit Coach, free of charge. Fitbit founder, James Park, says he wants to support people with their health and wellbeing during the coronavirus crisis.
Down Dog
If jogging isn’t your exercise of choice, Down Dog’s range of apps are free until May 1st (and until July 1st for healthcare professionals, students, and teachers). Aside from the company’s primary app, Down Dog Yoga, Yoga for Beginners, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Training are also free, as the developers want to do their part to help people reduce stress and keep fit.
Follow the link below to the Down Dog website, from which you can download the app(s) of your choice for either iOS or Android.
Download : Down Dog website
Health
KRY – See a Doctor by Video
Visiting your doctor’s office should be avoided if at all possible at the moment, especially for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms (in which case you should phone your doctor or health department, or follow other guidelines provided by your local authority). In recent years, connecting with doctors via video has become a wonderful way of receiving treatment while staying home. For people in the US and Canada, Teladoc is one of the best-known and highly rated services available, while those of you in Europe might look to the Swedish company, KRY.
Download Teladoc: Android | iOS
MyTherapy
If you are living with a chronic disease, it is more important than ever to keep your treatment on track so your body is in the best shape possible to fight COVID-19 should you be infected. MyTherapy’s features include medication reminders, a medication itinerary to help you keep stocked up, and a symptom tracker. The latter is particularly useful during the coronavirus crisis, as experts recommend keeping a symptom diary while quarantined at home.
Keep in Touch
Skype
Being kept apart from friends and loved ones is extremely difficult for many people, so video chat apps are already proving more valuable than ever. Whether you decide to use Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, or any of the other services out there will likely depend on what your friends and family are using. Skype is arguably the classic video chat app and is still going strong, with a bunch of recent additions – including filters and sticker overlays – helping show its fun side.
LokLok
Just when you think they’ve thought of everything, an app comes along with a quirky new idea. Thanks to LokLok, you can now leave notes, drawing, and photos on the lock screens of your loved ones’ smartphones. You can even create groups and send the same to every member. It’s one of those little things that can help keep your friends and family smiling, even if you have to keep your distance. LokLok is currently only available on Android devices.
Download : Android
Entertainment
QuizDuel
“Who is the best quizzer?” asks the developers of QuizDuel. Well, this app will help you find out. One of the great things about the way the app is designed is that you don’t need to be on at the same time as your friends and family to play, so you can answer your question when you have a bit of free time. The winner of each round can choose the category for the next, with everything ranging from sports to entertainment. QuizDuel is free, but you can support the developers and scrap the adds by downloading the premium version if you wish.
Netflix Party
The last item on our list isn’t actually a smartphone app, but an extension for Google Chrome on your computer. For those of you who enjoy watching films and series with your friends, Netflix Party is a unique way of doing so remotely. Once you and your friends install the extension and log in to Netflix with Chrome, Netflix Party will sync playback and provide a group chat function, so you can enjoy your favorite shows and films together.
Download : Google Chrome
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