Phone Apps and Organization - Plus Retail or Other App Favorites

Parent Cafe
1

I really do love apps. Some of them make access to a site and use of a site much easier.

Some do not. Some I really prefer the website.

I feel a little annoyed that each and every store wants you to download their app and sometimes has perks for you using that app or downloading it.

HOW MANY APPS DO I NEED TO HAVE!!! :slight_smile:

So some questions for discussion:

  1. Are there retail apps you really find to be helpful/user friendly?
  2. Are there retail apps you DON’T find to be helpful/user friendly?
  3. Do you have any app organizing tips - or apps TO organize apps?!!!

Feel free to also share any other app info that might helpful to others or favorite apps in general.

Might help if you share if you’re an Apple or Android user.

2

I’m an Apple user.

Do love the Amazon app. Ordered some eye cream just before I nodded off in bed last night, as I lay pillow propped and ready to sleep!

I dislike when you can’t easily download or “clip” coupons on an app. Or find coupons. How about if I just scan each item I’m putting in my cart and let me know if there is a discount for it at the end?!!

I like the Whole Foods app even though I don’t go there often. With my Prime account attached to it I can easily see the Prime specials. I also love the grocery store list option - so easy to build a list right from the app and check things off as you shop.

I appreciate my NYT cooking app for recipes - use it ALL the time.

My Goodreads app is my reading bible. I’ll add to that LOVE the Libby app for books.

3

I use the eBay app quite a bit.

For other online shopping, I prefer to use my desktop computer.

I have a ToDo list app I like also. Good for making the grocery list and other odds & ends.

4

Gee, I wonder what prompted this… ?

5

^^^^ YOU ARE CORRECT!!! :slight_smile:

6

Not a retail app, but I can’t live without my iPassword (iPhone) app. It keeps all my passwords, hotel and airline program information, TSA precheck etc. I can easily update it when I change a password and the app itself is password protected.

7

My most favorite retail app is the Sam’s Club app - the “scan and go” feature allows me to go to the store, scan each product myself as I’m putting it in my cart, then when finished, swipe to pay and I’m done. No waiting in line, no unloading my cart, etc. I just show my phone receipt to the door employee on my way out. It really comes in handy during busy times, like the holidays. All receipts are stored in the app, so no paper receipts to hold onto in case something needs to be returned.

I have other retail apps but rarely use them. I have an iPad so if I’m shopping online, I typically find it easier to use the store website than a mobile app.

I don’t have a great system for organizing apps. I keep my most frequently used apps on the first screen. I do have some folders for things like Travel where I have apps like Marriott, Southwest, etc. I also have one for Social Media, News, Entertainment (various streaming apps, FIOS), Books (Kindle, Overdrive, Libby, etc). It’s the apps I don’t use frequently and would have a hard time finding if put in a folder that annoy me b/c I can’t figure out how to organize .

8

I do much the same as you @4kids4us ! Have a few folders and then get annoyed at the odd apps that don’t seem to have a good home. I’d like to narrow down my “pages” of apps to 2 with a 3rd page if necessary for the stock apps the phone comes with (that I often don’t use) Right now I have 3.5 pages of app content.

I’ll have to look at iPassword. I have another method on my phone but perhaps this would be better organized than my current not-so-organized way.

9

I’m similar to ^^ in that my most used apps are on my first page and then those that can be organized easily (travel, home, etc.) are in folders. I have 3 pages of apps with the apps used least often on the 3rd page.

Dh and I both grocery shop and use the my groceries app often. We have lists for our local market, Trader Joes and Costco and keep them updated so whoever goes to the store can easily tell what’s needed.

I also put apps I never use but can’t get rid of or might need once in a blue moon in a folder so they don’t clutter up my pages.

Love the libby app and two game apps. I tried using evernote for my to do lists but reverted back to apple’s list app which I also keep lists of all sorts of other things on too.

Most used other apps are not novel…a few airline apps, Google maps, weather, calendar, email, etc. Actually, if you have an iphone and don’t use apple wallet, I do recommend it for any kind of ticket (airline, train, movie, etc.). So easy.

I’ve always found it challenging to shop and do certain other things on my phone but I just got an iphone 11 and the difference from my 5 is dramatic. May be easier to do some things now, like try CC. Always was so much easier on my laptop.

10

I feel like I’m constantly offloading apps. I have 1 3/4 screens of apps currently. Old iPhone and the memory gets full easily. Most used are on the front screen.

I like my library app and use Notes for all my lists. I don’t really organize them but I do have similar apps together - library app, online reading app; photos, google photos; messages, what’s app; fb, parent cafe (my most frequented pages); iTunes Store, App Store.

I routinely offload BBW, Spotify, Spider Solitaire, Fitbit, etc. when I’m in a phase of not using them.

11

Android user here. I keep apps in relevant folders (“health”, “games”, etc.) – and I will uninstall apps I don’t use regularly and reinstall them if/when needed. For example – airline apps – it gets downloaded when I’ve got a flight scheduled on that particular airline. I might download apps tied to the destination where I am traveling, and then remove them after I return.

12

Android user. Don’t know if these are local apps to Chicago or national apps but when trying to find cheap parking in Chicago we use Parkwhiz and Spot Hero alot. $4.00 to park to go to the Steppenwolf theater… Awesome!

I tend to use Google maps a lot also. It has been adding lots of features lately that are useful like gas finders etc.

I tend to use my Google calendar for reminders, to do lists etc. Sorta everything I need to do goes in there. Then I get automatic timed reminders /notifications,which helps me on certain tasks. I have tried separate apps to do all the things I can do in the calendar. Less apps is usually also less battery drain.

Use my phones alarm clock to get up.

Amazon since we have prime. For many things including watching movies /shows /music. Buying stuff.

Use a browser app called Brave. It is super safe and blocks out most of the bad stuff. Never saw the videos etc on CC when you all were having issues. Look it up. Lots of security people use it.

TuneIn radio app especially in my car. Think of it like Sirrus radios for free. Great for podcasts, music, sports, comedy etc.

We use firesticks on our tvs and started using their app to use my phone instead of the remote. Works well. So a phone remote app.

Calculator app that comes with my phone. Sounds silly but it works great.

Chicago Tribune newspaper app.

The Score for sports news, updates, games, etc.

SwiftKey for my keyboard. It just works great and I like it no matter which phone I have. Think I make much less errors and it’s voice recognition is great when I use that.

I am sure there are more but these are my go to ones.

13

My apps are organized by color: red, yellow/orange, green, blue, purple, black, then rainbow. Then I have my text, call, and date in the bottom menu. I dislike having a ton of loose apps, or even alot of folders, so this works for me.

I use the heck out of the wegmans app. I like that it keeps track of everything I’ve purchased so I can click on something I buy normally and add it to my list w/o searching for it.
The Sam’s club app is also awesome. I really love not waiting in line.
Not a retail app… but DoorDash gets used alot too. Very user friendly.

Sometimes using the Alexa app is easier than using Alexa. For example… say I want to set a reminder to do something on a certain date a few weeks from now. That’s kinda complicated to do by voice on Alexa, but super easy on the app. I can even decide which Echo it’ll announce from.

Oh, and Park Mobil!! Use that a ton living here!! So much more civilized than using the parking kiosks. Plus, it remembers where I parked, tells me when I have 15 minutes left, and allows me to add more time w/o having to go back to the kiosk. Very handy!

14

I don’t use that many.

FB
Notes
Google maps
Newspaper
Instagram
Poshmark
Uber

15

What To Do list app do people like? I have iPhone/iPad. On phone I just use the note function to keep information but don’t really use it as “to do.”

16

It never occurred to me to use store apps - though DH has Fairway (grocery) for coupons. I have very few apps also.

FB
Instagram
Googlemaps
Local newspaper
South China Morning Post (from when we were in Hong Kong)
Spotify
Shazam
hoopla (library books)
WNYC
Google Translate (use surprisingly often even though no longer in Hong Kong)
Scrabble
My Net Diary (food tracker)
Keep Note (don’t use in any organized way)
MTA (train tickets, I haven’t actually used it though!)
iNaturalist (haven’t used yet because it wants to connect via facebook or gmail, but friends love it.)

Then the usual - calendar, calculator, camera, photos, maps, mail)

17

@scmom12

After trying 2-3 apps, I settled on Do.List

Small learning curve. It has a basic to-do list for today & tomorrow & later.

Grocery list, as well as a Life section for misc. lists (restaurants, books, travel, ideas, projects).

It’s helped me consolidate things I’d scribble down on pieces of paper (& mis-place). I use Notes & Reminders less now.

YMMV

18

I find apps inferior to the desktop version, so don’t use them. I do have the Amazon app, but that’s only to be entertained by watching the delivery of my items.

19

I don’t have mine well organized and I just do a quick search when I want something that isn’t easily visible on my front page.

20

For some reason, I never remember to do this. I just forget that there is a “search” feature at the swipe of a finger. My daughter is always chastising me for this - grabbing my phone and doing it herself.

I also rarely think to ask SIRI to do anything for me.

I have my apps stored slightly differently on my iPad versus my iPhone. I’m so used to an app being in a particular spot on my phone vs iPad so sometimes have to look for it. I much prefer using my iPad due to its larger screen, with my iMac being my second choice. Even tho I have an iPhone 11 (upgraded from a tiny 4), I rarely use my phone at home. I don’t know how my kids can watch movies/tv on their phones when they all have iPads (required for school).