Top 8 Android apps help you to survive during the lockdown period

We all are sitting home fighting one of the most dreadful pandemics in the history of mankind or possibly the biggest one of the century and that is COVID-19. Thanks to our smartphones, computers, and the internet on top of everything, we are feeling less bored sitting home. Even though the situation is quite frustrating, this is the time, when we all can learn some new skills online, or do things that we all like, as we all have abundant time in our hand. At this point in time, when we are relying on the internet for literally everything, there are certain apps that you should download on your smartphone.

I will not talk about the most basic apps like Netflix or Prime Video, or some games and cab booking apps, as we all know about them and use them often. But here, I will talk about some utility apps and some other apps, which will make it easy for you to survive in the lockdown period. I will try to keep the list filled with different varieties of apps to sort out most elements in your life. Most apps that I will mention here are free to use, however, there will be certain apps, which can be upgraded to get more functionalities. Depending upon your exposure to the world of technology, there will be certain apps, which you have already heard of. But, don’t forget to thank me for reminding you about the existence of those apps.

So, without any further delay, let’s get started with the top 8 apps that you should download and use during the lockdown period because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internet Speed Meter Lite

During the lockdown days, most of us are working from home, unless you are working in any emergency sector. If you are not blessed with unlimited home Wi-Fi, there is typically a daily mobile data limit, which can lie anywhere between 1 GB and 3 GB. Even though that can be enough in normal circumstances, but with continuous usage, we can easily break the limit. With the small Internet Speed Meter Lite app, you can keep a tab on the daily internet usage, and you can see the Wi-Fi, as well as mobile data usage as a persistent notification.

Furthermore, you can also see the network speed, which can also be handy at times. Most internet service providers in India have their own app, where you can find the data usage and other tidbits of information, but Internet Speed Meter Lite is far better as you can have a quick look at the data usage and the network speed in the status bar.

On opening the app, you can also get detailed internet usage on a daily basis, which can also be useful. So, if you want to use your bandwidth smartly, Internet Speed Meter Lite is a must for you.

Inshorts – 60 words News summary 

News that is not associated with COVID-19 is quite rare at this point in time, and at the same time, it is really necessary to get all the news to keep ourselves more careful and updated about the ongoing pandemic situation. That’s when Inshorts can come in handy. You might already know about Inshorts, and if it is the first time that you are coming across this name, it is a news app that gives you news in just 60 words. Additionally, you can also swipe left to see the full version of the news, if you need to know more details on a particular topic.

If you need to follow everything about COVID-19 that is taking place in India, and around the world, you get everything you need to know in a concise form on Inshorts.

Furthermore, Inshorts also features a COVID-19 tracker that will show you, how many people are infected, recovered, and died due to the pandemic, in India and around the world. By swiping up, you can also find some trivia about, why home quarantine and lockdown is good for us, and similar type of information. Even after the lockdown is lifted, Inshorts is still a useful and handy news app for us Indians to keep ourselves updated.

Arogya Setu

If you have heard the speech by our honorable prime minister, you should already know about the Arogya Setu app, which can synergize the fight against the ongoing pandemic. With more than 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store, Arogya Setu is a contact tracing app that will give you information about, whether the place that you are heading towards, obviously in case of some emergency, is a COVID-19 hotspot or not. Additionally, Arogya Setu will also give you information about whether people in your close vicinity are affected by COVID-19 or not.

Arogya Setu will use GPS and Bluetooth to give you the necessary information. Even though the app can really be useful to give you information about, whether there are chances that you will be affected by COVID-19 or not, with a limited number of tests, it is also necessary to follow the government guidelines and maintain social distancing.

Arogya Setu also features a self-screening tool that will collect information about whether you are having certain symptoms, and your travel history to initiate further home quarantine and isolation procedures, if necessary. China achieved success using a similar type of app, and thus, you should download the Arogya Setu app today during this lockdown.

Grofers – Order Grocery Online

If you are not already using Grofers for any reason, it is the time that you should download Grofers and get started. When the government is requesting us to stay at home, you can count on apps like Grofers to get access to the groceries and the essentials without going out in the market. Using Grofers is very simple. Just choose the items that you need, and choose a delivery slot to get exactly what you need, right at your home. That way, you will not have to go out of your home at all and protect yourself and your family from the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, before you download, make sure Grofers delivers to your area, and if the service by Grofers isn’t available at your place, you can try out BigBasket, which is a similar app. By using Grofers, you can also get heavy discounts from time to time, however, getting discounts isn’t everything in this lockdown period. The only advice is, use Grofers or other similar delivery services responsibly. Just order as much groceries and essentials as per your requirements, and let others too get what they need.

Byju’s & Unacademy

The schools and colleges have been closed down, and the board, as well as the competitive exams, has also been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, this is the perfect time to boost your preparation and come out with flying colors. If you are at school, or you are a parent, Byju’s is the app that you can count on, and if you are preparing for some competitive exams Unacademy is the one for you. I will not comment on the quality of lectures that are available in both the apps.

Both Byju’s and Unacademy feature a plethora of video lectures, and you can get a bunch of free and paid online courses to choose the best one for yourself. If you want to check your level of preparation and want to know extra that is associated with your course of education, even a free course from one of the apps could come in handy during the lockdown period when you can’t attend tuitions and get your doubts cleared. Even after the lockdown period, you should keep using both the apps and it will definitely impact your preparation for good.

Medlife

Even during the lockdown due to COVID-19, pharmaceutical stores, and other emergency services are still offering the services. But if you are still allergic to go out, even to get medicines, you can count on Medlife, which is an online medicine delivery app. I use it personally for all my requirements, and you can get most medicines from Medlife if you have a proper prescription. It is definitely a very useful app that is worth using, during the lockdown period. Depending upon the type of medicines, however, the delivery might be delayed.

If you, however, need medicines during emergency situations, offline pharmaceutical stores are still the only choice. Apart from medicines, you can also get injections, face masks, hand rubs, and sanitizers, medical equipment, and other essential supplies from Medlife. Medlife delivers in most locations across India, however, if you are from a location, where Medlife doesn’t deliver, you can also try out PharmEasy, SastaSundar, 1mg or other reliable medicine delivery app. Even after the lockdown, Medlife or other medicine delivery apps can still be life-saving, if you can’t find certain drugs in the local store for yourself or the aged members of your family.

Houseparty

We all are missing the house parties with our bosom friends due to the lockdown situation to tackle COVID-19. That said, with Houseparty, you can host a virtual house party and invite up to 8 friends in a single party or video chat! I know that’s cool. If you were using WhatsApp to make video calls, there are plenty of reasons you should switch to Houseparty to at least make video calls. The first is, you can communicate with a maximum of 4 participants on a WhatsApp video call, which isn’t good enough to communicate with all your friends at once during the lockdown period.

Additionally, just like a real house party, or like a real-life meeting with your friends, you can also play a few games while video calling. All that makes Houseparty far better than WhatsApp, at least for making video calls. Once you start using Houseparty, you can also find a number of additional handy features that will make it easier to survive in the lockdown. Apart from availability for Android and iOS, Houseparty is also available for macOS and Chrome, which means you can also use it on your computer. Houseparty is really a great app at this point in time, and you can keep using the app even after the lockdown is over.

Swiggy

It is quite normal to run out of food materials during the lockdown period, however, you can always go out and get the essential supplies. But, if you want to give a treat to your tastebuds and is not willing to cook, Swiggy is here for you. If you don’t already know about Swiggy, you can order food items from local restaurants and get the same delivered to your home. Depending upon where you live, Swiggy might not order from all the individual restaurants from your area, but it is worth keeping Swiggy on your phone just in case you want to have something tasty.

You can also get a number of discounts from time to time, and getting food delivered to your home right away is undoubtedly the best thing on earth. Alternatively, you can also download FoodPanda, Zomato, Uber Eats or other similar apps, if Swiggy doesn’t deliver in your area, or it doesn’t deliver from your favorite restaurants. With the Swiggy subscription, you can also order more food items and get the delivery charges waived, along with additional lucrative benefits. So, Swiggy can be the best hunger savior during the lockdown.

I just mentioned a few of the most important apps that can help you sort out most things during the lockdown period. If you have some other requirements or want to spend the unending time you have in your hand, you can also use other apps, as well. This lockdown due to COVID-19 is really boring, but it is all for our good.

So, those were the top 8 apps that you should download on your smartphone during the lockdown period. Which app are you using the most at this time? Let me know about it in the comment section below.