10 iPhone Applications All Students Should Have | The Student Pocket Guide
by Rhiannon Davies
If there’s one thing students love, it’s convenience. Fortunately, that has all been made the easier by iPhone apps. Whether you want to see how much money you spent last night or get a quick reply from someone who is on campus for the 9am lecture and wants to grab coffee, there’s pretty much an app for anyone, anywhere and anytime…
We guide you through the top ten apps for study and the student lifestyle – oh, and they’re all FREE!
1) Studying: Class Timetable by Ice Media Creative
The Class Timetable app does exactly what it says on the tin: it allows you to input your timetable onto your phone, and is set out in an easy-to-read display once you’ve done so. This app is particularly useful at the start of the year when you’re still learning where you need to be, and is easy to update if you have a 2-week timetable, or a timetable which changes every term.
2) Communication: Viber by Viber Media Inc
At University, it’s inevitable that you’ll meet international friends and will want to stay in touch over the summer. The answer for this used to be Whatsapp, which allows users to send messages over WIFI, just like texting. However, what happens when you want to communicate with someone who doesn’t have Whatsapp? Viber: that’s what. Same function, but no invitations or sign-ups required.
3) Well-being: Sleepcycle by Maciek Drejak Labs
Students are renowned for sleeping in too late and staying up too late, whether they’re out partying or cramming in work for tomorrow’s deadline. The Sleepcycle app analyses your sleeping patterns and then uses a 30 minute alarm window to wake you when you’re in the lightest sleep phase. Essentially, you wake up feeling less groggy (unfortunately you’ll have to sort out the hangover yourself though).
4) News/Current Affairs: Clipped by Clipped Labs
Most students don’t have a TV (well, TV license) or the time to check the news in other mediums. Clipped quite literally clips news stories down into bullet points. You can catch up on the latest news on your walk to campus or in between lectures.
5) News/Entertainment: Buzzfeed by Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed is one of the most entertaining ‘news’ sites – and the cause of many a student’s procrastination – in app-form. It’s a website full to the brim with light-hearted articles and news stories which is updated throughout the day. The app version is incredibly user-friendly and easy to navigate so you can Buzz to your heart’s content!
6) Money: Banking Apps
Most of the major UK banks now have apps which allow customers to view their balance and, depending on the particular bank, do more sophisticated things with their money directly from their phone. Most apps require users to have set up online banking, but once you have, checking for your student loan, how near you are to reaching your overdraft limit or how much that night out stung your pocket will be a whole lot easier.
7) Music: 8tracks Radio by 8tracks Inc.
8tracks Radio is an ingenious app for those days when you want to hear some new music but don’t know quite what. On this app you can search music by artist, genre, song, or just mood. It then provides playlists made by other users for you to choose from, which is an easy way to discover new artists and even new genres too. You can save and ‘like’ playlists for later, follow users, and even make your own playlists too.
8) Lectures: iRig Recorder by IK Multimedia
When lecturers talk too fast (or you’re too hungover to listen) it can be useful to have a recording of the class to listen back to after. The iRig Recorder is a free recording device and is very good at lessening background noise. For this reason it’s also great for conducting interviews or taking audio notes at museums. The recordings are then stored in the app for you to access and edit at any time.
9) Online Storage: Dropbox by Dropbox
Dropbox is a fail-safe way to ensure you never lose your dissertation again (even when you pour boiling hot tea on your laptop and haven’t pressed the save button). The app is clean and simple, meaning you can easily access files from your phone – great if you don’t take your laptop/iPad to lectures and need quick access to a document.
10) Battery Life: Battery Life Pro by KDAN Mobile Software Ltd.
The problem with using all of these apps is that it drains your iPhone battery, and often people find themselves having to charge twice or more in a day. The Battery Life Pro analyses your battery, and tells you what you could turn off and how much extra battery life it could give you, as well as how much power each of your apps is using and the iPhone’s memory. When the app first opens, slide the screen to the right to accept the terms to get started.
Which of these apps is your favourite? Do you have any more you think should be added to the list?
Rhiannon is a self-confessed social media addict. Her phone is filled with apps to aid procrastination. When she does work, she writes. She recommends The GKBC Writers’ Academy.
