6 iOS apps for happy holidays
Holidays and apps go together like roast turkey and cranberry sauce. Here are our top app picks
Holiday season is back, but it doesn’t have to involve awkward silences, panic buying, or existential planning dread. The six apps we have chosen can help you organize, travel, cook, shop, share out tasks among family members, and even entertain them. About the only things that these apps can’t do is help you to avoid Uncle Jim’s rants or top off your wine – those holiday jobs are down to you. David chartier
Kayak Free For iPhone, iPad, Watch
If “holidays” are synonymous with “travel” for you, then Kayak is a musthave app. Versed in flights, hotels, and car rentals, Kayak has great tools for research, comparison, and finalizing your booking. Additionally, it can tell you if it thinks your intended purchase might be cheaper in the future, and will let you know when a price drops.
Yummly Free For iPhone, Watch
It’s hard enough to get everyday cooking right, let alone big holiday meals. That’s where Yummly comes in. Its recipe recommendations include an excellent seasonal section that accounts for your tastes and the ingredients on hand. It also has instructional videos, a built-in shopping list, and even a kitchen tool shop for those essential utensils.
AnyList Free For iPhone, iPad, Watch
To organize holiday grocery and gift shopping, put AnyList on your, uh, list. It’s a simple yet powerful way to create lists, collaborate on them with others, add location alerts, and quickly reuse things you buy often. It’s just a couple of taps to add previous purchases back onto a list, and a premium option enables you to add photos and customize themes.
Picniic Free Made for iPhone
Sticky notes were never a great place for Holiday planning, but it feels right at home on Picniic, a “family agenda” app. It has shared calendars, tasks, shopping lists, and meal planning, so everyone is in-the-know. Optional location sharing tells you if errands are getting done. And there’s also a safe, encrypted Info Locker for sharing sensitive details.
Instacart Free For iPhone, iPad
Instacart is your holiday savior, whether you’re short on errand time for that last-minute grocery run or you just need that one thing you forgot. It’s a grocery delivery service that works in and around many US cities. You can shop for items across multiple stores, put them all in one big cart, and place an order for next day or, in many cases, same-day delivery.
Ticket to Ride $5.99 Made for iPhone, iPad
Ticket to Ride is a well-known classic board game, but nobody needs to bring their boxed version to a family gathering as long as there’s an iOS device around. Up to five players of nearly all ages can play, competing to connect cities by rail. You gain points for each connection made, and more for completing the routes you pick from a deck at the start.