New apps for every platform

Hope Corrigan reviews the most interesting new apps for iOS and Android.

Free iOS mgnsw.org.au Welcome to Country

As we all explore Australia, we can often overlook the significance and history of the land. Welcome to Country is an app that aims to help us with that by giving people access to a welcoming ceremony right in the palm of your hand. You can search for the correct tribal group or better yet, have the location data do it for you. For the super cool, activate push notifications to find out when you enter a different area. From there, the app will present you with a video featuring a local elder from the appropriate area welcoming you to the land. Many of the videos also show off beautiful locations nearby and may even include traditional songs or dances. Below that you can read up a bit more on the people and culture as well as check the map to see the extent of the region. The aim isn’t to replace official in-person Welcome to Country ceremonies, but rather to provide individuals an opportunity to learn.

Free iOS, Android www.indigemoji.com.au Indigemoji

Stickers and emojis have become a language of themselves when it comes to communicating online, especially through mobile devices. Unfortunately, these don’t often reflect people from different backgrounds and cultures, and Indigemoji is a fantastic expansion towards that effort. This app provides you with a series of stickers designed to present some uniquely australian imagery. All of the images were designed over a series of workshops where young people in Alice Springs were mentored by artists and cultural advisers. As an icing on the cake the app uses local Arrernte language as well as English, so you can pick up a few words while you’re at it. The hope is to see more apps or just more stickers added to represent groups all over the country, which would be ace as my only complaint is I’d like more stickers. If you’d like to help me get more stickers, check out the app to find out ways to give your skills or knowledge to the cause.

Free iOS, Android www.copwatch.org Copwatch

Around the world we are seeing police brutality brought to light and this is largely thanks to footage shot on phones. I can’t recommend enough that everyone has an easy method for this purpose because as we’ve seen, it can happen to anyone. Unfortunately, it happens to our First Nations people more than any other, which is exactly why Copwatch was made. Not only does Copwatch allow you to record interactions but it also will let you set up safety contacts to alert them to your location. It also offers helpful information about your rights when recording and interacting with police and advises people to seek counsel before sharing any video. The aim is to make police accountable and empower people to know their rights while remaining safe. You’ll need to set up your own cloud backup, though, as the videos don’t upload anywhere. I understand why, but it does seem like a slight oversight given the importance of what’s being recorded and the potential for them to be destroyed.

Free iOS, Android deadlytots.com.au Deadly Tots

I don’t have kids, and this is in no small part due to how daunting I believe that would be. I wanted to check out Deadly Tots because it has good reviews and an app designed specifically around raising children through a First Nations perspective sounds excellent. However, what really enamoured me to Deadly Tots is it has a real emphasis on love, stories, and family. I created a few fake children and the advice was always clear without sending me into a headspin. It focuses on telling you what your child (real or otherwise) would be learning at that age, how they process emotions, and what they need from you during that time. You can also upload pictures that correlate to that age and learning period to look back on, which creates a beautifully contextual memory book that you can even print out. Plus, It also tells you what kind of health things to look out for, when to go for health checkups, and cultural calendar events.

Free iOS, Android blackdoginstitute.org.au iBobbly

This is another app in which I have to admit to being unqualified to fully review. You see, iBobbly isn’t for me - it’s for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who need some help with mental health. I still found it resonated quite well with mental health issues and provided useful tools to deal with them. iBobbly talks about really important stuff like setting goals that suit you, understanding the difference between admiration and envy, and dealing with negative thoughts. It talks about the people we want to be, and what makes us beyond our intrusive thoughts and it does this in simple terms without feeling condescending. I actually found most of it quite valuable and would even say more so than most other mental health apps. It felt more like it was talking about me as a person to be built to the best I could make myself and made that feel almost possible. I hope it does even half as much for those it’s made for.

Free iOS, Android www.kooriradio.com Koori Radio

The next time you’re looking for a new jam to listen to, download Koori Radio and let it show you the way. As far as apps go it’s a super basic little radio player without many options but it does give you a nice clear broadcast from Sydney’s only First Nations radio station. There’s a section that lets you check Facebook and its website to see upcoming programs but they’re just inbuilt browser links.

Instead, it’s all about the content. You’ll hear a lot of local music that might not have otherwise reached your ears and really good conversations from the perspective of First Nations people. As I write this I’m getting a new perspective from some genuinely likeable kiwi women of colour hosting the current segment. It’s an easy way to get educated, find new tunes, and generally listen to some different voices. Again, the app itself is a bit basic and underwhelming but the station is more than worth your time.