TAP INTO THE SIMPLER LIFE IN THE UAE AND LET YOUR SMARTPHONE TAKE CARE OF ALL THE REST

▶ Ashleigh Stewart gives a rundown of the best apps to use to have food or petrol delivered, take advantage of retail deals or get some help with chores

The UAE has positioned itself as a country of the future, so it goes without saying that there are plenty of technology-based tools to help make our lives run more smoothly. From apps to help you get around to some that offer fantastic deals and discounts on food and fitness – and even one that will deliver petrol to you – here are the smartphone apps that will save you time and money, whether you’ve been here for five years or five minutes. Our list below includes descriptions of each app and the icon, so you know what to look for in the app store.

1. Zomato

You’ll never need to prepare a meal again. While there are a few meal-delivery apps to choose from in the UAE (Talabat and Careem Now are popular examples) Zomato is a tried-and-tested favourite. One bonus is that it uses GPS rather than asking for a location every time and offers instant confirmation that the restaurant has received the order and can deliver it. Once accepted, you get a fairly accurate estimate of the delivery time, and real-time updates on the status of your order. If there are any problems with processing or delivery, a Zomato operator is on standby to quickly intervene on your behalf and will call to let you know what is happening. Careful though, Zomato addiction is a real thing here.

2. Helpling ME

Sometimes things get away from you and all of a sudden you realise you need a cleaner straight away. Helpling ME promises to “book a cleaner in Dubai in just 60 seconds”. The service is offered for Dh35 per hour, with a threehour minimum, and charges for extras such as ironing or cleaning out the stove or fridge. You can even choose to pay extra for staff to bring their own cleaning materials with them and it is easy to order cleaners on a one-time or recurring basis, either weekly or every other week. The app was once only available in Dubai, but luckily for residents in the capital, it’s since come to Abu Dhabi.

3. The Entertainer

This two-for-one app keeps getting better and better. If you’re new to the UAE, then in your first few weeks you’re probably going to hear the phrase, “Is it on The Entertainer?” a fair few times. Because its sole purpose is to save you money, this is a good app to acquaint yourself with fairly quickly after arriving in the country. There are dining deals, as well as ones for fitness and activities (the theme park ones are great), while there are even ways to send unused offers to other people. Prices start from Dh495 for the basic package.

4. Careem (Abu Dhabi and Dubai) / Uber (Abu Dhabi and Dubai)

While grabbing a taxi is arguably easier in the UAE than in many other places in the world, many people prefer sticking with these ridehailing apps. However, there are a few ins and outs to know before you try. While Uber wasn’t available in Abu Dhabi for a while, it’s now back. So in both emirates, you’ve got your choice between the two. There aren’t many huge differences between them, although Careem (pictured) quite often have great discount offers. Within Uber, you have a choice of several different options – use UberX for a cheaper service, UberONE for “premium” electric cars, or Uber Chopper if you’re really keen to part with some cash and make an entrance on your weekly supermarket shop. Both Uber and Careem are good choices for getting from A to B without having to wade out into oncoming traffic to flag a taxi down.

5. Privilee

Fancy taking advantage of the plethora of luxurious pools and beach clubs, or even gyms, housed in the country’s best hotels? Well, no longer do you have to pay for a staycation, simply use Privilee. After paying the membership fee, this app offers unlimited access to more than 49 pools and beach clubs across the UAE, more than 56 five-star gyms and discounts at hundreds of affiliated restaurants. It now includes more than 1,000 free fitness classes, as well as access to sporting activities such as tennis and squash, and huge discounts on watersports and golf. Membership packages start at Dh529 per month.

6. Duolingo

Been here for two years but the only Arabic you know is “khalas” or “falafel”? Here’s how to change that. Arabic is now available on Duolingo and that news was well received by many residents in the UAE. Offering a slow-andsteady approach to learning, the app promises to teach you Arabic in a little as five minutes a day, teaching scholars to recognise letters and sounds, then build words and sentences. The app is also not scared to send you a notification to get you to practise daily and if you fail to log in for a few days, you can expect them to become quite passive-aggressive. The best part? It’s free.

7. Washmen

Washmen is a really cool app for people, like me, too bone idle to do their own laundry. A few simple taps will bring a friendly Washmen driver to your home to collect your laundry (in one of their own bags). You also specify when you want your laundry returned. When it is, it is beautifully pressed and cleaned and packaged. Washmen also encourages social media participation – and you get rewarded for recommending their service to friends and family.

8. Insta Shop

We know, we know – something of a theme is emerging here, whereby we are giving you the tools to basically never leave your sofa again. But providing you’re a functioning human being and will use this gained time to your advantage, there are many pros to getting someone else to do your supermarket shopping for you. Shop for the items you need on Insta Shop and it will be delivered to your door in about an hour – it’s particularly handy if you’re in the middle of a dinner party and can’t leave the house, or you’re midway through cooking and have forgotten a key ingredient. There are options to use a credit card, or pay cash on delivery.

9. Smart Drive (Dubai)

There are three great things about the Smart Drive app by Dubai’s Road Transport Authority. Firstly, it is intuitive and easy to use, while there is also much more detail than Google Maps. You search for your location, it maps a choice of routes, you pick the one you like and a voice – a woman with impeccable English – tells you exactly where to go (even what lane to be in). If you miss a turning, you are automatically rerouted. Secondly, as long as you set your location while you have a Wi-Fi connection, you don’t need one to use the app during the journey. Instead, it uses your phone’s GPS to guide you to your end point. Thirdly, it is regularly updated so it is better than a satnav and, if you wish, it can also take you to “Facebook places nearby” or “Foursquare venues nearby”.

10. Fetchr

Whether you are the sender or the recipient, Fetchr is a speedy and convenient courier service for deliveries within the UAE. Drivers will pick up a document or package and deliver it, using your phone’s GPS to determine your location. You can select the time-slot for the pickup and delivery, and track the journey of your package. It is a useful delivery tool for start-up brands and businesses – and for up-and-coming companies that sell goods through social media, Sellr by Fetchr allows for cash-on-delivery payment methods. And if you’re really in a hurry, Fetchr Now (currently only available in Dubai) promises to send a driver to collect and deliver a package within 45 minutes of booking the service.

11. Muslim Pro

While in some neighbourhoods, there are mosques on every corner that broadcast the call to prayer loud and clear, some areas, especially within high-rise offices, are oblivious to the sound. For those who try to pray five times a day, Muslim Pro is a useful app that lists the prayer times and sounds the prayer calls on your smartphone, wherever you are. It is especially useful as an alarm for the early sunrise prayer, which some people may struggle to wake up for. If you would prefer a more discreet reminder, you can opt for a silent notification.

The app is also helpful while travelling, since in addition to the Quran, it features a compass to give you the prayer direction and timings no matter where you are in the world.

12. Deliveroo

Deliveroo is another meal-ordering app that offers a vast selection of restaurants to order deliveries from, which can be filtered by things such as cuisine type or promotion. Some restaurants on the app also have a “top rated” category that can be helpful when trying out a new place or whenever you are unsure of what to eat. The app also has the option to pay with cash or credit. Once an order has been placed, you’ll be notified to say the order has been received from the restaurant, when the order has left the restaurant and when your meal is close to arriving. There’s also an option to schedule an order for later.

13. Ministry of Interior

None of us are proud of getting speeding tickets but inevitably, despite our best efforts, it can still happen. Keep your mind at ease by checking in here every couple of months or so (you can search by licence plate number) to make sure you have not accrued any and missed a text message telling you so. The app also has a wealth of other information – find updates on your criminal status, long and short-term visas and information about other road-related services.

14. Dubai Now

Dubai Now is invaluable for anyone who lives in the city. It enables users to pay pretty much everything, in theory, with the minimum of fuss, including Salik and Nol top-ups, police fines, utility payments, charitable contributions and on-street parking. Eleven topic headings cover everything important in life, such as public transport, education, security and justice, health, driving, business, residency, Islam and housing.

15. Darb

Trans AD’s Darb app is most helpful for finding bus information, from which lines are closest to your current location, to timings and routes. Simply click on the app and hit the side tab for the bus icon. There you will find all the bus markers within 1.5 kilometres of your location. The bus timings are pretty accurate, depending on the popularity of the line, but what is really good about the app is that you can check the map while on the bus and see upcoming stops for potential transfers. But it’s not only for bus lines. Darb can also help you get from A to B by foot, with accurate pedestrian maps. There is also a feature that allows people to order taxis.

16. Waze

Waze is a must-have for anyone who drives in the UAE. The community-based traffic and navigation app offers real-time road and traffic information, and is a lifesaver if you’re a driver. Aside from showing drivers where to go, the interactivity of this app allows other motorists to log incidents that may affect other people’s road journeys. Users can log congestion and alert other motorists to accidents that may hold them up. All you have to do is launch it, punch in your destination – an address or landmark – and it will calculate the distance and the time it will take, offering several routes. If you need to find a petrol station or car park, you can search for those, too. The app is reliable and accurate and the maps are updated regularly.

17. Cinema UAE

There are several cinema chains across the country and not all of their websites are as user-friendly as they could be. Cinema UAE is a simple but effective little app that displays a list of all films showing that day in every emirate (except Umm Al Quwain), where and when. You can also see what’s showing for the next two days to help you plan ahead, while you can follow links to trailers and additional information about the films. For some cinema chains, you can click on a showtime and be taken straight to the cinema’s online-booking site. For the others, you will still need to go to the chain’s own website to book.

18. CityGuard (Abu Dhabi)

This app allows you to report almost any public problem you might come across in the capital, from potholes or lights that might be out in a city park, to rubbish pile-ups, broken

benches, hedges along walkways that need trimming, ongoing night noise and much more. Use the app to submit an image of the problem, map its location and provide a short explanation. From experience, problems have been solved in anywhere from one day to two months.

19. Meetup

Consider this the 21st-century method of making friends. Meetup describes itself as a global platform for “finding and building local communities”, but it’s also simply a great way to meet people. If you are the sort of person who finds it a little more difficult to find like-minded people to socialise with, Meetup is a fantastic and efficient way to connect with people you might not otherwise cross paths with. If you’re not exactly in the market for a wealth of new people to hang out with, it’s great for hobby groups (hiking, crafts and other outdoor activities) and networking (career groups and professional mentoring help), too.

20. MarkaVIP

It’s not solely available in the UAE, but this Jordanian e-commerce company is beginning to make its mark here. Use this app to find discount luxury goods available in the region, from Gucci to Louis Vuitton to Tag Heuer. It pays to be vigilant on here, though, as there are plenty of flash sales that last only about three hours.

21. Abu Dhabi Taxi (Abu Dhabi) / Smart Taxi (Dubai)

Unwilling to stand by the side of the road, not knowing whether you will be there for 25 seconds or 25 minutes, before the flapping of your outstretched arm catches the attention of a taxi driver? Abu Dhabi Taxi (pictured) and Smart Taxi, ridehailing apps for taxis, are here to help. While the two are not quite as extensive as Uber or Careem, they let you book a taxi to your location, they log your past 10 bookings and allow passengers to rate drivers. There is a small booking fee, which makes it slightly more expensive than flagging down a cab in the street, but there is also the security of knowing there is definitely one on its way if you are in an obscure part of town.

22. TuneIn Radio

If you have data to burn, then TuneIn Radio can provide a slice of home for residents on the morning commute. If you miss getting your fill of Britain’s BBC Radio 5 Live, India’s Radio City, Manila’s WinRadio or Radio New Zealand, this might lessen the yearning for home-grown radio from whichever corner of the world you originally belong to. Search the app for the international radio station you need back in your life and tune in – just like that. You can save several stations, too, which will allow you to flick between Monaco and Montreal within seconds. It even has a library of podcasts that you won’t find on UAE app stores.

23. Groupon

A similar idea to The Entertainer app but completely free, Groupon offers a changing array of discounts and twofor-one deals at a huge range of retailers, restaurants and more. From pool days to spa treatments to cleaning deals, you’ll never need to pay full price (if you’re flexible on retailers) again.

24. Noon / Namshi / Asos / Nisnass / Cult Beauty

Solid favourites of the UAE’s online shopping crowd, these are the triedand-tested apps that tend to come in most useful, day-to-day. Noon (pictured) offers everyday items at good prices and often a tight delivery turnaround. Use it for everything from homewares to tech goods to beauty products. Asos, Namshi and Nisnass all focus primarily on clothes, footwear and some beauty products, and the latter two apps can sometimes get your order to you that day, or the next day. Cult Beauty is a worldwide phenomenon, sure, but you can get an extra 20 per cent off if you live in the UAE due to UK taxes. The only thing to be wary of is delivery times – these can vary wildly.

25. Cafu (Dubai)

Forget the age-old debacle in the UAE of waiting in line to refuel your tank as you sit idle at a petrol station, taking precious time out of your day. Why not have someone come to your house to do it for you instead? Cafu’s on-demand fuel delivery service will come to you to fill up your car, whether you’re at home, work or basically anywhere. Right now, it’s only available in Dubai, but they’ve promised to extend their reach to the other emirates soon.

26. Overcast

A lot of podcasts aren’t on the UAE iTunes / Podcast list, so this is the best way to find them. Use this app to find podcasts from across the world.

27. Ekar / Udrive

Newly arrived and haven’t gotten around to buying, or renting, a car yet? Only need a car for an hour? What about 15 minutes? Ekar and Udrive bridge the gap between somebody else taking the wheel for you and driving yourself. The basic equation is pretty simple: choose your app, download it, register, then find a car to rent via a GPS-enabled in-app map, where the cars you can use are simply parked on the side of the road. Once you have instantly reserved your vehicle, on arrival you unlock it using the app, then punch in a pre-designated PIN to a keypad in the glovebox, which releases the ignition key. Ekar is available only in Dubai and costs 50 fils per minute, including VAT, while there are also daily rates for various specified cars. Udrive, which is available in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, is 50 fils per minute, excluding VAT. Udrive also has daily rates, which vary per city, as do certain excess mileage charges.

28. Kibson’s

You won’t be in the UAE long before you hear of a person who “swears by Kibson’s”, and there’s good reason for that. This delivery service is a rare find – and we can vouch for its nutritional integrity alongside its ability to make us all a little lazier. Kibson’s is a fresh food and produce delivery service, offering good quality fruit and vegetables, as well as other edible goods (they also now stock meat), for fair prices.

29. Beam

It calls itself the “future of retail” and who’s to argue with that? Beam was ApplePay before ApplePay, offering an in-phone payment system that will really come in handy if you’re at the cash register and realise you’ve forgotten your wallet. Accepted at about 3,000 venues in the UAE, the Beam wallet deems cash and credit cards irrelevant, and even offers reward points on your spending. 30. The National We know, we know – this is a shameless plug in an otherwise completely unbiased article, but our app is a great place to stay up to date with the latest news in the UAE and elsewhere across the world. Download our app on iPhone and Android and be the first to know as news breaks that is relevant to the Middle East and beyond.