In today’s digital age, having the right apps on your phone can significantly enhance your productivity, learning, and entertainment.
Here are seven essential apps that every Zimbabwean should consider downloading.
We focus on apps beyond the obvious ones, such as LinkedIn, Google Maps, TikTok, WhatsApp, Spotify, Facebook, Google Photos and YouTube, most of which come pre-installed on many devices.
The focus is on apps that you probably haven’t yet installed. As usual, we only recommend things we use and love here at Techzim, and these apps are no different.
1. A Generative AI chatbot – Gemini, ChatGPT
This is the age of AI and you can participate in it too. Gemini will help you think and express yourself.
At Techzim it has helped mostly as a companion for brainstorming. Like you’re having a conversation with a really smart person and you’re challenging their ideas, while you encourage them to challenge yours. It’s an amazing experience.
It’s also helpful when you feel lost for words, or stuck on what decision to take, weighing pros and cons. Or just helping you come up with ideas for things, both at work and at home. It’s hard to imagine how we used to live and work without generative AI.
Download Gemini it here, and ChatGPT here.
2. Ride-hailing app – Bolt, InDrive
It’s surprising sometimes when you find some people don’t yet use ride hailing apps. The past few years have seen a number of mobile app-based taxi services like Bolt, InDrive and Yango launch services in Zimbabwe.
If you didn’t have your own car, the only option was to use Kombis or traditional taxis that would charge a minimum $3 for a trip within the city. Today, a trip on Bolt from, say, town to Parirenyatwa is just $2.
It’s unfortunate of course that some of these services have not launched in other cities like Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo and Mutare. But even for people living in those cities moving around in Harare, when they do come to the capital, has become easier and safer.
Because of the heavy competition, you can install all the apps and compare prices whenever you need a ride.
Download Bolt here, InDrive here, and Yango here.
3. Learn Chinese – Duo Lingo
Twenty years ago, learning Chinese (Mandarin) as a Zimbabwean seemed unnecessary . And 10 years ago, it started to appear as a beneficial skill.
Today, it has become clear that understanding Chinese is increasingly essential. Most of us have probably interacted with a Chinese individuals , especially in business contexts, at least once or twice in the past year. It seems this will just increase and being able to converse in Chinese will turn out to be useful.
For language learning, I don’t know an app that comes close to Duolingo.
4. Useful content – Reddit
Reddit is a social news aggregation, web content rating and discussion website. The app has become a significant platform for Zimbabweans, with a growing community sharing all kinds of information, responding to questions and just being active.
The thing about Reddit is that you get nuggets of useful info that’s just not possible on other platforms. Facebook is filled with comedy entertainment and other sensational stuff, Twitter has Zimbos gladiating with insults on politics and WhatsApp is limited to personal connections and communities you have joined, which can be hard when you need to discover things happening outside your current sphere.
And it’s not just Zim content, it helps you explore other things too.
Download Reddit here.
5. Link to Windows
This is for people that spend their days at a desk and find it cumbersome shifting focus from their Windows laptop to their phone. Especially for people that find it hard typing fast on their phone but have no trouble doing so on their laptop keyboard.
Link to Windows will mirror your Android phone to your computer. So, you will need to install it on both your laptop and phone – no worries Microsoft guides you through the relatively simple process.
You can answer calls, read and respond to SMS. You can even access the photos on your phone via this app on your laptop.
You can download Link to Windows here.
6. Children’s learning – Khan Academy for kids
Most kids we know dislike school. They love learning, but the traditional school environment often makes it difficult to love learning. And most of you reading this probably remember school as a chore, done either to meet parental expectations, or as the only ticket out of poverty.
However, learning can actually be enjoyable and something kids look forward to. This is what Khan Academy set out to do with their app. It will help your children practice foundational learning material in an engaging and interactive way.
The app can complement any learning method you use – whether its conventional or the fast rising homeschool that a number of Zimbabwean parents are adopting .
7. CapCut
This one is for the aspiring creators and influencers. We have a storyteller inside all of us waiting to tell our stories.
No other app that has made video content production as accessible to everyday people as much as CapCut has.
It’s popular for its filters, transition capabilities and general ease of use. This has made it the go to app for TikTok creators. In fact, the app is owned by the same Chinese company that owns TikTok.
You can download CapCut here.
This article is part of the Mobile Data Essentials series in our Tech Basics guides. This series is sponsored by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. Read about our Techzim Sponsored Content policy here.