Now that summer has arrived, it’s time to plan how you spend the season. No matter how you like to enjoy summer, adding a few apps to your smartphone will make the season even more fun. Start by downloading these five apps you didn’t know you needed for summer. They’ll help you have a great time.
Weber’s on the Grill
Price: Free
Summer means it’s time to start cooking on the grill. Unfortunately, you can lose a lot of grilling skills during a long, cold winter. Get back in the game with Weber’s on the Grill app. It comes with over 75 recipes that will ensure you grill the perfect meal every time. You’ll also get access to more than 60 tips that will teach you how to care for your grill, start a fire, and use new techniques.
The best thing about Weber’s is that it will tell you exactly how long to cook meat to get the result you want. If you want a medium-rare steak, it will tell you what temperature to use and how long to cook the meat. As long as you follow the directions, people will start calling you the Grill Master.
Dark Sky
Price: $3.99
Whether you’re grilling a family meal or hosting a pool party, you need to know when a summer thunderstorm might strike. That’s where Dark Sky comes in. This is a hyperlocal weather app that gives you hourly updates. It will even send you push notifications when bad weather is approaching. That way, you can get everyone out of the pool and finish cooking before the rain comes.
As a hyperlocal app, Dark Sky pays attention to where you are. It doesn’t just give you weather forecasts for your city. It also keeps you updated on weather conditions in your neighborhood.
Wolfram Sun Exposure Reference
Price: $0.99
Sitting poolside is a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon, but you have to think about the long-term consequences of sun exposure. The Wolfram Sun Exposure Reference app takes all the guesswork out of tanning.
After you input some basic information about your skin type and where you are, it will help you determine how long you can stay in the sun before getting burned. The app also offers weather and ultraviolet (UV) predictions, so you can use it to decide which days are best for you to go out in the sun.
Google Translate
Price: Free
If your vacation plans will take you to another country, make sure you add Google Translate to your smartphone. Google Translate is a text-based language translator that converts foreign signs into English. Just point your smartphone at the sign, and you can read it in English. You can’t use it to translate speech automatically, but the app is still quite helpful.
Since Google Translate needs a reliable camera and screen to work well, you should use a smartphone such as T-Mobile’s iPhone 6S Plus. The 5.5-inch retina HD display and iSight Camera will make sure you get correct translations.
Spotify
Price: Free; ad-free Premium version costs $9.99 per month
Looking for summer jams that will keep you entertained? Spotify has a library of more than 20 million songs. Whether you like hip-hop, country, or classical music, the Spotify app has songs that will brighten your day. Set it to play random songs in a genre you enjoy, or create stations that will play music from your favorite artists.
No matter how you prefer to use Spotify, it will keep the music flowing all summer whether you’re driving across the country, hanging out by the pool, or playing sports with your friends. Good music makes everything better.
The apps that you choose will depend on the types of activities you like. Nearly anyone, however, can benefit from these apps. If nothing else, you can use them as a jumping off point that helps you discover other options that match your idea of the perfect summer.
