Ramadan 2019: stay the course with the best apps

We review a selection of mobile tools for those observing prayers and fasting this holy month

Abu Dhabi, UAE.  May 16, 2018.  Sunset before Ramadan at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.
Victor Besa / The National
Section:  National
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With the arrival of Ramadan, many of those observing the holy month witness a change in their daily routine. In order to help you keep up with the various tasks you might want to do during Ramadan, we've selected some of the most useful mobile apps, covering prayer timings, supplication reminders, Quran reading trackers, health and nutrition tips, and entertainment guides. Here are our top picks.

Religious apps

Muslim Pro

One of the most popular apps on Islam available on Google Play, Muslim Pro is recognised by millions of Muslims around the world as the most accurate prayer time and athan app. It also features the full Quran with Arabic scripts, phonetics, translations and audio recitations as well as a Qibla locator, an Islamic Hijri calendar, a map of mosques and halal restaurants.

Download here

Athan Pro

Athan Pro brings you the most accurate prayer times and many other features such as Quran, tasbeeh, Islamic calendar and a compass to locate the Qibla.

Download here

Ramadan 2019

Search by city to get your exact local times for prayer timings, in addition to other information such as the explanation of the 99 names of Allah, 30 prayer categories and a Ramadan countdown. This free, all-in-one app is available on the App store for IOS devices and has multiple features, including Muslim prayer times with an athan (call for prayer) feature, Qibla compass with calculated distance, Ramadan calendar, prayers, Hijri date converter and the 99 names of Allah.

Download here

QamarDeen

During Ramadan, charitable work becomes more common. This app helps you to record your charitable donations. It is a unique Islamic app used to also track your daily spiritual efforts such as prayers, Quran reading, donations and fasting. 

Download here

Daily Dua & Azkar MP3

With English and Arabic translations, this free app features prayers that you might enjoy. This is a 6MB, offline app.

Download here

Salatuk

This is a great app if you're constantly on the move and need help locating mosques around you. It indicates the prayer timings, mosques near to you and the Qibla direction, wherever you are. The app uses the location upon which all the related religious/worship tasks are determined accordingly, depending on the exact time of day.

Download here

Khatmah

This reading app will help you to keep track of your Quran readings and set a daily reminder to finish the amount of reading that will allow you to finish the holy book by the end of Ramadan.

Download here 

Health and food apps

Noom: Health & Weight

Featured in the New York Times, Women's Health and Forbes, this app has already attracted more than 45 million people worldwide who want to build healthier habits.

It is a programme with a proven psychology-based approach that identifies your deep-rooted thoughts and builds a customised game plan to help you form healthy habits, faster.

Download here

MyFitnessPal

A calorie counter and diet tracker. Whether you want to lose weight, tone up, get healthy, change your habits or start a new diet, you’ll love MyFitnessPal.

Download now

Cookpad

This app includes more than 200,000 Ramadan recipes and is a great choice for easy and delicious homemade recipes. The app makes cooking a social affair.

It provides a unique social and safe environment for people to search for and save recipes, publish recipes and photos, or share privately with friends and family.

Download now

Hakibat Al Saem fi Ramadan

This is the app for you if you are interested in healthy eating during Ramadan,  in need of some medical tips, insight about dietary misconceptions , in addition to religious guidance.

Download now

Entertainment apps

Shahid.net

Fan of TV shows during Ramadan? To follow the series and programmes of MBC channel, Shahid.net has got you covered and will keep you entertained without ad interruptions. Shahid is the number one premium Arabic Video On Demand service in the world and offers the best shows, documentaries, films and series/dramas for a seamless experience.

Download now

Communication apps

Celebrate Ramadan and express your love and gratitude to your family and friends by sending them an Eid greeting card during the Ramadan-Eid festive season. 

There are many apps, including  Ramadan Greeting Cards HD, GIF Ramadan Greeting Cards, GIF Greeting Islamic Cards, and and the multi-purpose Islamic Greeting CardsThese all feature many beautiful greeting cards in bountiful galleries.

You can also personalise your mobile's home screen with an Islamic wallpaper. The apps Islamic Wallpapers, Islamic Wallpapers HD and Allah Islamic Wallpapers comprise a wide variety of images; mosque, typography, calligraphy and more that you can share with your loved ones via Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or e-mail.

Ramadan kareem.