You may love them, or you may hate them, but there’s no denying that smartphones have taken over every aspect of human life. We use them for entertainment and work wherever we are. On the bus, it’s hard to see someone not using their mobile phone. But smartphones have also become a powerful outdoor tool.
With so many apps designed especially for outdoor use, it would be a shame to not take advantage of them. So next time you’ll be spending time outdoors, you should try out for instance…
Dark Sky
Bad weather can completely ruin your time outdoors. That’s why having an excellent and, most importantly, reliable weather forecast is essential for those who spend most of their time outside, especially during the summer.
An excellent choice is Dark Sky. It provides you with detailed forecasts, advanced maps, and it sends you notifications about the changes in the weather so that you can stay informed at all times without having to check the app. As we can read on the Weather Station Advisor website: “In the summer months, thunderstorms can both form and move quite quickly. Weather radar websites and apps that don’t update their radar data in a timely fashion put you at risk, especially if you’re outdoors.”
Dark Sky is available for both Android and iOS, as well as for Apple Watch and Wear OS. with its ad-free and straightforward interface, this an excellent choice for planning your time outdoors.
UVLens
It’s common knowledge that the sun’s UV rays can be the cause of many skin diseases and cancer. That’s why it’s essential to take care of your skin when spending a lot of time outdoors. Using sunscreen prevents you from getting burned and minimizes your skin’s exposure to the sun. UVLens is an app that will help you to take care of yourself even better. It’s a UV index forecast app and sunscreen calculator in one which allows you to create a personalized skin profile and gives you information about how long it would take for you to get burned. It also tells you what you should do in order to avoid that.
If you are spending a lot of time outdoors, this is the perfect app, as it tells you when is the best time during the day to be out, and it has a reminder that notifies you when it’s time to reapply the sunscreen. The app is available for free for both Android and iOS.
Strava
If you love having an early morning run or cycling around the mountains or forest, this app is a great choice, as it is an app focused on running and cycling. The app tracks your running speed, the distance you covered and the time you spend doing it. Strava includes the basic features of a tracking app, but at the same time, it gives you the chance to compete against your friends as it includes achievements, leaderboards and challenges.
The app is available for iOS, Android, Android Wear and Apple Watch, as well as several running trackers.
Maps 3D Pro
Not everyone knows how to read a topographic map, and that’s understandable. If you are one of those people, and you want to go on a hike, Maps 3D Pro is the right choice. It shows you the maps on the 3D view, which makes understanding how you should move a lot easier. It also gives you the option to plan, save and share the routes. Probably one of the most useful features of this app is that you can pre-load the maps and view them in the offline mode, as during your hike there will be times when you won’t have internet connection or service.
The app is disponible for iOS, and it costs $4.99. However, remember that if you are planning to navigate with your iPhone, you need to be well supplied with power (you can take a power bank, for example) and/or you have a useful backup guide.
Yonder
Yonder can be described as Facebook or Pinterest of those who love to hike, bike or camp and a place where users can share their experience with other lovers of the outdoors. It gives you the option to browse through more than 200,000 destinations or explore close locations through the map.
It not only gives you a chance to find new places to go to but it also a great opportunity for connecting with other people who love spending time outdoors as much as you do. The app is available for free on both Android and iOS.
Conclusion
As you can see, smartphones are not only a great source of entertainment, but they are also a potent outdoor tool. So next time, before going outside, download one of those apps and see for yourself.
