Webmasters Choice Three

If you have a mobile phone there’s a good chance you’ve got a smartphone in your pocket or purse. The top three uses for smartphones are Text Messaging, Voice Call's, and you guessed it Apps. For teens and young adults, it's Text Messaging, Apps, Voice Calls. There have been months where some my children (4) have used ZERO minutes of talk time. So, smartphone apps are kind of a big deal. As of today, I have 202 apps on my iPhone and I am very diligent about organizing and deleting apps I don't use (good practice). On average smartphone users utilize 10 apps a day and 30 per month.

Now, let's talk about Catholic apps. Currently, there are hundreds of Catholic apps available today. Catholic apps can be somewhat of a challenge for smartphone users for several reasons. First, the content is somewhat perishable meaning it changes quite often. Readings, Prayers, and Music are always changing even down to the time of day. Due to this, it takes considerable effort to keep the app's content fresh and up to date. Second and most important the creators of the app are notoriously underfunded and short on resources. In most cases, it's just a labor of love even for the apps that require a fee. And lastly, there are Catholic app creators that have no idea what they are doing and some that are pushing content that is somewhat questionable. So, download with care and remember you can always delete it.

Things to check before you pull the trigger and download an app:

• READ THE DESCRIPTION. All of it.
• Compatability. Make sure it will run on your smartphone.
• Read the reviews. Good & Bad.
• When was it last updated? If the app has a fee and the last update was over a year ago you may want to skip it.
• Does it have "In-App" purchases? It may be free to download but it may require a fee to access content when you are in the app. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it's best to know ahead of time.
• THE FEE! I do not subscribe to the practice of only using free apps. Some of the best apps especially Catholic apps I have paid for. If you do have a free app that you use on a regular basis then please, please make a donation and write them a review. If it is useful to you that's a good way to encourage them to continue. It can be a thankless job.

Ok, now for the good stuff. I have created a "Smartphone Apps" page that will soon be part of our "Resources" section.  Just click the button below to access. Check back often as the list will change and grow.

Our site is "Mobile Ready" so open your favorite browser on your smartphone or tablet and try it out. It will also make it easy to download and install an app.

Enjoy!