For Tech Savvy Muslims: 10 Popular Free Apps for Ramadan

Since Ramadan is approaching, many app developers are taking advantage by publishing apps designed especially for Muslims. From the many cool Ramadan apps available out there, here are ten of the most popular apps in random order.

1. Ainun

Ainun, developed by Indonesia’s Weirdsgn and Dihardja Software Solutions, refers to Arabic word meaning ‘eyes’ and it wants to be “a tool to share any captured moment through Muslims’ eyes.” This iOS app has many cool features to beautify your pictures such as embedded weather forecasts, picture location tagging, time stamps, 10 photo filters to choose from, and more than 60 inspirational typographic quotes categorized into 10 daily moments, all packaged with everything from simple fonts to beautiful hand-crafted typographic styles. You also can design your pictures with your favourite 10 daily muslim expressions written in calligraphy. Ainun has integrated with all major social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Path, and Google+ to make updating your moments easier. It is available for free here and coming soon on Google Play.

2. InstaDeen

Here is another photo sharing app for you. InstaDeen is an iOS app that offers some different features in terms of its Islamic content. The app’s tagline is “photo sharing capabilities with a twist”; Malaysian developer Adiman Muhammad wants to enable you to decorate your picture with Islamic content such as Qur’anic quotes, Arabic verses, salah time, hadits and more. The app comes with a very simple user interface and ordinary fonts compared to the Ainun app. However, what’s similar with both apps is their location tagging (which you can hide if you want) and salah time stamp features as well as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram sharing buttons. You can grab the free lite version here

3. Muslim Pro – Azan, Quran, Qibla

Published by Singapore-based Bitsmedia Pte Ltd, Muslim Pro is arguably the best Islamic mobile app, offering complete features including accurate prayer time based on your current location, calls for prayer (azan/adhan), an animated qibla compass to show you the direction to Mecca, a full audio Holy Quran translated into 15 different languages (audio and translation can be used only by premium users), maps to halal restaurants and mosques around you, a Muslim calendar to estimate holy dates, and 99 names of Allah and the Prophet Mohammad. iOS users can grab the newly-updated free version here and Android users can download it here

4. Ramadan Tracker

Ramadan Tracker is an innovative app by Catalunya Trade Impex that is dedicated to teaching and reminding new Muslims or struggling Muslims about what they have to do during Ramadan. I called it innovative because you have to set a target for yourself and then meet your numbers throughout Ramadan by checking items off to-do lists such as reciting the five daily Islamic prayers, additional prayers, fasting, daily recitation, reading the Quran, doing charity work and social activities, etc. Every time you do one of the aforementioned activities, you get points. Interested? It’s available only in iOS.

5. Ramadan 2013

After the previous release of Ramadan 2012 last year, Hakim Boukhatem confidently launched Ramadan 2013 this month and the app can be downloaded at both the App Store and on Google Play. It detects your current location (automatically or manually) and then shows the five Islamic prayer times of each day. What’s cool about this app is that it can show you the prayer time for more than 251 countries, which could be very convenient for travelers. There are also some other sections like eight Duas written in arabic with pronunciation and translation, 99 names of Allah, and a guide filled with must-know information about Ramadan.