For some of us the idea of going into quarantine is pure bliss, but for those of us who love to pursue the shops and pop out for coffee with friends the idea of keeping to ourselves for well over a month (or two, or three) is pure agony.
For those of us who are worried about being cooped up for weeks on end, the good news is there is an easy way to keep our pantries stocked and our minds occupied during these tough times.
We’ve rounded up twelve apps all Dubai residences need to download, before going into self-isolation.
Food and Groceries
We all need to eat. Here are our favourite apps when it comes to getting the weekly shop done online.
InstaShop is an app with a huge variety of products and grocery stores. It caters to multiple locations across the UAE as well as other regional countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain and more.
In addition to groceries, InstaShop will connect you to cleaning services, pharmacies and other services, including gourmet grocers and specialty stores. This app is broken down into over 20 different categories of products ranging from dairy and eggs, fruites and vegetable, coffee and tea to baby care, and hygienic products, according to Gulf News.
El Grocer tracks your trends, needs and wants based on your previous orders and it recommends the products and creates a pattern catered to each consumer.
This application will place the user’s favorite products at the top of the list in order to make access for users easier every time they order. Savvy, no?
Pharmacies and Medical Services
This application requires users to send a picture of their prescription and their insurance card, and soon enough there will be a knock on the door with their prescription. However, if you simply just want to buy medicine then order online using InstaShop for example.
If you’re in need Vitamins and Nutrition, Sports Supplements, Beauty Care or Home Health Care this is the application for you, however, it is important to mention that they have run out of ethanol and hand sanitizer, according to Gulf News.
Okadoc is an application that helps you book a doctor’s appointment right away and it will usually help you find out exactly what you need.
This application also helps healthcare providers through the benefit of optimizing doctors’ schedules and reduce the number of people who do not show up for their appointments.
Laundry and Washing
Dubai’s Washmen is an application that offers users a pickup, clean, press and drop off service which allows users to focus on other services or chores that require their attention.
This whole process will take up to 25 minutes for the pick up process as they pick up the bags from your door step and return them to you the next day, whether you are home or not you will find your laundry done at the front step of your door.
As the laundry will be placed in different colored bags: blue bag means wash and fold, green is clean and press and white is press only. There is no hassle when it comes to payment as they accept card payments, according to Gulf News.
This application provides a hassle-free and affordable service in Dubai for laundry and dry-cleaning, as they are powered by Laudrapp. Laundrapp makes sure that your clothes have a smooth journey from when your order is placed to when your delivery is received. LaundryMan allows users to track their order which allows them to receive real-time updates at every step of the way; in addition to this, they also offer different colored bags: blue bag for full service (wash, iron, fold), grey bag for ironing only and white bag for wash and fold, according to Gulf News.
Transport
CAFU is an application that makes it convenient for those who drive to ensure that their car is always fueled up.
CAFU is the first app in the MENA region which offers on-demand fuel delivery, the CAFU pilots can come fuel up users’ cars where they are and at any time that is convenient for them. All users have to do is open the application, register for an account with their car details, pinpoint their location a map and press “order”; on the other hand, users can choose to schedule a delivery for a later time and all of this costs the same as going to a fuel station, according to Gulf News.  CAFU operates in Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain and is available on iOS and Android app stores.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Urban Company (Formerly Known as Urban Clap)
This application comes in handy at a cheaper price than other maintenance companies with their services delivered in less than 24 hours to maintain and fix anything that breaks in a user’s household. Urban Clap offers pest control, AC repairs, home cleaning, plumbing, etc, according to Gulf News.
Food Delivery
Talabat is an online food ordering platform within the Middle East which allows users to order meals from over 4,300 restaurant that are partnered with the application, even now the app has broadened its horizons by offering other stores for delivery such as groceries. These partners include brands such as Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Subway as well as many local restaurants from different cuisines.
Deliveroo is another online food ordering platform in the UAE which offers a live tracking service after a user’s order has been placed.
Governmental Services and Bills
In order for users to be able to manage their utilities and bills, lists of hospitals and clinics, the checking of flight information, all the way to the different lists of schools and their ratings by KHDA; the Dubai Now App is an application that allows users to view and sort out their governmental service needs.
This application is the first unified Dubai government services app that has started offering over 70 government and private sector services from 32 entities which include health, security, education, transportation and many more. This application will be contributing to global efforts in order to accelerate the time needed in order to accomplish things within the country, according to Gulf News.
Toys for Kids
This application was founded by busy parents who had one goal in mind: to create an application that pools information regarding a wide range of children’s products that are not readily and easily available at malls or online stores in the Middle East, according to Gulf News.
This website and application offers branded products with free delivery for every 200 dirhams worth of orders within the UAE and KSA and each time a user orders a product online, the website will offer them rewards through the Mumz Loyalty Program which has a variety of members-only benefits.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
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