7 Must-Have FREE Canadian iPhone and iPad Apps

Posted on February 3, 2012  •  6 minutes  • 1114 words

There are over 500,000 apps available in the iOS App Store, with downloads numbering over 18,000,000,000 to date! That’s a lot of zeros fellow Apple Fanboys & Fangirls. While I’m sure that 80% of the Apps on the App Store are completely useless, I’ve come across 7 apps in the remaining 20% that are perfect for anyone spending any amount of time in Canada. So without further ado, I give to you 7 must-have Canadian Apps.

1. NFB Films for iPhone & iPad (National Film Board of Canada)

The National Film Board of Canada (or the Office Nationale du Filme du Canada if you’re French) is an Academy Award winning public film producer and distributor funded by the Canadian Government. They’ve produced over 13,000 productions in their long history, and have won over 5,000 awards. Being a Canadian organization, they have both French & English divisions, which means a LOT of multi-lingual content to consume. NFB Films is available for iPhone and iPad, and has built in support for Airplay. The app has over 1000 movies available, including documentaries, animations, and full length feature films. If you know you’re going to be out of wifi range, you can even save the movies to your device for up to 48 hours for offline viewing. Highlights include How to Build an Igloo, The Award Winning animation “Cat Came Back”, and William Shatner Sings O Canada. [box] Price: FREE

[button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/national-film-board-canada/id329353641?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download NFB Films from the App Store[/button]

[/box]

2. Air Canada for iPhone

Hate keeping track of tickets but love flying? Air Canada for iPhone can give you a leg up over other travelers. This app gives you the ability to Check-In to your flight through you phone. If you’re still an old fashioned checker-inner no harm. There’s still plenty that you can get out of this app. From Finding & Tracking Flights, booking flights, upgrading to executive class, interactive shopping, to even selecting your seat on the flight. If you fly Air Canada often, or have family who does, this is a great tool to keep in your pocket and help stay up to date on all relevant travel information. [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/air-canada/id326459697?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download Air Canada for iPhone from the App Store[/button] [/box]

3. Explore Canada Like A Local for iPhone

Need inspiration on where to go, what do to, and when to see it on your next travels through Canada. The explore Canada app is the perfect companion for exactly that. Browse by location, theme, user-submitted travel lists, or use their live map, which allows you to find what’s near you. The Explore Canada App integrates with Foursquare very nicely. This allows you to check in to hotels , hostels, tourist destinations, and scenic views extremely easily. I’ve used this with great success in the past when visiting a new city. Big thanks to the Canadian Tourism Commission for building this app. It’s been a great inspiration for finding new things to see and do. [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/explore-canada-like-a-local/id466133493?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download Explore Canada Like a Local from the App Store[/button] [/box]

4. World Nomads French Language for iPhone

While this app is no replacement for taking actual french lessons, there’s enough in here to help you out in a pinch, should you be hanging out in the French parts of Canada. The World Nomads French Language App provides some basic phrases for everything from Food, Transportation, Introductions, and Safety. My personal favourite phrase World Nomads decided to include is “Ces drogues ne sont pas a moi!” - which translates to “Those drugs aren’t mine!” [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/world-nomads-french-language/id297247182?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download World Nomads French from the App Store[/button] [/box]

5. CBC Radio App for iPhone

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has been a part of Canadian culture since 1936. The CBC Radio App is the perfect addition for any traveling audiophile or news fanatic. This app grabs live feeds from CBC Radio 1, CBC Radio 2, and CBC Radio 3. You can browse by musical genre, or by city. The app also allows you to listen on demand to Arts, News, and Regional programming. While all this streaming content is great, my favourite feature of this app is that it lets you find out the CBC Frequency for any city across Canada. One of my biggest beefs with CBC is finding their station in cities I’ve never been to. It jumps all over the place, so having an app tell me exactly where to turn my dial is awesome! [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/cbc-radio/id325946767?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download CBC Radio from the App Store[/button] [/box]

6. CBC Hockey iPhone App

If you’re a hockey fan that wants to be kept in the loop this app could be your new best friend. The CBC Hockey Night in Canada app lets you track upcoming games, scores, hockey news, schedules, and even watch video. You can even find out player stats throughout their career. This app is perfect for the regular hockey watcher or the die-hard GP measuring hockey fan. [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/cbc-hockey/id338741250?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download CBC Hockey from the App Store[/button] [/box]

7. TimmyMe iPhone App

Tim Hortons is a Canadian addiction. If you are amongst those affected by it’s meth-like qualities, this app should help you get your next caffein fix quick. TimmyMe grabs your current GPS locations and lets you know where the closest Tim Hortons is to you. This app works in both Canada and the United States. There’s a few other features, but in all honesty they’re pretty boring, like Nurtitional Info and your Tim Card Balance Check. This app really has one purpose in my mind - Find coffee near me, now! [box] Price: FREE [button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/timmyme/id483413328?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download TimmyMe from the App Store[/button] [/box]

Bonus! Whaddaya App - A Newfoundland Translator App / Soundboard

Hands down my new favourite app. While its not technically free, at $0.99 it’s just about. Simple, quick, and funny! Whaddaya App allows us mainlanders the opportunity to understand what the heck it is those Newfoundlanders are saying. For those who are unaware, Newfoundlanders tend to have a thick and unique accent. A must have app if you plan on setting foot on the rocky shores of Newfoundland & Labrador. My favourite phrase I’ve picked up from this app is “Stay where ya’at ’til I comes where ya to!”, which roughly translates to “Stay There, I’ll be there shortly”. [box] Price: $0.99

This app is available for Android too!

[button link=“http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/whaddaya-app/id455581683?mt=8" type=“icon” newwindow=“yes”] Download Whaddaya App from the App Store[/button] [/box]

Have you come across any awesome free Canadian iPhone Apps? Share in the comments below!