Local Apps You Should Download if You Live in France

Apps are just about everywhere these days and while France might have been a little late to the party when it comes to technological advancements, post-Covid, it’s well and truly caught up. These days, you can expect everywhere from banks to supermarkets to have their own app, and it’s well worth getting to grips with them as many offer features that can’t be accessed elsewhere.

Being a busy Mum of two teens and running a three gîte complex in the beautiful Charente, I want to keep an eye on our environmental impact and manage our consumption of the Earth’s resources. So for me, the EDF and water (Saur for us) apps are really cool to have on your phone.

At a click, you can see daily electricity consumption which is colour-coded – red shows above average consumption. We installed a solar water heater and the reduction in energy consumption is quite impressive! I check this app most weeks.

Tracking your water usage via the app is also handy as this could potentially alert you to any leak. Our neighbours had a leak for months without knowing which was pretty stressful when it was finally discovered. And if you’re a second-home owner, you can also do this from overseas.

Doctolib is France’s leading medical application, and the app is the easiest to book and keep track of appointments with doctors and specialists. It also reminds you of your essential preventative appointments and checks according to your age and gender, which are adapted to your profile. You receive handy reminders of appointments to as well as details of anything you need to bring on the day.

How To Use Doctolib in France: English-Speaking Doctors & Online Consultations

It’s also possible to set up a digital Carte Vitale in France, meaning that you don’t need to carry your card to doctor’s appointments or pharmacies.

How to Set up Your Digital Carte Vitale in France: STEP BY STEP

Zealid may also come in handy if you need to have a numeric signature for official documents. It has been a lifesaver!

If you love your cultural visits, Legendr  is most definitely for you. It is a touristic heritage guide in Virtual Reality. So, for example, we have the ancient Abbey and Priory of Marcillac Lanville here, parts of which have been destroyed, decayed or no longer exist. This application allows you to ‘see’ how we think they once would have appeared through Virtual Reality and makes family visits cooler for youngsters.

If you are rural like us here in the Charente, a wildlife app is indispensable. For example, Merlin will allow you to identify birds you see and hear.

Of course, a language app might come in handy if you need to learn French. Duolingo progresses broadly at your level, but Google Translate is equally handy, especially the photo-translate function.

Mon avis le rend gratuit is one of the growing number of money-saving supermarket applications that’s popular in France. I like the idea of this one because we have a local Carrefour and the idea of testing products appeals to me. Many supermarkets, including Lidl and Hyper U have also released their own apps now too, which allow you to gain points and benefit from any number of reductions – plus it means you don’t have to carry your loyalty card with you.

Which apps do you use the most in France? Let us know in the comments!