Useful Apps to Make Life Easier in Indonesia

[godmachine12]

1. the very best for online food ordering and delivery (including beer)... happyfresh.id

Worth noting you can also have pork delivered as well.

 

[jstar]

I am a whatsapp fan - use it loads , especially since FB messaging changed. The one issue I have with wa is that it can hang on to messages for a few hours if I don't remember to physically click on the app to open it & check.

Line- what is that all about- not used it yet- same as WA?

Yeah the Messaging app from FB is completely separate now. But it has improved a lot and it is rather popular in Indonesia. Similar for the messaging from Instagram.

About WhatsApp; BlackBerry hardware will not longer be supported as of 1/1/2017. Even if BBM is still quite popular, I feel it will be the final blow for BB.

 

[jstar]

Not sure if this is mentioned before (and as we know you can not search on only two characters in the forum): I use XE quite a lot as currency translator. Obviously it gives the average sell/buy price but is rather convenient for fast lookups.

 

[jstar]

The problem I see with all these newspaper and car magazine apps, but also with online banking and travel sites (e.g. Expedia) as well as quite some auction sites I use, is that the traditional website is always offering more functionality and possibilities.

Of course an app has to be more efficient since it is meant to run also on lower bandwidth, but that makes me choose the website anyway (if available). I also found that on certain platforms, Skype and FB worked faster via the browser than as an app.

As last frustration, the Apple apps are often country specific. So you need to activate the App Store for that country to install it and worse, receive updates. I have major issues with banking software on that.

 

[wombat]

Google Map - saved me hours on the road. Avoiding macet

 

[R Cameron]

Google Map - saved me hours on the road. Avoiding macet

Have you tried Waze? Owned by Google, using the same traffic data, but solely focused on avoiding macet.

 

[wombat]

I found waze harder to use and seemed to be hungry on resources and slower than google map, particularly in fixing current location.

Have you tried Waze? Owned by Google, using the same traffic data, but solely focused on avoiding macet.

 

[Bad_azz]

Cititrans: I would say these are the best shuttle bus service i have used between Jkt & Bandung.
They are slightly more expensive that the other operators I have used but their drivers tend to be competent and careful on the toll road and I have found them to be reliable and courteous.

Their website: http://www.cititrans.co.id/

They also have a mobile phone app that makes booking so much easier and a bit less restricted than their phone booking service- you can book up to a month in advance - but only one journey booking per day. You pay on arrival at the ticket kiosk and are asked to turn up 30 minutes before due travel time. T&C include that you lose the app service if you are booking seats and not using them- unless you cancel in advance of travel (I think it is only 5 minutes or so - not exactly hard to know if you will make it there or not in 5 minutes. So I think that is a pretty fair rule).

Current price one way is about 135,000.
I think it is a bit more expensive from the airport.
Anyway- I use this company lots and I like them.

 

[jukung11]

Google translate (for those of us not fluent) became more useful since it allowed to download language packs.

 

[begbie]

I heared that zomato / qraved / foursquare is popular for searching restaurant ..

 

[Euc-]

Cinema21/blitz apps for moviegoers.

Only bad thing with the cinema 21 one is that it doesn't allow you to book Premier, you must show-up in person to buy the tickets which is a pain especially in weekends when they're often full. (People send their drivers or Go-Jek instead to buy tickets for them in the mornings).

 

[El_Goretto]

The cinema21 app is so so crap. Haven't used the cgvblitz in a while but know that you can book tickets for cgvblitz via the go-jek app and it's very easy.

 

[Bad_azz]

ooh I am loving the Go-Jek stuff... food deliveries- NOM!!! No hassle Ojeks - awesome! Go Pulsa- perfect & quick... that's my lot so far- I just wish i had a place big enough to try the cleaner out haha

 

[Davita]

Not sure if this is mentioned before (and as we know you can not search on only two characters in the forum): I use XE quite a lot as currency translator. Obviously it gives the average sell/buy price but is rather convenient for fast lookups.

I know jstar is only suggesting XE as a guide to mid-range exchange rates but it isn't that good when actually sending money...and doesn't send to Indonesia.
I have that XE in my favs but was recently introduced to TransferWise.com which gives an instant conversion including their charge, and what the recipient receives, without even registering or logging on.

I registered with TransferWise last week and and exchanged GBP to CDN$ and it gave the best net-rate...better than my own premium HSBC global transfer or any other method of transfer....and it only took 2 working days to arrive in my Canadian bank.
An additional feature, once registered, is you can set-up to advise when a particular currency is exchanged at a rate you might find acceptable. I'm waiting for GBP-IDR to hit 17,200...

 

[Anglian]

17,200rp, hope we don't have to wait too long

 

[fastpitch17]

If the FED raises rates and the protest on the 2nd creates negative International press, and the Tax amnesty keeps going badly, you could see some big jumps in the Rupiah vs whatever.

 

[Zavia]

My List :
Blue Bird App - for company claims besides Grab and Gojek for personal
Asus Calculator - my current preferred calculator with forex built in
google translate - download indonesian, and allow it to pop up when you copy words.
camscanner - for scanning documents. has a basic folder system.

blackmart - to download more things.

Additional plugs for small apps:
XWork a jakarta app for finding meeting rooms in hotels and other places near you, charged by the hour. For those who needs meeting rooms on the go. (Met the developer some time back. never actually booked a room)
Manage Credit Card Instantly www.thesimplest.net (I was involved in testing their development in exchange for free access. Great for those with many cc/dc over many countries.)

 

[dafluff]

It's a little bit out there, but I like FlightRadar for picking up people at the airport. I know exactly if the plane is on time or late, and can adjust accordingly. Also sometimes useful for finding out why your plane is not at the gate when you are departing.

 

[macvert]

Agree with Zavita, Camscanner is a great app, just open it, take a photo of a document or business card whatever & it will adjust it to be print perfect.

 

[Davita]

It's a little bit out there, but I like FlightRadar for picking up people at the airport. I know exactly if the plane is on time or late, and can adjust accordingly. Also sometimes useful for finding out why your plane is not at the gate when you are departing.

I used that free-app (flightradar24) today to see my wife fly from Jkt-Dps. It was useful to see the take-off and the route taken. The arrival time was spot-on but according to my phone she landed on the water at the side of the runway in Bali...I immediately recalled Lion Air.... .

Thankfully my phone redrew and the picture had her back on the runway.

Dafluff...do you use the subscribed service and is it more useful than the free version?