Whether you’re a foreigner who’s settling down, or on your way, Hong Kong is a city on the move. The culture can be a little bewildering for these who are new to the city. There are several apps that you can use which will make your life easier and help you become a functional Gweilo.
In this article, we’ll take a look at 7 of the latest and greatest apps for living in Hong Kong.
- Speaking — If you’re new to Chinese, it’s going to take you a few months to get the grasp Cantonese or Mandarin, you’re going to find instances where you need to communicate in Chinese with native speakers. With the Google Translate app, you can input text and receive Chinese character translation. There is also an audio input feature that allows you to speak into your phone and receive real-time translation of a sentence or a question.
- Reading — Whether it’s Mandarin or Cantonese, you’re going to need assistance learning the Chinese characters. The Pleco Dictionary is one of the best apps available. Not only does it support Mandarin and Cantonese, it also includes add-on features like an OCR reader, which allows you to use the phone’s camera to decipher Chinese text. This dictionary is great for newbies or those who are studying the language.
- Travel — While you’re navigating the city, you’ll need to get around safe and securely. Uber is tremendously popular in Hong Kong. The app has met with some resistance from local taxi companies and authorities because drivers were working without proper insurance and licenses. A SCMP.com article mentions that drivers who have proper paperwork enjoy the flexible hours, extra income and opportunity to connect with new people. If you don’t want to use Uber, you can try two apps for traditional taxis. Both FlyTaxi and HKTaxi will connect you to a local driver.
Image / South China Morning Post
- Dining – You’ll eventually find yourself wanting to explore the city’s cuisine. Openrice is an app that provides you with information based on the type of food you’re looking for. SCMP.com reports that the app provides you with reviews, prices and uses your phone’s GPS and to help you find locations from the nearest subway station. If you don’t feel like traveling, the app connects you with restaurants that make deliveries.
Image / FinTechNews.sg
- Housing – SCMP.com reports that founder Asif Ghafoor filled the void in Hong Kong’s housing market by creating Spacious. The app and website allow you locate properties in a selected neighborhood. Instead of quarreling with property agencies, Asif works with them. Connecting expats, buyers, and tenants to their residential needs.
- Dry Cleaning and Laundry — Hong Kong is one of the busiest in the world. Impressed is an app that was created to answer the call of dry cleaning and laundry for Hong Kong’s working professionals. A SCMP.com article mentions that the founders realized that many people were leaving work when the dry cleaner was already closed and others mentioned that they simply didn’t have time to wash their clothes. Impressed is cleaning on demand and comes to your location to pick-up and drop-off your clothes.
- Hong Kong Air Pollution — There are times when you’ll have to adjust or curtail outdoor activities because of air pollution. TheHKHub.com reports that the Hong Kong Air Pollution app provides air quality information for Hong Kong based on international indexes. You’ll want to make this a daily habit. In Hong Kong, the daily air quality index is just as important as the weather forecast.
Hong Kong is an amazing city. Arming yourself with the right technology will provide you with the opportunity to integrate into society and make it feel just like home.
