Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      19 June 2025

      WhatsApp founders hated ads – Meta is adding them anyway

      19 June 2025

      China’s car factories run cold as price war masks deep overcapacity

      19 June 2025

      Yellow Card, Visa in deal to hasten stablecoin uptake in Africa

      19 June 2025

      Jaltech backs solar firm Wetility in R500-million capital raise

      18 June 2025
    • World

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Our top 10 smartphone app picks of 2022

    Our top 10 smartphone app picks of 2022

    Presenting TechCentral’s entirely subjective choice of the best smartphone apps of the year...
    By Tadek Szutowicz30 November 2022
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is it. The best of the best. Or, to be a little more accurate, TechCentral’s entirely subjective pick of the best smartphone apps of the year.

    These apps are now commonly used in South Africa, so you may already know quite a few of them — but hopefully not all of them. Regardless of their intended use, they are apps that are helpful to almost everyone. Some of the apps we’ve chosen are South African; others are more global in focus.

    If there are any killer apps not on this list, especially new apps released in 2022 that you think we should know about, we’d love to hear about them in the comments section below.

    MoyaApp

    MoyaApp, an instant messaging and payments app developed in South Africa, has notched up 6.5 million monthly active users and is now hoping its popularity will help break the dominance of WhatsApp in the local market. It is intended to be an all-in-one app, saving users the trouble of installing multiple apps to carry out similar functions. They made it “datafree” (zero rated), so you can message people without data. Android. Free. moya.app. (Check out TechCentral’s interview with MoyaApp founder Gour Lentell.)

    Momondo

    Travelling the world doesn’t have to break the bank. Thanks to booking websites like Momondo, people from all walks of life can find affordable accommodation, flights and other travel-related services. Momondo is a meta-search engine that finds the most affordable flights available online. Momondo compiles the best rates for customers by searching through more than 900 airline and booking websites as well as search engines, online travel agencies and discount websites. Momondo also searches and contrasts rates for hotels and other accommodations, rental cars and various trip packages, and its smartphone apps are top class. Android, iOS. Free. www.momondo.co.za/mobile.

    Ayoba

    Users of MTN’s Ayoba messaging app can share photos, videos, files and voice notes, and even their location, with others, send and receive encrypted messages in 22 different languages, and subscribe to content channels. Other features including gaming, browsing and music streaming. Both MTN and non-MTN customers can use Ayoba.  However, MTN users get 1GB/month of free data to access the app, which has underpinned its rapid growth. Android, iOS. Free. ayoba.me.

    EskomSePush/ESP

    Load shedding is now, apparently, with us all the time, so we need to be aware of the schedule constantly and be alerted when the power is going off. And no app does that better than EskomSePush (which seems to be in the process of changing its name to ESP). Use the app’s AskMyStreet feature to support and update your neighbourhood. It’s one of South Africa’s most used apps – let’s just hope we need it a lot less next year than we did in 2022. Android, iOS. Free. sepush.co.za.

    Stocard

    Bulging wallets are a thing of the past with Stocard, an app that allows you to store your many loyalty cards digitally, including all major South African store cards. At the point of sale, users simply fire up the app, select the relevant store, and have the digital card’s barcode scanned. In rare instances where the digital card can’t be scanned at the till – we’re looking at you, Pick n Pay – the cashier manually enters the number under the barcode. Consumers can even read and digitise store cards that app doesn’t recognise. Combined with phone tap-to-pay functionality, who needs to carry a wallet anymore? Android, iOS. Free. stocardapp.com.

    Duolingo

    Learning a new language has never been simpler. You can quickly become fluent by using a few virtual flashcards daily in the Duolingo app. You can learn to read, write and speak a new language entirely from your phone. Duolingo provides a skills tree of lessons that challenge you on new words, phrases and sentences using listening activities, flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Android, iOS. Free, with in-app purchases. www.duolingo.com/mobile.

    Tusky

    Mastodon has been around for a few years already, but the Twitter-like social media software platform gained thousands of new users just recently over concerns about what Twitter’s new owner, the capricious billionaire Elon Musk, might do to the platform. The “federated” Mastodon system, where anyone can host a server or instance of the Mastodon open-source software, means it’s not centrally controlled like Twitter or Facebook. But it’s also not necessarily a free-for-all either, as users still need to comply with the rules of the Mastodon instance they join. It’s worth checking out, and the sign-up process is not as difficult as some reports have suggested. Once signed up, we think the best smartphone app to use is Tusky. Android only. Free. tusky.app.

    VodaPay

    Vodacom’s VodaPay is a so-called “super app” that allows you to get more done with your phone and is accessible on all mobile networks. Developed in partnership with Alibaba Group’s Alipay, VodaPay allows you to send money, shop online, order food and even pay bills. It functions both as a digital wallet and a digital mall. It’s not at the same level as China’s WeChat super app yet, but it’s a promising step in that direction. Android, iOS. Free. vodapay.vodacom.co.za.

    BeReal

    The BeReal app, first released in 2020, sees users taking a front- and back-facing camera photo simultaneously of whatever they are doing at a precise moment in time – when they receive a push notification from the app to do so. Posts vanish the following day, and the only old photos you can scroll through are your own; BeReal refers to these as “Memories”. There is also a “Discovery” mode that shows strangers’ posts in an endless stream. It’s an interesting alternative to Instagram. Android, iOS. Free. bere.al.

    Canva

    Do you require a fresh graphic design tool? With over 30 million users and a US$6-billion valuation, Canva is most likely the best-known online graphics design tool. It’s a free app that combines a photo and video editor. Make stunning social media posts, videos, cards, flyers or collages of photos. For Instagram Stories and video collages, stand out with simple animations and entertaining music. Android, iOS. Free tier, with subscriptions available for more advanced features. www.canva.com/download.  — (c) 2022 NewsCentral Media



    Ayoba BeReal Canva Duolingo EskomSePush Momondo MoyaApp Stocard Tusky VodaPay
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleSamsung Galaxy S23 set for early February debut – report
    Next Article Apple is stifling innovation, harming consumers: Spotify CEO

    Related Posts

    TCS | Datafree’s plan to make R1-billion/year from ‘free data’

    4 December 2024

    TCS | ESP app’s Herman Maritz on Eskom’s miraculous turnaround

    12 August 2024

    Vodacom’s R7.4-trillion mobile money bonanza

    24 July 2024
    Company News

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025

    Altron: a brand journey, a birthday celebration and a bet on Joburg’s future

    17 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.