Useful Apps for Expats in Istanbul - Guide to living in Turkey

The long list of apps for expats in Istanbul ensures that every resident, regardless of age or nationality, can effectively plan their time and receive advice, information, and tips direct from their mobile phone. Indeed, apps are now an essential part of our lives, whether ordering food, paying bills, or trying to get from one place to another.

While people in small towns probably do not need them as much as others, residents of Istanbul, Turkey's most prominent and most significant city, benefit immensely from using them. With more than 50 million people, life in Istanbul gets hectic from time to time, so smooth planning ahead and convenience ensure a stress-free day. There are thousands of Istanbul apps, but in this article, we look at our favourites, the most widely downloaded and highly recommended.

Istanbul


Apps for Expats in Istanbul


Yemek Sepeti App

Yemeksepeti, Turkey's most extensive online food ordering app, features hundreds of restaurants in Istanbul, including time-honoured Domino's, Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, and many more. Select the district of Istanbul you live in, choose a restaurant, browse menus, choose your food, enter the address, choose payment type, and then order. Within 45 minutes, your food will arrive. Watch out for special promotions and regular discounts. Main app features include adding favourite Istanbul restaurants, live support 24/7, quickly repeat orders, selecting restaurants with advanced filtering system, various payment options, comment and rate deliveries, special Coca Cola and Vodafone menus.


Getir App

Getir delivers various groceries within 60 minutes and offers Istanbul restaurant and cafe selections featuring well-known brand names like Starbucks. Residents in small towns might endure limited choices, but services range from local traders to significant supermarkets in Istanbul. Whether you want fruit, veg, dairy products, snacks, frozen food, or home items, an impeccable service means tracking it from ordering to being on the road to arriving. They promise against substitutions because they operate on a real-time inventory, and Getir's contact-free delivery service enables Istanbul residents to distance themselves socially.


IBB Istanbul

This app, by Istanbul Municipality, allows everyone to access IMM services from a single point, including city traffic, help desk, public transportation and WIFI points. Expats get current Istanbul traffic information in real-time to plan journeys accordingly. Also, access details about public transport like buses, the Istanbul Metro, Metrobus, and ferry. The help desk listens to complaints and offers suggestions about transportation, environment, health, social support, and other areas. The Istanbul city guide lists open pharmacies, social and sports facilities, while touristic cameras display Istanbul's beauty in real-time. In addition, the app lists stray and adoptable animals, intelligent parking systems, indoor and outdoor car parking locations, social facilities, sports halls, and tourist areas in Istanbul.


Property Turkey – Real Estate

Buying a home in Istanbul has never been easier with our application. Property Turkey's mobile application displays all types of properties in Istanbul like villas, apartments, land, and hotels. This app filters Turkish real estate according to budget and areas. Add favourites to a list, change currency display, and enquire about specific properties. Additionally, we update the app frequently with Istanbul real estate market news and general information about living in Turkey and investing in the housing market. Users can also contact us to speak with a local Istanbul agent about buying property in the city. (Property Turkey App.)

Property Turkey mobile app


Istanbul New airport

Istanbul new airport says this app makes trips fun and easy to plan. Users gain access to features like "flight tracking" and "home to the gate, which estimates how long it takes to get from your front door to plan well in advance. The flight-tracking service lets you scan boarding passes or search for flights directly to determine if they are in time. The map displaying restaurants, stores, and cash machines is handy because it is the world's biggest airport. Meanwhile, the discover Istanbul feature often updates with regular events. The app accesses a free wi-fi service and displays transportation options as well.


IsBike to Get Around

All around the world, residents use bikes to get around cities. The advantage of ditching cars or public transport to get healthy is a great lure. With IsBike, Istanbul locals become members by logging on with their mobile phone numbers. They then see the nearest bike stations and quick routes to reach them. In addition, the app stores your history and provides detailed information on subscriptions, rules of renting a bike, and updated promotions and coupon codes.


Bitaksi – The Alternative to Uber

They say they will send a taxi in 3 minutes, but Istanbul residents should be more flexible with timing. Users see the driver's name, photo, ratings, and license plate, therefore offering full transparency and peace of mind for safety. Go cashless, add cards, and know how much a trip will cost through the fare estimation service. Displaying the quickest route to get from A to B, share these routes with friends and even request a taxi that allows transportation of pets.


Metro Istanbul

The Metro, a focal point of Istanbul life, enables residents to commute and get around. This app displays Turkish and English timetables, directions from current locations to closest or selected stations, a map showing all stations, current fares, news, events, and announcements like delays.


IDO Istanbul

Still talking about transport, IDO Istanbul operates many ferry services around Asian and European Istanbul. This app enables Istanbul locals to get tickets, find out routes and departure times. In addition, regular ferry passengers should subscribe to their Sea and Miles loyalty program to gain incentives, access exclusive campaigns, and receive discounts.


Istanbul Offline City Map

This comprehensive, easy-to-use Istanbul city map displays directions, nearby places, and attractions. Expats plan and pin in advance and turn their smartphone or tablet into a digital offline city map. With the zoom feature, see surrounding places like restaurants and transport stops. Search by name, category or use a GPS location. Add pins to maps to create your journey and immediately see your day ahead.


Trafi - Getting About

Trafi say they are the connected transport app that allows residents to move around effortlessly by using the route search, from public transport and city bikes to car-sharing and ride-hailing. Expats compare and choose the best routes for them because Trafi displays efficiency, speed, and price. Store favourite destinations and places and see streets in real-time to adapt as necessary. Offline timetables eliminate internet needs. Trafi currently features four Turkish cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Bursa.


Google Translate for Expats

Whether an expat lives in Istanbul or somewhere else, many agree that Google Translate helps with everyday living, where locals speak another language. Including online shopping or conversing with local shopkeepers, the app got considerably better in recent years, and 99.9% displays perfect translation. At the same time as translating, use it to learn new words.


Duolingo App – Learn Turkish

Of course, many people like translators but speaking another language boosts your confidence. In this case, Duolingo, a highly rated language learning app, steps up to the podium. Their free version gently introduces the Turkish language by learning the basics, while learners can upgrade to access more advanced words, grammar rules and pronunciation techniques.


Wise App – Formerly Transfer Wise

Many expats living in Istanbul deal in two currencies, their home countries currency and that of the Turkish lira. Wise has become the go-to favourite for money in recent years, even overtaking PayPal, which Turkey banned. One distinct advantage is better rates on currency exchange and transfer fees. Users sign up for an account and prove their identity, but otherwise, Wise beats other apps for dealing with two currencies and sending money.


Papara– Money Management

Papara has many functions, including managing finances in four currencies: Turkish lira, British pounds, Euros, and American dollars. Use Papara to send money, receive money, pay bills, manage budgets, and track spending. Also, receive cashback and favourite apps that expats use like Netflix. One significant aspect about Papara is that it operates separately from bank accounts, and users apply for a card that arrives through the post after verifying their identity. Deposit money to your account from 15 different banks, the PTT and Teknosa branches. Also, create a QR code to receive money from other users. The Turkey Central Bank supervises Papara.


Also About Expats

Starter Guide to Living in Turkey: If this list of useful apps for expats in Istanbul was interesting, you might like to read more tips about settling in and adjusting to the move. Any potential expat looking to move to Istanbul from their home country has many questions. We understand that settling in a foreign country with different cultures, languages, food, and traditions takes specific character skills. So, here we present our tips and advice for expat life in Turkey.

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