New to Bahrain

Six apps every new expat in Bahrain should download

by BTM

Wed, 31 August 2022

Expat family Bahrain
Tools that you can have at your fingertips - mobile apps - to help you navigate life as an expat.

Often hailed as one of the best decisions you can make, becoming an expat can sometimes be harder than people have let on.

Bahrain has become a popular country for expats to move to due to its island lifestyle, great weather and friendly people but the move can still be daunting.

Thankfully, we live in a digital age where an abundance of tools have been made easily available to enable people to navigate the terrain.

People who have chosen to walk this path often faces challenge like communicating in the local lingo, finding your way around, being able to calculate the currency conversions and so forth.

Today, we look at mobile apps - to help you navigate life as an expat in Bahrain.

1. Duolingo

Allianz Care recommends downloading Duolingo; a free app that helps expats learn the local language through easily digestible 5-10 minute lessons and games.

duolingo

“This fun approach to learning can be great when you’re getting to grips with a new language. The app is designed to keep you engaged, rewarding you with points for correct answers while slowly reinforcing your vocabulary and improving your grammar over time.”

2. Property Finder

This app was created to help people with finding a home in the Middle East. “Whether you're buying or renting, you want a villa or a flat, we have it all,” read the description on the app store. 

How does it work?

Property Finder searches properties throughout the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia and includes English and Arabic support. 

With homes and real estate, including apartments, flats, studios, villas, townhouses, and more, as well as plots of land and even offices and shops, the app promises to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

3. Internations

As the world's largest network for people living and working abroad, InterNations has built an ecosystem that allows people to network, socialize, and find expat-relevant information — both online and face-to-face. 

“InterNations has communities in 420 cities around the world, making it easy for you to meet expats and global minds in your city.” 

The organisation launched an app to help expats find new friends, grow their networks and discover a wide range of events to socialise with like-minded people.

Much like Tinder, but for expats looking for a community. 

4. Talabat

Talabat is an online food and grocery delivery company founded in Kuwait in 2004. 

As of April 2021, Talabat was available in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.

5. Skiplino

Got admin? No problem. Skiplino is an app that allows you to skip waiting in line and save your time by booking your spot in queues ahead of time. This app helps in setting up appointments for your driver's licence for example.

By using this app, expats can also access a wide range of service providers, find their nearest service locations, know your waiting time and postpone your bookings if you’re running late. 

6. XE Currency

Coming from a country with its own currency and moving to a new region can be quite a task. 

XE Currency gives live exchange rates of more than 170 countries and can be used even without an Internet connection. 

Allianz Care hails this currency converter as particularly useful if you travel a lot or if you are not yet familiar with the currency of your new host country.

From delivery to admin and even learning a language, here is a list of apps that every expat needs.