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True North Innovations
As we look across the nation, we love to admire not only the diverse natural beauty that can be found from Halifax to Victoria, but also the growing app landscape that’s fuelled by innovation from coast to coast. Canadian developers are behind some of the coolest and most creative apps on the App Store right now. Here are a few locally made picks that we love.
Breethe
Made in: Montreal
Why we love it: Breethe offers approachable meditations for pretty much any life situation—and it makes it easy to find the ones that are best suited to you. By asking you questions and getting to know your needs, it serves up personalized playlists to help you cope with whatever stressor, sleep problem, or other issue you may be facing.
Ground News
Made in: Waterloo
Why we love it: This news comparison app changes the way we consume information, offering added context around where each article is coming from. By clearly showing which outlets are covering a topic and where they lie on the spectrum of political biases, Ground News makes it simple to compare the different sides of a story.
FILM3D
Made in: Ottawa
Why we love it: The 3D photography app makes your subject pop in a cool new way, with a moving background that immerses you in the photo. And it makes it all happen with a few taps on your iPhone or iPad—meaning fancy camera equipment is no longer required.
Mealime
Made in: Vancouver
Why we love it: Not only does this app simplify your life by making weekly meal-planning a quick and painless process, but its recipes are designed to ensure you create as little food waste as possible. Plus, when it’s time to cook, a hands-free feature for skipping to the next step in a recipe ensures you don’t get ingredients all over your device.
Magicplan
Made in: Montreal
Why we love it: The app uses LiDAR technology—essentially a laser that can evaluate measurements—in order to create simple, fast, and accurate floor plans. Point your device around the room to scan wall measurements, ceiling heights, windows, and doors, and in minutes you’ll have a layout you can edit for that home reno project.
Wattpad
Made in: Toronto
Why we love it: The reading and writing app has become a place for people of all walks of life to share their stories—no book deals or creative writing diplomas required. Because of that, we’re constantly inspired by the breadth of fresh ideas and unique experiences that are authored on the platform—many of which can’t be found in a bookstore.
Orbit
Made in: Vancouver
Why we love it: This time-tracking app takes the work out of tracking your billable time for freelancers and small business owners, letting you create invoices in an instant and offering simple visualizations of your time spent. Plus, the new widget feature lets you track your hours right on your Home Screen.
Sago Mini World
Made in: Toronto
Why we love it: This adorable and seemingly endless world for kids lets them use their imaginations and shape the tools and characters as they see fit. Plus, children and adults alike can’t help but be wowed by the Magic Camera, which uses augmented reality (AR) to bring Sago Mini characters into the room with you for playtime.
Rootd
Made in: Victoria
Why we love it: This app offers a support system that can go wherever you do—its guided breathing exercises, visualizations, journal, and emergency contact function are there to help whenever a panic attack strikes. And it’s backed by science: A University of Victoria study of 45 app users found that it decreased anxiety and reduced the severity of panic attacks after six weeks of use.
Life Lapse
Made in: Vancouver
Why we love it: The app’s ghosting feature helps you put together professional-looking stop-motion videos by offering a guide for how to align your subject from one clip to the next. And, once you’ve got all your shots, it will stitch them together for you, so editing is virtually effortless.
Capo
Made in: Waterloo
Why we love it: There’s no better way to learn your favourite song than to slow it down and break it up into smaller pieces—which is exactly what Capo does. The app detects individual chords and keys, so you can play tunes even without the sheet music, and in turn learn to train your ear to detect the notes.
Wealthsimple Invest
Made in: Toronto
Why we love it: The app makes investing accessible to everyone, with low fees, automated options for saving, and easy-to-understand depictions of how your money has grown over time. And if you still have questions, a real-live human financial advisor is a tap away.