8 Must-Have Smartphone Apps for Media Professionals

09/29/2017

By Justin Sablich

The app store of any smartphone can be an overwhelming place, and if you’re a media professional, you don’t have time to sift through the thousands of apps that could make your job a lot easier.

For people like you, here are eight of the most effective apps for journalists and other media professionals: 

CamScanner (iOS and Android)
It’s like having a scanner in your pocket. Easily scan documents using your smartphone’s camera, touch them up using built-in tools and send the .pdf to yourself or others. It might be the fastest ways to get important documents related to your story to your editors. 

Cogi (iOS and Android)
This app is a real time-saver, and it was rated by LifeHacker as the best recording app for Android phones (though it’s available on iPhones as well). Cogi allows you to highlight notable portions of whatever audio you are recording by simply tapping a button while the recording is taking place. When you go back to review your audio, all of the important portions are bookmarked, which saves you from having to review the entire audio clip. This is ideal for recording sources or staff meetings. 

TapeACall (iOS)
With this app, you can record phone interviews no matter where you are, as long as you have cell phone service. It does cost $9.99, but is well worth the money for its ease of use, and it’s a one-time fee, compared to most other smartphone recording apps which charge by the minute. No more fiddling with landline recording devices. 

PushBullet (iOS and Android)
This app aims to make all of your devices (phone, tablet, home computer) work seamlessly together. Among its many features, it allows you to send text messages from and get smartphone notifications on your computer as well as share links and files instantly between devices, all of which can make the reporting process much smoother. There is a free version, but to get the unlimited version it costs $4.99 per month or $39.99 for the year. 

Quik (iOS and Android)
Quik by GoPro may be the easiest way to create videos with your phone. All you need to do is select your video clips and photos, and the app pretty much does the rest. If your editor wants a slick looking video for your story — like, now — Quick is the way to go. 

TweetBot (iOS)
Since 2012, TweetBot has made everything you want to do with your Twitter account easier. Among its perks: syncing your Twitter timeline across all devices, muting tweets bases on user, hashtag and other variables, and night viewing mode — so you can catch up on Trump’s latest tweets without hurting your eyes (too much). Finding a Twitter app other than Twitter’s own limited app is crucial for any media worker, and this one checks off all of the boxes. The latest version costs $9.99.

ByWord (iOS)
This app is great if you’re writing on the go. You can start a draft on any of your devices and ByWord syncs to all of them, so you can pick up right where you left when you get back to the office. Or, you can keep everything within the app and publish directly to blogging platforms like Wordpress. This one comes in at $11.99.

Audionote (iOS and Android)
Audionote makes note taking a lot easier. It links your notes with audio and automatically indexes whatever your recording. It’s great for things like interviews, meetings and press conferences. You can even draw diagrams as well as take text notes that highlight during playback, and you can jump to different points in your recording. You can try it for free, but the full version is $14.99. 

We have these and a lot more useful tips and tricks in our recourses library.

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