Strava is an exercise tracker widely used by runners and cyclists, which also supports swimming, kayaking, skiing and other sports. There are versions for iPhones and Android devices, along with Apple and Android smartwatches. Like all fitness trackers, it uses GPS to track your progress on a walk, run, ride or swim, letting you view your route against a map, and see details like your average pace and elevation change.

That’s handy information if you want to keep track of how far and fast you’re running. Monitor it over time and it’s a rewarding way to see how your improving fitness results in better performances, but Strava isn’t just about comparing your own workouts. Its social features aim to link fellow runners and cyclists, allowing them to share routes and even compare times on a leaderboard.

This makes Strava perfect for anyone who likes an element of competition to spur them on to faster times or longer workouts. If that’s you, you might find yourself inspired to work harder and get fitter more quickly, but it’s not to everyone’s taste. If you’d rather exercise alone or share only with a close group of friends, you might get more from rivals like RunKeeper. It’s also worth mentioning that many of Strava’s best non-social features, such as personal heat maps, only come with a subscription.

Whether you’re intending to lose weight, gain weight, follow a particular diet – or simply ensure you’re eating balanced meals – a calorie counting app is a must. There are loads to choose from, most of which have limited free versions and expensive subscriptions. With that in mind, we’ve chosen MyFitnessPal, chiefly because its free version is more fully featured than most.

Like other calorie trackers, MyFitnessPal lets you keep a log of everything you eat, whether it’s store bought, homemade, or part of a restaurant meal. Its huge database includes almost everything you can buy, and you can add your own recipes, saving time when you cook them again.

This app weighs up what you eat against your age, sex, height and the other details you supply when you first set it up, letting you know how it compares to what you need, and whether you’re on track to maintain your weight, or gain or lose weight. Link it to an exercise-tracking app and it’ll help you account for for any calories you burn through activity.

Unlike most other calorie counters, MyFitnessPal’s free service is functional enough to help you manage the basics. Perhaps its main limitation is that it doesn’t offer a nutritional breakdown of your diet into food groups like carbs, protein or fat. Without that, it’s less use if you’re trying to follow specific diets such as a keto regime. If you’ve a more specific goal in mind and you don’t mind paying, we’d recommend subscribing to Calorie Counter+, which offers similar features but costs a little less.

Sometimes it’s hard to carve out space in our busy lives and, if we’re honest, mobile phones don’t always help. But while most apps simply add to the noise, Headspace exists to provide moments of calm, meditative mindfulness, helping you switch off, relax and manage stress.

Headspace is an attractive app with a variety of different content. Originally focused just on mindful meditation – led by the voice of co-founder Andy – there’s now a big library of content addressing areas like nutrition, money, sleep and work. There’s also content designed to help children, along with podcasts from high-profile contributors such as John Legend.

While Headspace used to include a small amount of free content, there’s now a 14-day free trial after which you’ll need to quit or subscribe at £10 a month or £50 per year. Headspace isn’t for everyone, but it’s a good way to make time to meditate, helping many people deal with the stress and worries of modern life.

Many Yoga apps are built around videos where an instructor guides you through a set workout. It’s a good approach, but Yoga Down Dog works slightly differently. Instead of set video practices, it creates more varied sessions by piecing together shorter videos and still images into a unique practice each time.

Yoga Down Dog is highly configurable, a process which starts with you answering a few questions about your yoga experience. You can also choose your preferred instructor voice and music style – there’s a selection of recognisable tracks, rather than the bland muzak you get in some other apps.

This app provides full access during a one-month trial period, but after that it’s subscription only. This comes at £9 a month or £50 per year, although you get a third off if you pay directly on the Down Dog website. While it’s not exactly cheap, you do get access to all the developer’s apps, which cover other activities like running and meditation.

Yoga Down Dog lets you tune practices to exactly the right level. Its boost feature also helps you concentrate on specific goals such as weight loss or alleviating back problems. Overall it’s a great app, it’s just a shame there isn’t a little free content.

We carry our phones everywhere, which means they’re likely to be with us in an emergency. Whether you’re suffering illness or accident, or you come across someone else who is, the Red Cross’ first aid app has all the advice you need.

First Aid contains useful advice to help you prepare for eventualities ranging from chemical spills to workplace accidents. You can also learn how to care for casualties. Without doubt its best feature is its clear and simple emergency advice. Hit the Emergency heading, choose the problem, and you’ll find simple steps to support injured or ill people, and guidance on whether to call emergency services.

In most cases, advice is boiled down into a handful of highly simplified steps, helping you do the right thing quickly. Further information is often available if you need it, for example guiding you through what to do if a person with a suspected heart attack becomes unresponsive. This is that rare thing – an app we hope you never need – but in a real emergency it could literally be a lifesaver.