In the space of about three years (2010-2013), the Indian mobile app market has witnessed a jump of almost four times in value (in dollars). Contemporary smartphone users in the country have several advanced, innovative apps in their handsets.

Keeping with the worldwide trends, the market share of smartphones in India is growing at a steady pace. The services offered by the telecom carriers have improved greatly over the past half a decade, phones with various sophisticated platforms and interfaces have been launched, and the average price level of mobile handsets is also becoming increasingly competitive. Not surprisingly, the popularity of mobile apps has also soared in the recent past. We here present a few smartphone applications that any Indian mobile-user would love to have in their handset:

1. Zomato – The Zomato app makes sure that you are never too far away from a quality restaurant, wherever in India you might actually be at. Apart from locational details, the application offers an overview of the menu options at local eating joints, and authentic comments, ratings and reviews by other users. You can share your experience at a restaurant via Zomato too – that would serve as reference for other foodies!

2. India Panchang Calendar – The importance of India Panchang Calendar in the backdrop of iPhone app development in India is underlined by its high download figures at the iTunes (India) store. Through the application, you are provided information on all the important festival dates during the current year and the last five years. In addition, it also provides accurate solar and lunar movement information, for the determination of ‘tithi’-s and ‘nakshatra’-s.

3. Times of India – Do you use an iOS 7 device? If yes, get this app – and never miss out on any piece of important breaking news, ever again. News and updates related to all categories are brought to your fingertips (literally!) by this app, from over forty-five cities across India. You can even follow live sports scores on the go, by launching the Times of India application.

4. Vastu Compass – While deciding whether to buy a new house, and when you are chalking up plans to decorate the rooms – this mobile app would come in handy. You get accurate updates on whether a building is compliant with all the Vastu norms, by checking all the directions. Vastu Compass would also guide you through the task of arranging all furniture items and showpieces at the ‘right’ places. The reviews of Vastu Compass have been uniformly good, clearly indicating that it is not one of those gimmicky mobile apps.

5. Password for WhatsApp, WeChat, Photos – Most of us use IM applications like WeChat and WhatsApp regularly, without thinking twice about whether the privacy of our mobile conversations might get compromised. This password protection application rules out such risks, by helping you set a common, custom passcode for WhatsApp and WeChat. You can also keep all the personal images on your mobile secure, by using the same password. No one but you would be able to access them.

6. Cleartrip – The Cleartrip mobile app has been hailed by professionals from all iPhone application development companies in India, as one of the most user-friendly flight-booking software systems for iOS devices. The app offers seamless integration with the Apple Passbook functionality, enhancing its security quotient in the process. Both domestic and international flight tickets can be bought through this application, and it supports transactions in an impressively large number of currencies.

7. 8 mm Vintage Camera – If retro-styled videos and movies are your thing, the 8 mm Vintage Camera app would be an absolute delight to have on your smartphone. It comes with as many as seven different lenses, and boasts of a live viewfinder. From scratches and cuts, to shake effects and sepia color tones – you can customize your videos in just the way you like. The in-built Sound Switch feature of the app can be used to make silent movies/videos too! Interesting, right?

8. Drink Water Reminder – Having adequate amounts of water in a day is hardly a necessity of Indians only, but the fact remains that – dehydration is a serious risk in a generally hot and humid country like ours. To stay safe from water-deficiency related health hazards, you should have this app on your phone. You can set up notifications and reminder alerts about the time when you should have a glass of water (of course, you can drink when feeling randomly thirsty). The app displays the total amount of water you should have every day – basically, setting a target for users.

9. OLX – Over the past few months, the popularity of the OLX mobile app has witnessed a real upsurge. Although experts from mobile application development companies are not yet fully convinced that this app is absolutely bug-free, buyers/sellers from across the country have found it to be really convenient. If you wish to buy something, or want to get the right price for stuff on sale, OLX would connect you with interested parties – within minutes.

10. Gayatri Mantra – To add a dash of piety in your life, all that you need to do is download this lovely mobile application from iTunes – and set it up on your mobile. Starting of each day with the Gayatri Mantra chants would automatically fill up your thoughts and activities with positivity and holiness. You can get the Maha-Mrityunjay Mantra through in-app purchase as well.

For those who love to ‘shop till they drop’, the customized Indiatimes Shopping application would prove to be useful. The Buddhify 2 app helps you get rid of daily mental stresses, by providing detailed audio meditation training. If you are a fan of English football, do not forget to download Fantasy Premier League on your smartphone. India is a country where the available potentials for mobile application development are tremendous – and people here have started using mobile apps in a big way, already!