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Seven apps to make your life in Switzerland easier

There so many different mobile applications available, it’s sometimes difficult to know which ones are practical and valuable. We list here seven apps that you will find most useful for life in Switzerland.

Published: 8 March 2021 17:42 CET
Updated: 2 May 2023 05:37 CEST
A close up of a smart phone
What apps do you know that make life easier in Switzerland? Photo by Daniel Romero on Unsplash

Swiss Federal Railways / SBB / CFF

Everyone who uses trains and other forms of public transportation in Switzerland needs this app for ticketless travel.

Just like the Swiss army knife, this app is multi-functional: you can see the timetable, purchase tickets,  find every connection that takes you from one point to another, and also see if a train or bus is delayed. 

Comparis price finder app

Switzerland is notoriously expensive but this app from a well-known independent consumer site lets you find the best deals from 130 online shops in Switzerland.

It compares prices on electronics, household appliances, sports equipment, cosmetics, games, and other items.

Other apps from this source show best prices for housing and cars.

You can download all of them here.

Twint

If you live in Switzerland, you are probably familiar with this quick and convenient  payment method.

Twint is a great tool when you want to transfer money from one person’s smartphone to another’s, to pay for a purchase in a shop, restaurant, or anywhere else.

Cashless payments in Switzerland: What is Twint and how does it work?

Practically all retailers in Switzerland offer the option of a Twint payment.

The only requirement is that you have a Swiss bank account.

Twint can be downloaded here. 

Google Translate

Unless you are fluent in all of Switzerland’s national languages, you will need to look up words and phrases when you travel from one region to another.

It also includes an image option, allowing you to take a photo of a sign or other forms of written text and receive a translation in the language of your choice.

In a multi-lingual country like Switzerland, you want to make sure nothing is lost in translation.

Google Translate app. 

MeteoSwiss

The National Meteorological Service app is useful to know if bad or dangerous weather conditions like heavy thunderstorms, winds or snowfall are predicted for your area, especially if you are planning trips or hikes.

It’s better to be prepared for this kind of weather. Photo by Johann GRODER / AFP

Swiss Post Apps

This app lets you track consignments, write postcards, request stamps and do many other tasks from your smartphone that would normally require a trip to the post office and most likely standing in a queue.

App for iPhone. 

For Android. 

We left the best for last: The Local Switzerland app

If you have no time to sit down and read the Swiss news but must do it on the go, then this mobile application is right up your alley.

The app is available for iOs and Android and gives you access not only to Switzerland’s news but also to each of our nine European sites.

You can opt to receive curated push notifications for the countries you are most interested in. We only send alerts for breaking news and our most compelling content.

Member comments

  1. Twint isn’t available to everyone, double check with your bank, especially if you’re American.

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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

From attitudes towards foreigners and improvements in work-life balance, Clare O'Dea examines how Switzerland has changed over the last 20 years and how it hasn't ('the Swiss still don't know how to queue'). Her new book All About Switzerland is now available - details below.

Published: 18 May 2024 10:49 CEST
Updated: 18 May 2024 14:45 CEST
OPINION: Switzerland is a better place than 20 years ago, but much can still improve

In the 20 years that I’ve been writing about Switzerland, I’ve tended to focus on one part of the picture at a time. Standing back from the canvas, I can see that there has been a pretty positive evolution in the country over that time.

The change has happened in measurable ways – an extra 1.6 million inhabitants, for one thing – but also in ways that are difficult to define. What I notice is more tolerance, more questioning of the norm, and more focus on fairness.

Some of this has come about through facing up to the wrongs of the past, whether that’s the historical abuse of children in the care system, the denial of the vote to women for so long (until 1971!), or the seizing of dictators’ assets.

Although it takes a painfully long time, mistakes and injustices do eventually come to light and there has been an appropriate reaction of self-recrimination and reflection towards these wrongs, and a willingness to make amends. All this has made Switzerland a better place.

READ ALSO: Are foreigners to blame if they find the Swiss unfriendly?

The foreign factor

When it comes to foreigners, there has definitely been in a positive change in attitudes towards immigrants from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. I detected very strong prejudice against this group in my early years in Switzerland. The second generation has now grown up here and found their place in all walks of Swiss life.

Unfortunately, asylum seekers have borne the brunt of xenophobia in recent years, with the notable exception of Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war of aggression, who were granted special treatment. Switzerland has welcomed more than 80,000 Ukrainians since 2022, about a quarter of whom have since left the country.

Several cantons, notably Neuchâtel, have led the way in extending more rights to foreign residents and making it easier for them to integrate or obtain Swiss nationality. But naturalisation rates are still low, which is a pity for the Swiss, if only they would realise that.

When I first came to live in Switzerland from Ireland, I benefitted from the newly-valid agreement on the free movement of persons with the EU and EFTA countries. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Swiss and EU/EFTA nationals have been free to move countries for work, adventure, love or retirement.

Those immigrant workers have been a boon to the Swiss economy, which has one of the highest levels of GDP per capita in the world. Travel wise, Switzerland is well and truly integrated into Europe, joining the Schengen Area in 2008.

OPINION: The true signs you are becoming more Swiss than the Swiss

Family matters

Just this week, my twin daughters, who are Swiss citizens, received their first ever ballots for the next federal and cantonal votes on June 9th. Apart from reminding me of the fact that foreigners in Switzerland are largely excluded from the democratic process, this landmark also reminds me of how times have changed in relation to maternity rights.

It is hard to believe that Swiss women did not have statutory paid maternity leave until 2005. Voters had rejected the notion that women should have guaranteed paid leave after giving birth on four previous occasions – 1974, 1984, 1987 and again in 1999.

For all those years, maternity benefits were left up to employers to dictate, which was clearly not enough protection for all mothers. Today, new mothers are entitled to 14 weeks statutory leave but most employers offer more than that. Since 2021, fathers in Switzerland have been entitled to two weeks paternity leave.

There’s definitely room for improvement in the area of work-life balance for families, and there are some ideas in the pipeline, including state subsidies for childcare. With a fertility rate of 1.39 births per woman in 2022, Swiss-born babies is not where population growth is coming from.

Taking turns

One issue that seems almost unfixable in Switzerland is the high cost of healthcare. The country has the second most expensive system in the world, after the United States. Most of the cost is shouldered by households, directly or indirectly.

Whatever about the cost, the care itself is excellent and relatively well staffed. With one in three healthcare workers holding a foreign diploma, including a large proportion of cross-border workers the system is heavily reliant on non-nationals.

On June 9th, Swiss voters will get to decide on two people’s initiatives, both of which aim to curb the cost to consumers. My impression in the past was that the Swiss were reluctant to vote for freebies for themselves. But this may be the right timing for these proposals, considering that voters accepted an initiative in March of this year to increase the state pension by 8 per cent.

When it comes to daily life in Switzerland, politeness and order is the rule, with one exception – the Swiss still don’t know how to queue! I had this experience just the other day waiting outside a small museum that was only letting in a few people at a time. If you can cope with that fundamental flaw, the rest is easy.

All About Switzerland

A dynamic, up-to-date guide to Swiss society and current affairs, All About Switzerland ebook features a selection of 29 articles by Clare O’Dea. The articles were first published by The Local Switzerland from 2022 to 2024. The ebook is available on Amazon, Kobo and other retailers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo: Charly Rappo

Originally from Dublin, Clare O’Dea has lived in Switzerland for two decades. Author of fiction and non-fiction, Clare has had a varied media career in Ireland and Switzerland, with a stint in Russia. She has contributed articles to The Local Switzerland since 2022. Her new book All About Switzerland: Selected articles from The Local Switzerland is Clare’s fourth and is available as an e-book online.

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