Faith 2.0

Free @ iPhone,iPad

This is a fairly straightforward app,which does only what its name suggests — tells one when the sun will rise and set in one’s location,which it detects automatically. Useful,as the sun’s movements are pivotal to fasting schedules in Ramzan.

Complete Quran

Free @ Android,iPhone,iPad

As many Muslims religiously recite the Quran in Ramzan,an app for reading the holy book any time,anywhere is a must-download. Complete Quran has special features such as English translation,commentary and explanation of the verses,searching for particular words in the Quran,and sharing via email,Facebook and Twitter. Users can hide English translation to make reading easier,and change the font size. Another useful feature is bookmarks,which do their job well. The app has stability issues on Android,though,and users have complained about it crashing a couple of times without any trigger.

Ramadan 2012

Free @ Android,iPhone,iPad

The app serves as a handy timetable for the holy month. Its homepage displays timings for the five daily prayers,according to the user’s location,which it detects automatically from its database of cities across 250 countries — making it useful during travel as well. Its “times” tab shows a five-day view for sehri (pre-dawn meal) and iftar (the meal with which the fast is broken) timings,and the “dua” tab leads one to important invocations. It also has automatic prayer notifications and alarm options. Some users,though,have reported incorrect timings for their locations.

A Complete Ramadan Guide

Rs 110 @ Android,iPhone,iPad

This is one of the more holistic Ramzan apps,good for those who prefer to have all the information in one place. Besides giving timings for sehri and iftar,it also stocks various duas,information about Islamic teachings,and do’s and don’ts related to Ramzan — in an FAQ format.

Find Mecca

Rs 170 @ iPhone,iPad

Apart from helping one track which direction Mecca is in,this app gives timings for the five daily prayers. For such a basic function,the app is a tad expensive at Rs 170,and users should be able to find similar ad-supported free apps on app stores.

Dua and Azkar

Free @ Android,iPhone,iPad

With the app,you can read or listen to a dua (supplication) on the move. It categorises duas according to the suitable time to recite them (morning duas,evening duas and after-namaz duas). Its best feature is that it allows users to read the duas in English and Arabic,if they don’t want to play audio. They can do both simultaneously as well,since the “play audio” button is below each dua. The app does its job well,but has no extra features,unlike most other Ramzan apps. And it also takes up a lot of space — 67.8 MB,so one has to keep that in mind before installation.