You need headphones to properly appreciate this iOS app, to fully appreciate the serene, low-thinking break from holiday madness.
5. FlashChat
So you keep looking at your phone, and your family is wondering what you're doing. If only they knew you were having a real conversation about real things. Not weddings or baking or redecorating your garage.
How about chatting with someone who has things in common as you? FlashChat lets you communicate with people on the same Wi-Fi network as you, anonymously. Whether you're in your family's home, an office, university campus, stadium, shop, airport, or anywhere else, you can have fun talking to new people who are close by.
Best of all, your messages will disappear from the iOS and Android app and its servers shortly after you leave the Wi-Fi network on which you were chatting.
6. Shots
You can pretend to not be entirely self-obsessed, but the Shots app will prove that unlikely. This social network is a dairy dedicated entirely for selfies. While its creators say, it stands apart from other social media because it is driven by a positive, anti-bullying structure.
Comments on photos are not allowed, and users can't see how many followers others have. We think the terms will change if you get Granny involved. Spend some time on this iOS and Android app and the entire family will be looking down on their devices sending selfies.
7. QuizUp
Were you obsessed in the 80s and 90s with Trivial Pursuit? Then this is the game for you. This iOS and Android app randomly matches you up with people from all over the globe (so you're sure to have the pop culture advantage) and show your superior knowledge on tons of topics. Users are presented trivia questions on their selected topic and are given 4 choices. They need to select the right option within the given amount of time.
If you feel bad about not taking this time to enjoy the holidays with our loved ones, you can include them in the game as well. The thing that makes QuizUp interesting is that users can play in real time against other players or their friends who are online at the moment.
8. Candy Crush Saga
The face of concentration you make while playing Candy Crush will make relatives think you're doing something very important on your phone, rather than trying to beat level 425. This mind-numbingly simple, yet addictive game involves matching colored sweets. Basically it's a glorified connect 4/ Tetris/fruits game.
The goal of the iOS and Android app is to complete the objective given to you at the beginning of each level. Sometimes it is to get the fruit to the bottom of the screen, or to completely clear the candy on screen, or something similar. As the saga goes on, the levels get progressively harder and harder.
Whether you are age 7 or 37, living in Candy Land sounds like loads of fun, because Candy Crush Saga can take you there…and make you never want to leave ( we're not talking about your family here).
9. Lumosity
Brains need regular exercise and challenges to reach their full potential. Lumosity is an iOS and Android brain-training app – well, a suite of games really – which is great for stretching your grey cells, especially after all that spiked eggnog.
The platform promises to improve memory, attention span, processing speed and mental flexibility, with personalized brain challenges designed to help with practical problems such as remembering names, avoiding distractions and even driving better.
10. Jetpack Joyride
We know Jetpacks don't need much selling; they're cool. From Michael Jackson, James Bond - they've all had a go. Join Barry Steakfries on his adventure to break into a laboratory to grab the jetpacks and take on a trip full of obstacles and dangerous enemies. You will be pleasantly surprised by how quickly you can lose yourself in the Jetpack Joyride, especially because you are controlling your character by tapping your finger on the screen to keep him in the air.
The objective of this Android and iOS app is to get as far as possible without being hurt, a task that might seem easy at first but it's actually pretty hard given all the obstacles he will find. There's always a new surprise waiting just off the screen in this game, and you'll find it hard to put down if for no other reason than you want to make time whizz by.
