What do i want on my iPhone 6 before several long international flights?

July 14, 2016 11:29 AM

Im seeking suggestions for games or any apps to download before taking an upcoming trip. I will have a couple f 15+ hour flights, several shorter ones and plenty of time stuck in a car in traffic (although I should have data service and will certainly have more entertaining things to look at for the road portions of the journeys). I'm not opposed to spending some money but I am not looking to shell out a ton of cash on games/apps which I will tire of immediately.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris to Technology (21 answers total)

I'm a big fan of Instapaper in general, but especially for long trips. It's a "read later" app—you see an article that you want to right, you just don't want to read now. You send it to Instapaper. Instapaper syncs it to your phone, so it'll be there waiting for you when you go into airplane mode. Obviously you'll need to queue up some articles to make this useful.
posted by adamrice at 11:33 AM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Two Dots. TWO DOTS.
posted by Kitteh at 11:35 AM on July 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

Every flight I take I load up Pocket (similar to Instapaper) with articles from LongReads. Sort of like a curated list of great (and long) editorials & journalism.
posted by bradbane at 11:36 AM on July 14, 2016

Definitely Two Dots.
posted by unknowncommand at 11:36 AM on July 14, 2016

I was on two 10-hour flights recently and downloaded lots of podcasts before I left. Things like Dan Savage's Lovecast, This American Life, Hidden Brain, Unfictional, and the 8-part Oh No Ross and Carrie series on Scientology (this intrepid pair investigates various religions and practices by participating and then reports back). So I had 20+ plus hours of audio. Between that and the on-demand movies on the flight, I was set. The Hive Mind has recommended a variety of podcasts so do a search if you are open to non-game, non-app stuff on your phone.
posted by Bella Donna at 11:44 AM on July 14, 2016

If you have a library card, you can look into downloading eBooks/audiobooks/magazines through free services offered by the library. They'll simply expire off your device after however long the borrowing period is, so no worries about having to pay overdue fees.
posted by bananana at 11:54 AM on July 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

If you have Amazon Prime, you can download Prime video titles to your phone.
posted by gnomeloaf at 12:00 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pocket, Audible, Downcast, Spotify, and Cookie Jam are my go-to guys for planes. I also bring a Kindle and some paper books and magazines.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:04 PM on July 14, 2016

I love AmbiScience Powersleep and Nap on my phone because it's the perfect sort of aimless audio landscape stuff to help shut out the world around me to get some sleep. It's even better if you have noise-cancelling headphones.

This one is $.99 (USD), but I'm sure if you searched enough you could find a perfectly suitable substitute for free.
posted by GamblingBlues at 12:11 PM on July 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

monument valley is beautiful and engaging. needs more levels but should keep you busy for a while.
posted by koroshiya at 12:18 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Download a Game Boy Advance emulator, and get some games on there. Won't tell you where, but I'm sure you can find them. ;)

I recommend shelling out $4-5 on the app store to get MyBoy: not that much of a battery drain and doesn't require data/wifi. There are NDS emulators and games out there too, but I find they lag much more than the GBA. If you have a fast phone however, it shouldn't be a problem.
posted by ThatSox at 12:34 PM on July 14, 2016

If you can get a window seat: Flyover Country! Just input your origin(s) and destination(s) prior to your flight and it will download a customized guide to all the geographic points of interest visible from your plane.

Also make sure to research the various aircraft you'll be on, so you can get a power adapter compatible with it or a travel charger if there isn't an outlet available.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:42 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Rhaomi beat me to it: Flyover Country. I could look out an airplane window all day long.
posted by Wild_Eep at 12:47 PM on July 14, 2016

40 hours of podcasts, with a fair amount of diversity, 20 or more albums that might calm you, Threes.
posted by wotsac at 12:55 PM on July 14, 2016

Yep, came to say two dots!
posted by pennypiper at 12:58 PM on July 14, 2016

Also, one of my favorites (with no In-App-Purchases to get in the way) is Sneaky Sneaky.
posted by Wild_Eep at 1:01 PM on July 14, 2016

If you like mystery point-and-click games, the Room series is great and very engaging.
posted by LKWorking at 1:03 PM on July 14, 2016 [2 favorites]

Very fun and quite a time suck: Domino Drop.
posted by bearwife at 1:16 PM on July 14, 2016

I'm currently addicted to Alto's Adventure. Very simple, yet beautiful game that keeps me entertained for hours.
posted by wile e at 1:18 PM on July 14, 2016 [4 favorites]

Came to suggest Alto's Adventure. Nice feature is Zen mode where you can go-and-go without trying to complete levels. Perfect when you just want a distraction.
posted by terrapin at 5:53 PM on July 14, 2016

I fly a lot. My go tos are:
Sudoku
Word Seek
Podcasts (I have enjoyed: Serial, Truth and Justice, Undisclosed, Bowraville, Real Crime Profiles, Bros Watch PLL Two, Gilmore Guys, Crime Writers On, Dear Hank and John, and Somebody Knows Something)
Downloaded Amazon Prime videos
If you have an iPad, I love Paper53 and Procreate for random sketching.

For sleep, I SWEAR by the podcast Sleep With Me. It's fucking genius - boring, rambling narration designed to put you to sleep. It's the best sleep I've ever gotten on a plane when combined with Bose noise-cancelling headphones and a knit hat over my eyes.
posted by guster4lovers at 11:18 PM on July 14, 2016 [1 favorite]