Mobile apps take on the flavour of Ramadan

With the exponential increase in smartphone users across the region, technology has come to play a bigger role in annual festivities. Mobile technology has come handy for Muslims to share greetings with friends, make plans for religious occasions, and even experience a ‘virtual Ramadan’. Islam-focused mobile phone applications are not a new phenomenon. Several apps have already won great popularity within the Muslim community. And with a mobile penetration rate of roughly 200 per cent in the UAE — one of the highest in the world — it’s hardly surprising that consumers are eagerly snapping up an array of new apps and services that could possibly make their Ramadan more meaninful. There are currently more than 12 million active mobile phone subscriptions in the UAE. As Ramadan approaches, the download rate of Islamic applications has been on the upswing. Also with people having less time on their hands, mobile applications that help them recite the Quran or meditate whenever they get a few minutes free are helping them stay in touch with the tradition of ‘thawab’, or reward in Arabic. Sandeep Saighal, managing director, Middle East, Research In Motion, said the number of Islamic app downloads rises significantly as Ramadan approaches with the highest demand being for those that allow people to read the Quran and keep them informed of prayer times besides others that help them send Ramadan greetings to their families. “Islamic apps are downloaded throughout the year, although their popularity surges during Ramadan. It is a time when people take the time to be closer to God, family and friends, giving more to their communities and generally committing themselves to becoming better people.” Saighal said. The ‘Call to Pray’ app experienced more than “300,000 downloads in one month when featured on the carousel during Ramadan 2011,” he recalled. Most of the applications on the major platforms are offered free with only a few entailing charges. “We currently have 30 Islamic apps in the Samsung App Store for the Bada platform. For Android users, we have 40 Islamic apps available on the Samsung App Store,” said Ashraf Fawakherji, general manager of Telecommunication Group at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “We see a peak in interest for Islamic apps amongst our customers. Ramadan- specific apps also gain popularity as the consumers use their smart devices and its technologies to access a whole new world of enlightenment,” Fawakherji said. During Ramadan, he said there is an increased interest in Islamic- and Ramadan- specific apps. “We saw an approximate of 225,000 downloads of these apps from the Samsung App Store during Ramadan last year. Subsequently, for the month following the Ramadan, we had an estimated 125,000 downloads.” Sally Hamandi, communications manager, Nokia Lower Gulf, confirmed the trend. “Apps developers continue to add new apps on the Nokia store every day throughout the year and especially during the holy month of Ramadan. The Nokia store currently has hundreds of Ramadan and Islamic apps,” she said. Last year, the Quran app alone witnessed over 1.5 million downloads on Nokia Store. Ramadan and Islamic apps are very popular and always hold out the possibility of crossing the million download mark. “We want to enable consumers to connect to the month of Ramadan in the most meaningful way. Aiming to make the Nokia Store more valuable and locally relevant, we have added various locally relevant Islamic apps that would let users celebrate this Ramadan with renewed religious fervour and offer Ramadan-specific activities with greater ease and convenience,” Hamandi said. A growing number of phone manufacturers, such as Samsung, HTC, Sony, Motorola and LG that are using Google’s Android platform too are offering Ramadan apps. From gulfnews