Essential Apps for Daily Life in Munich

Munich's public transport system is excellent, and the right apps make navigating it effortless.

MVV App is the official Munich transport app. Use it to plan routes, buy tickets, check live departure times, and get alerts for delays. If you do not have a semester ticket yet (or during journeys outside the covered zones), you can buy digital tickets directly in the app. The route planner handles complex journeys combining U-Bahn, S-Bahn, bus, and tram.

Google Maps works well for Munich and generally shows accurate transit directions, real-time departures, and walking navigation. Most students use it as a convenient fallback when they just need a quick route.

DB Navigator is the Deutsche Bahn (German rail) app. You need it for any intercity travel within Germany, booking train tickets, and accessing your BahnCard. If you plan to travel frequently around Germany or visit other European cities, this app becomes essential.

MVG Rad is the city's official bike-sharing service. Bikes are available at docking stations across Munich. Download the app, register, and you can rent a bike for short trips around the city. There are also e-bikes available. The pricing is reasonable for short trips and it is a great way to explore neighbourhoods.

Setting up a German bank account is one of the most important early tasks in Munich. Your Anmeldung is typically required before you can open a German bank account.

N26 is a popular online bank with a fully English app, no maintenance fee for the basic account, and free international transfers (with limits). It is quick to open and does not require visiting a branch. Many students start with N26 because of how frictionless the setup is.

DKB (Deutsche Kreditbank) is well-regarded among students and offers a free current account, a Visa card with no foreign transaction fees, and access to DKB's large network of ATMs. The app and interface are in German, but the English translation has improved considerably. Many long-term residents consider it a more robust choice for day-to-day banking.

Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank are the two largest traditional banks with branches across Munich. If you prefer speaking to someone in person or your situation involves more complex banking needs, these are solid options. They tend to have stricter document requirements for account opening.

For sending money internationally (to family in Morocco, for example), Wise (formerly TransferWise) offers mid-market exchange rates and low fees. It is far more cost-effective than a bank wire transfer and the app is easy to use.

Munich has a solid food delivery scene, and multiple apps are worth having.

Lieferando is the dominant food delivery platform in Germany, equivalent to what Uber Eats or Deliveroo are in other markets. Most local restaurants in Munich, including several halal options, are on Lieferando. You can filter by cuisine, rating, and halal if the restaurant lists it.

Wolt has grown significantly in Munich and often offers faster delivery times and better coverage in certain districts. It is worth comparing both apps for a given restaurant to check pricing and delivery fees.

For groceries, Rewe and Edeka are the main supermarket chains with their own apps and (in central areas) same-day or next-day delivery services. For discounted groceries and meal kits, apps like Too Good To Go let you buy surplus food from restaurants and bakeries at a fraction of the price. This is popular among budget-conscious students and actually great for reducing food waste.

Penny and Lidl are popular budget supermarkets. Both have apps with weekly deals and digital discount coupons.

Communication apps are essential and you likely already use most of these, but a few notes specific to life in Munich are worth sharing.

WhatsApp remains the dominant messaging tool in Morocco and is also widely used among international students in Munich. Most Moroccan student groups, shared flat group chats, and community networks in Munich operate on WhatsApp.

Telegram is commonly used for university course groups, lecture note sharing, and larger community announcements. Many TUM and LMU student groups have active Telegram channels.

For non-emergency communication with German authorities, companies, or landlords, email is still king in Germany. Germans tend to communicate formally and in writing, so having a professional-looking email address is important.

DEEPL deserves a mention: it is the best translation tool available and is significantly more accurate than Google Translate for German. Use it when reading official letters, contracts, or university documents. The app version is handy for quick on-the-go translations.

A few other apps that students in Munich consistently recommend:

Adobe Scan or Microsoft Lens are handy for scanning physical documents (like your rental agreement or Meldebescheinigung) into clean PDFs on your phone. You will need digital copies of documents frequently.

ELSTER is the official German tax app (also available as a web portal). As a Werkstudent, you may need to file a tax return (Steuererklärung) if you earned above the annual basic allowance. ELSTER is the official tool for this. There are also third-party tools like Taxfix or Wundertax with friendlier interfaces designed for foreigners navigating the German tax system.

Anki is a flashcard app widely used by students for language learning and exam preparation. If you are working on your German, building an Anki deck with vocabulary and grammar is one of the most efficient methods.

Notion and Obsidian are popular productivity tools among students for organising notes, assignments, and research. Many students in international programmes use these to manage the higher volume of independent study expected in German universities.