There's an app for that - but how do we know if it's a good one?

Mobile phone applications or ‘apps’ are increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily lives, with the number of mobile app users in the UK predicted to exceed 43 million by 2016 (The Statistics Portal, 2015). The App and Play stores are saturated with thousands of apps that claim to cater for all elements of our lives: healthy living, education, entertainment and more. Undoubtedly apps can be a convenient way of accessing information; however, in relation to pregnancy and childbirth, how do women know whether the app they are downloading is providing high-quality, evidence-based information? This short article outlines the history of apps, discusses potential quality and credibility issues and provides suggestions for how to navigate the apps minefield to ensure the apps you download or recommend to others are credible and trusted.