The top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2020

by Cool Mom Team | Link Roundups, Tips and Tricks

Every year, we share our top 10 most popular posts on Cool Mom Tech. From the best podcasts for kids to customizing your iPhone 14 home screen, here are the posts we wrote this year that resonated the most with our readers in 2020. Also check out: The top 10 Cool Mom...

Disney+ adds a watch party feature, just in time for The Mandalorian season 2

by Caroline Siegrist | Entertainment

Since 2020 has precluded in-person watch parties, I was glad to see Disney step up their game with GroupWatch. Just like Netflix’s watch party, GroupWatch lets you watch content from Disney+ with others who are far away — and who also subscribe to Disney+,...

The best tutorials to help you customize your iOS 14 home screen

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Tips and Tricks

If you haven’t heard by now, the customization features on the new iOS home screen are alllll kinds of extra (i.e. you can turn your home screen into a Harry Potter tribute, Microsoft Paint throw-back, or neon color study). It’s pretty insane. And intense....

Is the new Spotify Kids app worth the extra money?

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps, Entertainment, Kids

When I first heard about the new Spotify Kids app, I was pretty excited. Would this be the app that would wean my son from the Moana soundtrack and expand his musical horizons? Is this the app for kids who are ready for their own music, but not everything that the...

The Together app helps families and friends stay connected during quarantine, and beyond | Sponsored Message

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps

This is a sponsored message for Together app  As so many families and friends are struggling to stay connected during this Coronavirus quarantine, they’ve turned to technology to help them stay in touch. But with the Together app, your kids can video chat, while...

A comparison of 5 of the best audiobook apps. Get more reading time in!

by Caroline Siegrist | Best Apps

Anyone else  the escape of audiobooks while we find moments to ourselves? These audiobook apps proved to be the perfect literary lifeline for me while I was stuck at home with my young children during the quarantine, and are keeping me going even now. Because no...

Dear Reader is the addictive wordplay game for fans of Jane Austen and Edgar Allen Poe. Yes, really.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps

When you think “voracious reader of the classics” you don’t generally think at the same time “..and big game, toor!” And yet, that’s how I feel every time I open up Dear Reader. Free with Apple Arcade, this fun, quippy, clever, and...

Instagram trick: How to find all those cool Instagram Story filters everyone else seems to have.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Social Media

We used to say “photos or it didn’t happen,” but it feels like 2020 is all about  “filters or it isn’t Instagram.” You may have noticed folks you follow using wacky filters — or oddly flattering filters that bathe them in a...

15 fun Amazon Echo skills for the holidays, from fun and festive to really helpful

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

Just in time for the holidays, we’ve found 15 fun Amazon Echo skills that can help you stay organized, add a little more fun to your family time, and even put some magic into the holidays for your kids. If you and Alexa are in a rut, just remember: she can do a...

5 of our favorite, fun educational apps to get elementary students excited about learning this year.

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Back to School Tech, Educational Apps, Gear + Hardware

Last week, my daughter Sage and I had a great time talking with the crew from News12 (NYC, Long Island, Westchester) about our favorite fun, educational apps for grade schoolers that help your kids make the most out of screen time. I’m glad I had the opportunity...