Contactless bagel orders and finding new routes can help you keep social distance in your commute. And don’t forget your vaccination card.As some people head back to the office or classroom after more than 18 months of Covid-19 disruption, maintaining social distance remains a concern, especially with the highly contagious Delta variant spreading nationwide. Here are a few simple suggestions for using your smartphone to help stay informed and safe if you’re returning to the office or school.Stay InformedRegular checks of school, municipal and state websites can keep you up-to-date about mask mandates, vaccine requirements, quarantines and other Covid-related news. Get your facts faster by making bookmarks for these sites that you can tap open right from your home screen.From left, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS systems allow you to save a webpage bookmark as an icon on your phone’s hone screen for quick access.Google; AppleOpen the page you want to bookmark. Steps will vary based on browser and phone, but if you’re using the Chrome browser on an Android device, tap the More menu in the upper-right corner and choose “Add to Home Screen.” On an iOS device using the Safari browser, tap the Action menu icon at the bottom-center of the screen and choose “Add to Home Screen.”Many states have their own Covid-tracking apps to keep local residents informed.Google; COVID Alert NYAlong with its informative website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has its own mobile app. For local virus news, check your app store, as many states have their own apps for tracking outbreaks, providing personal exposure notifications, supplying vaccine information and offering general news alerts.Carry Your CardCertain institutions, venues and employers now have a vaccine requirement, and many New York City businesses require proof and will enforce it next month. While your paper vaccination card serves as proof, you can keep it safe at home and go digital. Some states have electronic vaccination passports you can store in your phone’s digital wallet and display when asked; New York’s Excelsior Pass program is one example.New York state has its digital Excelsior Pass vaccine passport, left, which can also be printed. Built-in tools like Android’s Locked Folder option, right, add a security layer to vaccine-card photos.Apple; GooglePhotos of your paper vaccination card can also serve as a digital backup, and some employers may accept the images as proof of inoculation, especially in apps like NYC Covid Safe. The card contains personal information, though, so keep your phone locked when not in use. Apple’s iOS software settings offers a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID to secure the device.Android users can also set up a screen lock in the system settings. In addition to PIN or passcode, some phone models (including those from Google and Samsung) use biometric keys, like facial recognition. For additional protection, Android users can store vaccine-card pictures in a locked folder within Google Photos — just open the card image, tap the More menu and choose “Move to Locked Folder.”Modify Your CommuteA socially distanced commute is more of a challenge for people who don’t drive and walk or use mass transit to get around. Last year, both Apple and Google added coronavirus-related business information to their maps apps, and a more recent Google Maps update now shows busy areas so you can better avoid crowds.From left: Google Maps for Android and iOS shows you when business might be busier at the moment. The app, along with Apple Maps and Citymapper, let you plot multiple ways and means to get to your destination.Google; Apple; CitymapperIf you want to ride off-peak trains or stroll the less-traveled path, Apple Maps and Google Maps both offer real-time transit schedules and optional walking routes. Specialized apps like Citymapper cover multiple forms of transportation including bike share and ferry. And localized transit apps (like the New York City’s MYmta for Android and iOS) can also be useful for service status and updates.Google’s “Heads Up” feature for the Pixel and other Android phones reminds you to pay attention to your surroundings when you’re walking.GoogleAnd if you’re walking to work with your face in your Android phone, the “Heads Up” notifications on some models remind you to watch where you’re going. Enable the feature in the Digital Wellbeing settings.Fuel UpWhen a drive-through window isn’t an option for picking up your breakfast or lunch from a distance, there are other ways to minimize your exposure, like phoning in a pickup order to your local diner or bodega. Loyalty apps from convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Wawa, or restaurants (McDonald’s, Panera Bread and Starbucks to name a few) offer online ordering and mobile checkout to zip things along with minimal contact.Many convenience stores and coffee shops offer their own apps for mobile ordering and payment so you can minimize time and contact in the shop.7Eleven; Wawa; StarbucksAnd don’t forget contactless payment systems like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay to keep you from fumbling with physical cash and speed you through at the register or subway turnstile. (A contactless credit card from your financial institution is another option and lets you pay by tapping the card on the checkout reader.)Video to GoNow that you’ve actually made it out of the house, consider a couple more apps to help deal with the transition. The mobile version of your company’s preferred videoconference app lets you ditch a conference room and take a meeting anywhere, even without your computer.The mobile versions of your company’s preferred video-conference app gives you the freedom to join a meeting wherever you happen to be — even stuck in traffic or taking an outdoor break.Google; ZoomAfter more than a year of working remotely, it may be extra hard to leave your fuzzy home-office mate as you return to the world. If the separation makes you anxious, consider an inexpensive streaming web camera that lets you use your phone to check on your pet in real time. The Wirecutter site has recommendations for camera options to keep you virtually in the house until you get back home.

You don’t need a smartwatch or an activity tracker to monitor your exercise, nutrition and other health information.Ready to get outside this summer and get fit? Your smartphone’s hardware, its software and an app store full of programs can help lead the way. Here’s a guide on how to get the most out of your device.Just remember, medical data is sensitive information, so read the privacy policy of any app that’s collecting it or tracking you. Consult your doctor before making major changes to your dietary or workout routine.Here’s to Your HealthIn 2014, Apple and Google both announced dashboard apps to track personal health and wellness, and the companies have been enhancing those apps ever since.Apple’s Health app collects and stores a wide variety of daily physical data so you can monitor and track your fitness over time.AppleApple’s Health app works on iPhones and iPod Touch devices running iOS 8 and later (as well as the Apple Watch). The app invites you to set up a “health profile” with physical information and the activities and habits you’d like to track, like your sleep. You can also pull in medical records from participating health care providers and workout and diet data from third-party apps. Apple recently announced a slew of updates to Health coming this fall with iOS 15, including the ability to share your stats with family and doctors.Google Fit serves as a dashboard and diary for health and fitness data. As shown in the middle, some phone models can also collect basic cardio and pulmonary data through the device’s camera.GoogleThe Google Fit app works on the Android and iOS operating systems. (It can also import health data from Wear OS, Apple Watches and third-party apps.) In collaboration with the American Heart Association, the Google Fit helps users set activity goals to earn “Heart Points” for better cardiovascular health. This year, Google announced that the app could also use the phone’s camera to measure heart and respiratory rates for informational purposes (but not as a medical diagnosis); Google’s own Pixel phones were the first to get this function.Both Apple Health and Google Fit include basic tools like a pedometer, which uses the phone’s motion sensor to track your steps, but fitness and food apps can provide more detailed information.Get a New (Exercise) RoutineIf you’re looking for a workout app for an exercise plan that goes beyond step-counting, you have many options. Most of the popular programs are available for both Android and iOS. These include the Jefit Workout Planner and Skimble’s Workout Trainer; both offer guides to specific exercises and routines for small subscription fees.The Peloton app ($13 a month) offers video-driven workouts, and Google Fit has a curated list of free exercise videos on YouTube. For those planted in the Apple ecosystem, the Apple Fitness+ service is $10 a month and requires an Apple Watch with your iPhone to monitor your vital signs.For people on a budget or preferring to exercise at home, apps like Skimble’s Workout Trainer, far left, offer fitness routines and can sync data with Apple Health or Google Fit. Google Fit, near left, has a collection of free YouTube workout videos.Skimble; GoogleRunners and cyclists wanting to measure their progress have a variety of apps to consider. For beginners, the $3 Couch to 5K app provides a training plan for somewhat stationary newbies to work their way up to a solid running routine. Runkeeper and MapMyRun use the phone’s location services to log and trace routes; both are free with in-app purchases. Cyclemeter and Strava are also inexpensive apps that track running, cycling and more.Keep a Food DiaryIf you want to focus on dietary adjustments — eating more protein, consuming less sodium, shedding a few pandemic pounds — and don’t want to manually log food labels, consider a dedicated nutrition app. Many of these are free to download but offer in-app subscriptions for personalized diet planning, community support and other features.The Lose It! app, far left, prompts you keep a food diary of your day so you can see just how many calories you’re consuming. MyFitnessPal, near left, works in a similar way and has its own database of nutritional information.Lose It! / MyFitnessPalAmong the apps in this category, Lose It! focuses on calorie-counting and weight loss, and can share its data with Apple Health, Google Fit and other apps. Lose It! has a huge database of nutritional information for millions of items and can scan package labels to add new foods. MyFitnessPal is a similar program with a database of 11 million foods, a huge online community and the ability to sync up and share data with 50 other fitness apps and devices.Map Your WayYour phone’s maps app can help you get more active in general. For example, just enter “gyms near me” to see where you can get a workout, or “hiking” to find nearby trails.Apple Maps, left, and Google Maps offer cycling routes and information for those who like to travel by bike.Apple/GoogleLast year, both Apple Maps and Google Maps added new features for urban cyclists, including biking routes in certain cities, the location of bike-sharing docks around town and elevation information. In Google Maps for Android and iOS, you can also tap the Layers button to see Cycling routes and the Terrain — so you can really be prepared for any non-metaphorical uphill climbs on your journey.