The MYCOLUMBUS App Helps Columbus Residents Stay Connected

It’s more important than ever for cities to stay connected and work with each other. The City of Columbus determined that the simplest way to do that is to use an app. The free MYCOLUMBUS app is the Columbus resident’s guide to all things in the city, as well as a way to reach other like-minded people in the city. It was designed several years ago and was very useful to all in the beginning.

The app isn’t just for people who reside in Columbus, though. Visitors are more than welcome to access it for the latest information in the area.

Why Use the MYCOLUMBUS App?

It can be tough to stay abreast of all the latest news and events in a city the size of Columbus, so the city itself decided to do something about that. The app is designed not only to help you stay on top of news or activities happening in Columbus but it’s also meant to be particularly helpful in the city and with getting to know your neighbors. Unfortunately, the design is somewhat lacking, but the original intent was a very good one.

With the use of RSS, social media integration, and GPS, the app gives you plenty of up-to-the-moment information. It also features four mayoral initiatives:

My Neighborhood: This section of the app gives people the local bus schedules and information on Pride events, health inspections for local establishments, Capital Projects, and more.

Get Active: To encourage people to be more active, the MYCOLUMBUS app provides useful information on local sports centers, pools, parks, golf courses, and more, along with schedules and status. There are events set into a calendar, guides to local trails and parks, and even articles and tips on health from local experts.

Get Green: The app also encourages more sustainable living with plenty of information on how to live green. It also highlights local businesses that belong to GreenSpot, so people can patronize them.

311: The 311 service center submission area allows residents to check on service request statuses and submit new ones. This section also provides personalized info on trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup, depending on where you live. You can also get push notifications to remind you to put out the garbage if you tend to forget about it.

Overall, the app is designed to help the city and its residents come together and communicate. This is a great way for officials to share pertinent information with everyone, and the residents have access to those in power, as well as information.

Pros and Cons of the MYCOLUMBUS App

Like any application, the MYCOLUMBUS app has its pros and cons. Let’s take a look at the good points first.

Pros include:

• The information for parks and such is very useful
• Push notifications can be helpful if you forget a lot
• People enjoy the Get Active section

Cons include:

• The app is rarely updated
• Recent versions frequently don’t open
• The app frequently freezes

As you can see, there are quite a few cons for this particular app. Many users say it was once useful and very good, but over time, the app developers have not kept up with the latest versions of Apple and Android to ensure it works. This is a big issue for any app and can render it virtually unusable.

What People Are Saying

Unfortunately, most recent reviews of MYCOLUMBUS are fairly negative. You do see a few good ones here and there, but the app is rated under 3 stars on Android and barely over 3 on Apple because it’s not updated on a frequent enough cadence to keep up with platform updates.

Alternatives to the MYCOLUMBUS App

As MYCOLUMBUS is such a location-specific app, there aren’t any alternatives that do the same thing. If you’re looking to head to other cities, be sure to see if they have their own local app to guide you.

If you’re a resident, local news and weather stations give you all the up-to-date information on the city. But with many people moving away from cable, it might be time for more cities to take the approach of an app to distribute information and events.