The news on Germany’s refugee ‘crisis’ has been quite negative so far, and with the recent mass attack on women in Cologne during New Years being blamed on some of these asylum seekers, it has only gotten worse. But the German government is still wanting to offer a helping hand to those looking for a better life and it is hoping a newly launched smartphone app will help clear some newbie problems.
Ankommen is an app developed in partnership with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, the Federal Employment Agency, the Goethe Institute, and Bayerische Rundfunk, and is set up to provide new refugees with a set of resources to get better accustomed to their new home.
The app includes information on the asylum application process and how to find work or training, as well as a basic course on the German language and social customs. Ankommen’s developers have stated that they will continue to update the app regularly to accommodate changes in policies or to address social issues such as a recent update on gender equality.
Once downloaded, Ankommen can be used without the need for an internet connection and is available in Arabic, Farsi, English, French, and German. At launch it is only available for Android devices, but an iOS version has been promised shortly.
