Breast apps reviews

There are a surprising amount of apps relating to breasts out there in cyberspace. Bypassing the adult content, here are Let’s Talk Breasts’ top picks for iPhone and iPad, all available now from the App Store, Google Play and the websites listed below.

Breast cancer awareness

iBreastcheck

Age 12+
£FREE
iPhone, iPad, Android

They say:

One in eight women in the UK will get breast cancer in their lifetime. The iBreastCheck app from Breakthrough Breast Cancer could make all the difference. With a video, slideshow and handy reminder service, you’ll be able to find out how your lifestyle could affect your risk of getting breast cancer.

We say:

Top marks to Breakthrough Breast Cancer for an easy-to-use free app, providing just the right amount of information in a friendly, no-nonsense manner. The app’s aim is to encourage the regular practise of ‘TLC’ – Touch, Look, Check – and this is illustrated both by a video showing how women of different ages check their breasts, and a slideshow covering lumps, unusual dimpling or puckering of the breast, discharge, crusting, rash etc. Within the app is the option to set up a handy reminder to TLC, plus a quick Risk Quiz, in which the user inputs personal information and receives information about how lifestyle choices might affect her susceptibility to breast cancer. Of course there is a charity element too, offering the opportunity to donate to the cause, get involved, sign up for regular newsletters or share via social media.

Verdict: **** (4/5)

Action Cancer by BreastAware

Age 12+
£FREE
iPhone, iPad, Android

They say:

The BreastAware app presents an easy way to understand how to become more breast aware, and aware of lifestyle choices that can increase or decrease your risk of breast cancer. There are a number of videos that feature on the app offering advice on screening and on how best to check your breasts, there’s a reminder facility to do so regularly and at the push of a button the ability to make an appointment for our screening, counselling or a complementary therapy sessions.

We say:

This app is aimed at women from Northern Ireland who may fall outside the government screening programme (women in their forties or over the age of seventy), and actively encourages these women to book a breast screening appointment, alongside using the app. It features a wide-ranging FAQ section, an easy appointment system for the Action Cancer screening service, and similar charity options, such as donating and volunteering. Where this app falls down in comparison to the iBreastcheck app is that there is no advice on self-checking your breasts for changes – this all seems to fall to the health professionals.

Verdict: *** (3/5)

Beyond the Shock

Age 12+
£FREE
iPhone or iPad

They say:

Beyond The Shock is a comprehensive online guide to understanding breast cancer.   It is a resource for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, a place for loved ones to gain a better understanding of the disease, and a tool for doctors to share information.   Beyond The Shock is a collaborative breast cancer guide created by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) with the support of the finest medical experts, doctors, and researchers in the world.

We say:

This is an incredible app. After getting over the initial shock of being diagnosed with breast cancer, you may find yourself craving knowledge about exactly what it is, why you have it, and most importantly, what the road ahead holds. This app combines an impressive series of informational videos explaining the anatomy, biology and treatment ahead. Importantly, it also offers sufferers hope and a way of coping with their diagnosis by explaining it as a journey. A moving series of interviews brings heart, soul and first-hand experience to the collection, and alongside the wealth of free information, users are invited to join an online community where they can both ask questions and give answers. The app is American, so not all information will be relevant to British users, but don’t let that put you off. In the wake of diagnosis, it offers a calm yet caring method of gleaning further information and we highly recommend it.

Verdict: ***** (5/5)

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Solutions

Age 17+
£4.99
iPhone or Android

They say:

Breastfeeding Solutions helps mothers meet their personal breastfeeding goals by providing straightforward solutions to the thirty most common breastfeeding problems, covering every stage from birth to weaning. Unlike a book, this app goes with you everywhere for easy reference. Once downloaded, you receive any updates as they are published.

We say:

Based on Nancy Mohrbacher’s book of the same name, this app is essentially like having a mini website on your phone, with a series of articles comprehensively arranged to answer your every breastfeeding question. At £4.99 it is undeniably expensive for an app (at time of writing the corresponding book costs £8.97 on Kindle), when much of this information can be found elsewhere online, but clearly everything is laid out and accessible for the user in a logical sequence. It’s very easy to use for people who might not have the patience (or energy) to read through an entire book while breastfeeding, but the high price is definitely off-putting.

Verdict: *** (3/5)

Breastfeeding Friend

Age 9+
£FREE
iPhone or iPad

They say:

Instantly see which side you should be feeding on and time your feeds. Designed to be super easy to use but give all the information you need to help you feed your little one.

We say:

We like the cute and discreet cupcake logo! This is a highly simplistic method of keeping track of your nursing pattern and history. No doubt handy for those sleep-deprived mothers who find it hard to remember when they last fed or which breast they should use next, with a couple of taps feeds can be instantly logged and translated into historical graphs and charts. There are no frills and no explanatory text.

Verdict: *** (3/5)

Feed-Finder

Age 4+
£FREE
iPhone, iPad or Android

They say:

Discover Places to Breastfeed! Feed-Finder has been designed with breastfeeding mothers to provide an easy and convenient tool for finding and sharing good places for breastfeeding. We’ll show you on a handy map all of the places near you that have been reviewed by other mothers.

We say:

Part of a project based at the Digital Interaction group in Newcastle University, Feed-Finder was initially designed with the help of thirty breastfeeding mothers who rated public places around Tyne and Wear. Venues are assessed on five key issues incorporating comfort, hygiene, privacy, baby facilities and affordability. In practice, although an interesting and worthy idea for a continually expanding database, the app failed to find more than two local places where I could breastfeed in my relatively large city, and neighbouring towns had no options at all. One to watch for the future, as and when the available information increases.

Verdict: ** (2/5)

Lingerie and bra fitting

Victoria’s Secret

Age 12+
£FREE
iPhone, iPad or Android

They say:

The destination for all things Victoria’s Secret – anywhere, anytime, on-the-go, at your fingertips. Shop from your phone, browse our latest products and buy directly from VictoriasSecret.com whenever and wherever it’s convenient for you. It’s a shopping experience like no other!

We say:

It’s glossy, confident and means business. The Victoria’s Secret app is everything you would expect and more, a veritable website / magazine of an app offering a wealth of videos of different collections and trends, information on favourite models, news and, of course, shopping. Unfortunately the links here lead directly to the American site, so prices are in USD, but if the $20 international shipping fees on top of regular charges put you off, there’s a handy store locator covering all of the UK so you can lingerie surf in person.

Verdict: **** (4/5)

Bra-Fitter

Age 12+
£1.49
iPhone or iPad

They say:

Bras now range from AA to M cups or more, but still most women don’t wear their correct size. This handy guide helps every woman find her way in the bra-sizing labyrinth and enjoy wearing a perfectly fitting, supportive bra. Unlike ordinary bra-size calculators, the Bra-Fitter provides you not only with one size, but also with several other possibilities, which help you refine your choice and find your perfect fit.

We say:

We really liked the idea of this app, and the design was straightforward to use, explaining exactly how and where to measure your rib cage and bust. After inputting the answer in either centimetres or inches, a large variety of options come up where you can specify bra style and/or specific labels. Once selected, a graph appears showing your size… in US measurements. Despite the app’s claims, each and every time we tried to change the results to UK (or any other country), the app inexplicably crashed. We tested on both iPhone and iPad, deleting and reloading on each, with the same results every time. An expensive disappointment, this only works for American users.

Verdict: * (1/5)

Bra Lady

No age restrictions yet
£FREE
iPhone, iPad or Android

They say:

The Bra Lady app provides education, useful information, and solutions to common bra fitting problems, bra care essentials and fashion tips.

We say:

This is a poorly written app plugging Essential Bodywear products every other sentence. Bra tips include such gems as ‘don’t wear a white bra under dark clothing’ and ‘wear a sports bra when exercising’. The shop is linked to the company’s American online shop, but there is no option to place items in the basket, or FAQs to consult via overseas shipping costs. Not recommended.

Verdict: * (1/5)

Plastic surgery

iAugment

Age 12+
£FREE, iAugment 3D is £0.69 and iAugment 3D Pro is £1.49
iPhone or iPad

They say:

For anyone who has ever considered breast implant surgery, iAugment 3D is an easy to use simulation app that allows you to visualize yourself with many different sizes. The app allows you to rotate the simulation to get views from many angles, and get a realistic idea of the actual result.

We say:

The app opens with the option to either import an existing ‘body shot’ or to take one there and then using their template as a guide (at this point you might need a friend to help position you properly). Thereafter you use a series of sliders to grow or shrink your breasts. We found the resolution quality very low on both iPhone and iPad, with grainy, pixelated images and rather bald explanatory text. We managed to ‘grow’ some breasts successfully, but when the app asked if we’d like to save the result, the image saved as a photo was generated from several stages behind the ‘finished’ one. Very disappointing, especially having bought the ‘pro’ version.

Verdict: * (1/5)

Plastic Surgery Simulator

Age 12+
£1.49 LITE version is free
iPhone or iPad

They say:

This is a simple but powerful photo distortion app.  Used by over three million users worldwide and by real plastic surgeons, this app can transform any body part to simulate various plastic surgeries, including breast augmentation or reduction.

We say:

Indeed this is simple, and it’s a photo distortion app. There’s really very little more to say about it, as it’s literally just a case of importing photos or taking new ones, then playing with them by dragging your fingers across the screen. It’s fun for about ten seconds (what would I look like with a really big chin?), but thereafter fails to be of any real use or benefit. By all means upload a photo of your chest and then inflate it to see how you could look. But then what?