For those who overlooked the day and need a little help avoiding the evil eye from your partner, there are a few Windows 10 apps that might help you stay out of the doghouse. There's no guarantee that these apps will save your kiester, but they can help make sure you don't show up empty-handed or have to wait at a restaurant without a reservation.
It's probably too late to order a giant teddy bear or an oversized box of chocolates from Amazon. However, these Windows 10 apps may give you a fighting chance of survival and let you enjoy the day with your significant other. Here's what we've come up with for the best Windows 10 apps for Valentine's Day.
Updated February 13, 2017: We made a few changes to this article based on new releases, reader input and staff discussion. There are some new titles in the mix, as well as those that we continue to view as the best from the Windows Store.
Say it with Flowers
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Say it with Flowers is a free app, available for Windows 10 Mobile, that lets you add a customized message to a picture of flowers and share it with that special someone. Say it with Flowers may not take the place of the real thing, but it may buy you some time to hunt down a florist with arrangements in stock. And it could make for a nice bonus gift.
The app has a core set of flowers (about 15 images) with additional flower image packs available through an in-app purchase ($0.99). There is also a selection of the month that highlights three flower types. Message options include 16 font styles, six font sizes (very small to extra large) and a handful of text-and-background colors. There are also six options for text placement on your image.
Once you create your Say it with Flowers greeting card, you can share it with any of the sharing options available on your Windows phone, including email, SMS and social networks. A copy of your card will be saved to your camera roll for future use if needed. Say it with Flowers is a simple way to send your loved one a quick message on Valentine's Day, or any other occasion.
Download Say it with Flowers from the Windows Store
How to Cook Everything
If a quiet dinner at the house is in your plans for Valentine's Day, and you are at a loss for what to prepare, there are tons of Windows 10 cooking apps available to help. How to Cook Everything was one our Hidden Gems from a few years ago, and it's based on the bestselling cookbook. The Windows 10 app delivers 2,000 recipes and 400 how-to illustrations to your PC or Mobile device.
This Windows 10 app has main pages to feature key recipes, browse recipes by categories, view how-to tutorials and check out the most popular recipes. How To Cook Everything also includes built-in timers that are placed throughout the recipe steps, a shopping list generator to make it easy to buy ingredients. And recipes can be easily shared with Facebook and Twitter integration. Recipes are embedded within the app, eliminating the need for a network connection while you toil in the kitchen.
Recipes include an overview, ingredient list, detailed steps and any variations on the base recipe to experiment with. You also have access to related topics to improve your culinary skills. For example, a pizza recipe will have links to how-to content on shaping dough for pizza or tips for foolproof pizza toppings.
How to Cook Everything is currently priced at $9.99, with a seven-day trial to allow you to test drive the app before buying. It is a very comprehensive cooking resource that is well suited for the beginner chef, as well as the more seasoned cook, and may help you impress a significant other with your culinary skills.
Download How to Cook Everything from the Windows Store
OpenTable
OpenTable can be a handy Windows 10 app for making dining reservations on the fly. The app has a database of thousands of restaurants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. You choose the date, time and party size, and OpenTable will find all the available tables in your area in real time.
Upcoming reservations can be added to your Windows Phone calendar, and in addition to Valentine's Day, OpenTable can come in handy for any occasion. You can even make out-of town-reservations for when you are traveling.
You can narrow the results by cuisine, price or neighborhood, and browse menus, diner ratings and review of the restaurants. Membership is required (but it's free) and will allow you to manage your reservations, access your dining history, bookmark favorite restaurants and earn dining points that can be cashed in to use at OpenTable restaurants. The free app is available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile and is a great option to have when you thought she made the reservations.
- Download OpenTable from the Windows Store (PC Version)
- Download OpenTable from the Windows Store (Mobile Version)
Valentine
Valentine is a free app that delivers a host of holiday-themed features to your Windows 10 device. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, Valentine has over 30 wallpapers to help get your device in the holiday spirit and a countdown timer to keep you posted on how many more days you have until the big day.
If you are struggling for romantic ideas for Valentine's Day, this Windows 10 app has over 30 ideas on how to spend the day or evening, as well as gift suggestions. The recommendations include revisiting the place where you proposed to your partner and taking your partner out for ice cream. Many of the ideas can come in handy beyond Valentine's Day.
Valentine may not be the most feature-rich app in the Windows Store, but it could be the spark for that perfect idea for Valentine's Day.
Download Valentine from the Windows Store
Yelp
Yelp is the official Windows 10 Mobile app for Yelp's online service that helps you find what you are looking for. Should you forget to make reservations at your favorite restaurant and need a quick plan B, Yelp can search for restaurants that are nearby. If you've finished eating and are looking for some after-dinner entertainment, Yelp can locate bars, coffee houses and other nightlife spots in your area. Worried that you are going to run out of gas on your Valentine's Day date? Yelp can help you find a nearby gas station.
The free Windows 10 Mobile app delivers a host of information on the business listings it provides, including contact information, driving directions, links to websites, hours of operation, smoking preferences, outdoor seating and customer reviews. If you are looking for deals to save a few bucks with, Yelp searches your area for any savings that might be available. Yelp includes integration with OpenTable to make reservations without leaving the app, and there is a social network feature to let you check-in and share your location with friends.
Yelp offers you the option to sign up for a free membership, but the membership is not required to use the core features of the Windows 10 Mobile app. Creating a membership opens the full feature set to let you leave reviews, photos and participate in the social network. Yelp is a handy app to have installed on your Windows 10 Mobile phone, and it can help plan your evening or shift gears when the unexpected happens.
Download Yelp from the Windows Store
If you have given any of these apps a try, let us know what you think in the comments. These are just a few Windows 10 apps that could come in handy on Valentine's Day. If you have a favorite Windows 10 app for the occasion that was not mentioned, feel free to toss out your recommendation as well.
