2025-12-01 18:30:00
Before diving into what a city super app is, let’s first explore the concept of a super app itself and why it’s becoming essential in modern digital life.
Super apps are not a new concept. They’re more common in Eastern countries, which is why you may not be as familiar with them in the West. In Southeast Asia, for example, the most well-known super app is WeChat in China. On WeChat, you can access social media, payment tools, online shopping, ride-booking, travel bookings, and food delivery — all within a single app.
The success of WeChat inspired many startups in the West to explore the super app concept. While no app has reached WeChat’s level of integration, several are heading in that direction:
Some argue that this model benefits companies because they don’t have to spend much to acquire users for new services, and they can gather more data. It’s also convenient for users since they can access many services from one place.
However, others warn that when users stay within a single app, they might miss out on better services or lower prices available elsewhere. If one service within the app fails, users could lose access to several other services they rely on, such as their bank account.
I’m not sure if this model will work in the long run, but I do believe that the core services these apps were originally built for will suffer over time. As companies focus more on adding new features and growing their user base, they may stop improving the services they were originally known for.
Now that you understand what a super app is, you can probably guess what a city super app might be. It’s an app that brings together everything about a city. But what exactly do I mean by everything? That’s the exciting part — it can include anything that’s related to the city.
So, what makes a city a city? It’s not just the buildings and streets, but its legal status and how it’s governed. I live in Hamburg, which is a city-state, so elections are an important part of civic life. This would be a good starting point for a city super app. You could access information on local parliament members, find out how to reach them, ask questions, check past election results, and view upcoming election polls. These features help you engage with your community and participate in your civic rights.
But why would you need an app for your city? The goal is to make city life easier. Maybe you enjoy long walks and want to find public toilets or water stations without searching around. Or maybe you need to charge your electric vehicle or find a pharmacy at night. A city super app can bring all this information together in one place. Sure, you can find this information on separate websites, but that’s the problem. You have to search for it, verify the data, and wade through ads or poorly designed pages. All you want is to find a place to pee or charge your car.
Beyond these basic needs, a city super app can help you discover more about the city. Nature spots, playgrounds, bike routes, festivals, public libraries, coffee roasters, and more. You might know websites or Instagram pages for some of these, but they don’t offer a single place to explore everything without pushing products or promotions. A city super app solves that problem. Whenever you need something or want to discover a new part of the city, you can simply open the app.
A few years ago, I had the idea for a city super app. Thanks to my friends and colleagues, I’ve learned a lot about Hamburg. Over time, I met more people and realized not everyone knows as much about the city as I do. So, I thought: Why not create an app that collects everything I know about the city? I started by writing down everything in the Notes app.
I shared the idea with my friends, and they agreed that an app like this could be really helpful for many people. Over the past few months, I began developing the app. Every day, I’d work on a new section, sitting in a café for a couple of hours. By the end of October, I launched it. The response on Reddit and LinkedIn blew me away. People loved the app and the idea behind it! I guess I proved once again that people often don’t realize what they need until it’s right in front of them.
I named the app Franzbrötchen because it’s a famous pastry in Hamburg, made with cinnamon and sugar. It’s delicious, especially when you get it from a local bakery, not the big chains. People really liked the name!
Here are some of the categories in the app:
This list goes on. There are probably hundreds of things I could add to the app, but for the initial release, I focused on what would help people understand the concept. Over time, I’ve added more features, and many users have suggested new ideas I hadn’t even thought about. The app has even helped me discover things I didn’t know about my own city!
Now, I have a long list of features to add in the future, which will keep me busy for the next few years. It’s time-consuming, but I believe it’s my way of giving back to the community I enjoy living in. The app is completely free and has no ads. I don’t track any user data, and unlike most apps, I don’t focus on engagement. My main goal is to help people solve problems and discover more about their city.
When it comes to data, I’m lucky that there’s a law in Germany (Datennutzungsgesetz) requiring public offices to share non-personal data in machine-readable and open formats. This is where I get most of the data for the app. I also curated some of my own lists and linked to non-profit organizations’ websites when necessary. This combination ensures that the data in the app is reliable and verifiable. Of course, sometimes the data can be outdated because public offices don’t always update it regularly, but since things in the city don’t change that often, the information is usually up-to-date.
Before ChatGPT and other large language models, there were three main ways people accessed information online:
These channels have changed a lot in the past few years. Companies figured out how to manipulate them to make money. As a result, they started showing more ads, requiring accounts, and making the platforms addictive, so people spent more time on them and saw even more ads.
Then, in 2022, ChatGPT arrived. What ChatGPT did was scrape the entire internet and offer a new way to access information. Instead of searching for keywords, you could ask full sentences and get an answer right away. You didn’t need to wait for someone to respond or sift through multiple answers. It was like having a conversation with a knowledgeable friend.
But there’s a downside to ChatGPT. Since you interact by chatting and only get one answer, unlike search engines or forums, you might assume the answer is correct and not look for other options. ChatGPT generates responses based on what’s most commonly mentioned in its training data, but sometimes it can be wrong or even create hallucinations. That’s just how the system works.
So, what does this have to do with a city super app? Some people might think that ChatGPT could replace a city super app, but the problem I mentioned above still applies. While ChatGPT offers a more conversational way to access information, you can’t always trust the answer. For example, if you ask for your district representative’s name, ChatGPT might get part of the answer right, but not the full, correct answer. This is where a city super app integrated with a voice assistant could solve the problem.
Instead of Siri trying to answer questions about Hamburg based on its own model or the internet, it could pass the question to my Franzbrötchen app. Since most of the information in my app comes from official sources or non-profits that focus on accuracy, Siri could deliver a 100% correct answer.
The good news is that Apple is already building the system I’m talking about with App Intents. While it’s not perfect yet, when apps like mine integrate with this system and Siri gets its long-awaited update next year, I believe this will change how people access information on their digital devices in a couple of years.
You might be wondering how a city super app can be sustainable, given the amount of time and effort required to build it. Well, I believe these apps will either rely on donations from users (like mine) or receive public funding. Companies offering voice assistants might also pay apps based on the number of queries answered.
I don’t think any big company can create a city super app for every city in the world and guarantee reliable information. This is why I believe every city will need to create its own. A company based in California can’t create a better app or service for a city thousands of kilometers away. The locals know their city best. We’ll have to see how this all plays out.
2025-10-05 16:00:00
This summer didn’t feel much like summer, but I did get the chance to visit two cities: Munich and Krakow. Maybe because I was traveling and making the most of the summer, I didn’t watch many TV shows or finish any books. However, I did manage to watch a few movies, including one at the cinema. Let’s take a look at the books and movies I enjoyed during the third quarter of 2025.
I’ve probably read almost every book about Apple, but Apple in China by Patrick McGee was still pretty interesting. The first 100 pages felt unnecessary because they covered things I already knew. However, after that, I learned a lot about how Apple makes its products and how its supply chain works. The book gives a lot of insight into how Apple gets such low prices from suppliers, how it deals with the Chinese government, and what the factories are like in China. One detail that really stood out was how one million Chinese workers move to the coast to make iPhones for a short time and then return to their towns, not even allowed to stay in the coastal cities. It was eye-opening. If you’re interested in Apple, supply chains, or China, I highly recommend this book.
Last quarter, I mentioned a book called The Taste of Paradise by Wolfgang Schivelbusch, and I said I wanted to read more by the same author. Since I love traveling by train, I decided to pick up The Railway Journey to learn more about the history of train travel. It was hard to find, so I ended up buying a second-hand copy from the UK, but it was definitely worth it. The book goes into great detail about the history of trains, how they started, and how they’ve developed over time. I was fascinated to learn that train travel was the first way to travel long distances faster than horse-drawn carriages, and how it changed how people viewed space and time. I was also surprised to find that older trains had cars where you couldn’t walk between them. The book also covers early train accidents and how they changed how people reacted to shocks. If you’re a fan of trains like I am, I highly recommend this book.
Another interesting book I read last quarter was Material World by Ed Conway. The book looks at the history and uses of six different materials: sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. I learned a lot about these materials and some uses I never would have thought of. For example, I didn’t realize how important salt is for clean water, or that there are different types of sand for different purposes. The book also talks about the oil refinery in Wesseling, Germany, which was used to turn coal into oil, and how complicated it is to make a chip. It was interesting to read about countries that have these critical materials or factories that turn them into something useful, especially since these materials are becoming more of a national security issue. It was an easy read for me during my train journey from Krakow.
I’m really into movies, documentaries, and TV shows about World War II, and The Zone of Interest was one of the most interesting ones I’ve seen. Unlike many other films about the war that show the horrific events directly, this one doesn’t show the violence at all. Instead, it gives small clues and lets you piece together the darker side of the story.
The movie focuses on a Nazi commander’s family living in a house next to a concentration camp. You don’t actually see what’s happening in the camp, but you see the family’s everyday life. Small details like smoke rising at night from the factory, blood on the commander’s boots, and bones found while swimming in the river are scattered throughout. I found this approach even more horrifying than showing the violence directly because it makes you think more about it. The acting, especially by the commander and his wife (played by my favorite German actress, Sandra Hüller), was excellent. I highly recommend this movie.
I’m not really into F1 and still don’t understand why so many people love it. But I try to watch as many movies and TV shows from Apple as I can, since they’re usually pretty good.
Even though I liked F1: The Movie, it felt like a typical Hollywood film. The story is about a former driver (Brad Pitt) who is doing his own thing, and his friends try to convince him to drive for their team. He refuses at first, but eventually agrees. He struggles at the start because he’s an outsider who can’t do things the usual way, but in the end, he wins the race. Of course, there’s also the predictable romance where he sleeps with a woman who normally doesn’t get involved with her colleagues. The plot was pretty basic, but I did enjoy the shots taken from inside the F1 cars. If you’re into F1, I think you’ll like this movie.
I remember starting Idiocracy, but I wasn’t sure if I actually finished it. It’s a movie that shows a dystopian future in a funny way. The society in the movie is so messed up—people use energy drinks to farm, everything is covered in ads, and life has become incredibly dumbed-down. Even though it’s a comedy, based on where society is heading right now, I can actually see some of the things in the movie happening in the future.
I still remember The Pianist and Adrien Brody’s incredible performance in it. In The Brutalist, he delivers another great performance. He plays a Hungarian Jewish architect who escapes the war in Europe. In the U.S., he stays with a friend and starts doing some work. Eventually, a wealthy person discovers who he really is and hires him for a project. Throughout the movie, you see his struggles as an obsessed architect determined to finish his masterpiece, while also dealing with problems in his marriage. It’s a long movie, but definitely worth watching.
I came across Psycho Therapy because both the writer and director are Turkish. When I saw that it also starred Steve Buscemi and Britt Lower, I had to check it out. They’re both great actors—Buscemi’s performance in Boardwalk Empire is unforgettable, and Lower’s performance in Severance (one of my all-time favorite shows) is amazing. The movie didn’t disappoint. It’s about an unsuccessful author and a retired serial killer. While it’s a comedy, I don’t think everyone would enjoy it, but I did. The movie shows their strange interactions and also the relationship between the author and his wife. I really liked Britt Lower’s cold character throughout the film.
I can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema, but I felt it was time to go again for DiCaprio. I’ve probably seen almost every movie he’s been in because he’s really picky about the roles he takes. One Battle After Another is about a revolutionary who takes part in a lot of events and then has to escape with his baby to avoid being caught. Later, he tries to save his daughter. The movie is packed with action and suspense, but it also has some funny moments that I really enjoyed. Besides DiCaprio, I have to say that Sean Penn also did an excellent job in his role.
2025-09-29 15:00:00
Flying cars have been a big part of science fiction for decades. They often show up in movies or futuristic stories, and some people even see them as a sign of progress. But I’ve never really understood the obsession. What problem are they supposed to solve? Why do we even need them?
Sometimes I think the idea of flying cars might have come from living in tall buildings. If you’re on the 30th floor and need to visit someone on the 40th floor of another building across town, it seems inefficient to take the elevator down, drive across the city, and then take another elevator up. Flying directly between them might save time.
But this idea only makes sense in places full of skyscrapers. In Hamburg, Germany, where I live, we don’t really have many tall residential buildings. Most high-rise buildings are offices, hotels, or social housing. When people have more money, they usually want to live in a house with a yard, not on the 25th floor. So there isn’t much motivation here to build tall buildings, except maybe to reduce the cost per square meter.
If most people aren’t living in skyscrapers, then the whole “flying between tall buildings” idea doesn’t hold up.
Another argument for flying cars might be speed, getting from point A to B faster. In some big cities, rich people already use helicopters to avoid traffic. That sounds nice in theory. But what happens if flying cars become common?
The sky would get crowded, just like roads are now. Once air traffic increases, there would be regulations and limits to keep it safe. So you wouldn’t really go faster. You’d just be stuck in “air traffic” instead.
There’s also the problem of noise. Think about drones, helicopters, or airplanes, none of them are quiet. People living near airports already complain about the noise. Now imagine thousands of flying cars buzzing overhead every day. Going outside would be unbearable.
And then there’s the issue of accidents. With more flying vehicles in the air, the chances of mid-air collisions would go up. And unlike a regular car crash, a flying vehicle crash means something could literally fall out of the sky. That’s not just dangerous, it’s terrifying. This kind of risk is already a big concern with drones, and it’s one of the main reasons we don’t see drone deliveries happening in cities yet.
For all these reasons, I don’t think flying cars will become a thing. Instead, we should be thinking about hovercars, cars that float slightly above the ground. With electric vehicles, we’ve already reduced a lot of pollution and engine noise. But cars are still loud because of their contact with the road. Hovercars could eliminate that friction, reduce noise even more, and cut down the cost of maintaining roads. Of course, my real preference would be investing in better cycling infrastructure, more bike lanes, fewer traffic lights for cyclists, and incentives for using e-bikes. Cycling is still the most efficient and affordable way to get around. But since cars aren’t going away anytime soon, I think focusing on improving them (rather than trying to make them fly) is the smarter move.
2025-08-23 19:20:00
As someone who lives in a country different from the one I was born in, I often see people confuse the terms expat and immigrant. Instead of giving textbook definitions, I want to share how I understand these two words based on my own experience.
To me, an expat is someone who moves to another country for a short time. This could be for a few months or a few years. Their main reason is usually to explore a new place, meet new people, and maybe enjoy a different lifestyle. A lot of them work in the tech industry. Some work remotely and choose to live in countries where the cost of living is lower. This way, they can enjoy a higher quality of life while earning the same salary as in their home country.
Expats often spend time with people who are just like them. Many are not very interested in learning about the local culture, history, or rules. They often compare everything to their home country and get frustrated when things are different. It is hard for them to make close friends with locals. They tend to look for the same food, sports, or social life they had back home. Most expats live in a kind of bubble and are not very involved in local politics or communities. Many of them are single or with a partner, but usually without children.
When choosing a country to live in, expats often care about how cheap it is and how much tax they will need to pay. They try to move to places that offer special visas or low taxes. If those benefits disappear after a few years, they usually move on to another country. They also visit their home country whenever they can. When problems come up, they look for help from people from their own country or go back home to solve it, instead of learning how things work locally. They often live in areas popular among other expats, even if rent is high.
On the other hand, immigrants are people who choose or are forced to move to a new country to build a new life. Their goal is to stay long term, so they learn the language, culture, and laws. They or their partner usually take part in integration courses. Most are married or have children. Their kids go to local schools and have local friends. Immigrants are active in their communities, whether it’s helping others settle in or joining groups that match their interests.
Instead of complaining, immigrants try to understand how things work in their new country. If they arrived single, it is likely they now have a local partner. They follow local news and politics, and if they get citizenship, they or their children may even take part in politics, like joining the local council or parliament. They take part in local sports and activities, like hiking or skiing, depending on where they live.
Immigrants often work in different industries, not just tech. They usually work for local companies and are willing to pay taxes because they see the long-term benefits, like free education for their kids or support when they retire. When problems come up, they work with locals to find solutions. They live across different parts of the city, not just in one area. They also tend to value what the country offers instead of always looking for things to complain about.
Of course, not every expat or immigrant fits these descriptions perfectly. There are always exceptions, but this is the general pattern I’ve noticed. I meet people from both groups often. When I talk to expats, the conversation is usually about how different Germany is from their home country. When I talk to immigrants, we talk more about local politics, things to do, or new places they discovered.
I often find expats frustrated with their lives. Immigrants, on the other hand, seem more settled and are planning long-term things like starting a family or buying a home. If I were a government decision maker, I would focus on attracting more immigrants than expats. I believe immigrants bring more long-term value to a country.
Expats, while they bring some benefits, can also cause problems. They may push up rent prices and make it harder for locals to afford housing. The neighborhoods they move into can change, with local shops closing and new ones opening to meet expat demand. This can make the area feel less like home for the people who have lived there for a long time.
At the end of the day, both groups shape the places they move to in different ways. But from what I’ve seen, it’s the immigrants who stay, grow roots, and contribute to the future of the country in a deeper way.
2025-08-10 15:40:00
These days, most people listen to music through streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music. Some people pay for subscriptions, while others use the free versions with ads and limited features. If you’re paying, you might assume your money goes to the artists you listen to. But that’s not really how it works.
Spotify often says they pay about 70% of their revenue to music rights holders. But how they split that money is not based on what you listen to. Instead of dividing your monthly fee based on your personal streams, they put all the money in one big pool and pay artists based on their share of total plays across the entire platform.
Let’s say there are only two users on Spotify:
Here’s what people might think happens:
But here’s what actually happens:
So even if you only listen to indie artists, your money still mostly goes to the big names, because the payout is based on total listening across all users, not just you.
In 2024, here were the top artists by streams:
| Rank | Artist | Streams (Billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taylor Swift | 28.21 |
| 2 | The Weeknd | 13.27 |
| 3 | Drake | 12.11 |
| 4 | Bad Bunny | 12.08 |
| 5 | Billie Eilish | 12.00 |
| 6 | Ariana Grande | 10.03 |
| 7 | Kanye West | 9.67 |
| 8 | Peso Pluma | 9.38 |
| 9 | Travis Scott | 8.41 |
| 10 | Bruno Mars | 8.36 |
Spotify had about 4.8 trillion streams in 2024. They say they paid out $10 billion to artists. Since Taylor Swift had about 0.6% of the streams, she got about $60 million from that alone. The Weeknd got around half of that, and so on.
Now let’s talk about a smaller band. Say an indie group has 10,000 fans who each listen to their songs 10 times a day. That’s 36 million streams a year. Sounds like a lot, but it’s just 0.00076% of all streams on Spotify. That would earn them around $76,000 for the whole year, not per month, as many people might expect.
This is why many smaller artists say streaming doesn’t pay the bills. If Spotify changed the model to pay based on each user’s listening habits, big artists would still make a lot, but smaller artists would make much more than they do now. Apple Music does the same kind of global payout, by the way. So Taylor Swift likely earns way more than $600 million a year from all platforms combined.
What are the alternatives? Not many. You could try buying songs on Apple Music, but those versions often don’t come with lyrics or high-end features like Dolby Atmos. So you get less for the same price.
One option that still helps artists is going old school: buy vinyl records. You get better sound, cool artwork, and your money goes more directly to the musicians you want to support.
EDIT: A friend of mine recommended Bandcamp.com after reading my post. It looks like a great alternative to other platforms, offering high-quality album downloads while directly supporting the artists. I’m definitely going to try it out.
2025-07-13 19:00:00
I’ve been living in Germany for seven years. During that time, I’ve gone through many bureaucratic processes — from getting my Blue Card to setting up a sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen). I’ve also changed jobs a few times and was unemployed for a short while.
If you search online, you’ll find a lot of jokes about Germany still using fax machines and how the country is behind when it comes to digital systems. In this post, I want to share my personal experience with how digital or non-digital things really are.
First of all, I’ve never had to use a fax machine. I’m not sure where that stereotype still comes from, but I also don’t know anyone who has actually used one here.
Let’s look at some specific examples so you can get a better idea of how the bureaucracy works in practice. Just keep in mind, this is based on my experience living in Hamburg. Things might be different in other parts of Germany, so don’t treat this as the full picture.
Over the past seven years, I’ve gone through several visa-related processes in Germany. I first applied for a Blue Card, later renewed it because I got a new passport, and eventually applied for permanent residency. All of these steps were handled digitally.
I booked my appointments through the official Hamburg state portal and uploaded all the required documents as PDFs. When it was time for the appointment, I just brought the original documents so the officer could verify them in person. After the process was complete, I got a letter letting me know my ID was ready. I booked another appointment online to pick it up — and that was it.
As for the supporting documents, like proof of health insurance or pension contributions, I was able to get all of them from the websites of the relevant providers. For example, when applying for permanent residency, you need to show your pension payment history. To do this, you can log in to the official portal using your Blue Card.
Here’s how it works: You open the AusweisApp on both your computer and smartphone. Then you connect the devices, hold your Blue Card on your phone to scan the NFC chip, enter your password, and log in. Once you’re authenticated, you can download your pension history — and this system works across many government websites.
Honestly, I find this system quite impressive. It’s secure, straightforward, and works well (at least in my experience).
When it comes to work, most companies in Germany now allow you to sign your contract digitally — using tools like DocuSign, for example. That said, some employers still ask for a physical (wet) signature, even if you’ve already signed it digitally, just to be on the safe side.
However, when it comes to resigning, things are less flexible. You always need to hand in a signed resignation letter, and digital signatures are not accepted for some reason. It has to be on paper, with your actual signature.
When I started my first job in Germany seven years ago, I used to receive my payslips by post every month. Any promotion or salary change also came with physical documents. Over time, this process has become more digital. Many companies have stopped sending paper payslips and now use platforms like Workday, Personio, or DATEV to share payslips and other HR documents in PDF format.
If you have permanent residency in Germany, you’re allowed to start your own company. I wanted to do that because I develop apps and earn income from them.
Starting a sole proprietorship (Einzelunternehmen) was actually quite simple. I went to the website of the responsible office and filled out an online form. After that, I used a third-party accounting service to submit another form to the Finanzamt (tax office) to get a new tax ID. I think you can also do this through Elster, but I didn’t take the time to figure it out.
The biggest downside was the waiting time. If I remember correctly, it took around six months to get the official confirmation that my company had been registered. But honestly, this wasn’t a huge issue because I received my tax ID after just a couple of weeks. That was the important part — it allowed me to start selling apps right away.
Like most bureaucratic processes in Germany, I got several letters in the mail confirming different steps along the way.
When it comes to taxes in Germany, if you’re working full-time as an employee, you usually submit your tax forms the following year. Your employer will send you a document that shows how much you earned and how much tax you paid. You can then use Elster to submit your tax return. The cool part is that you can authenticate yourself through the NFC chip in your ID card to log in to Elster.
The good thing about Elster is that the information your employer sent you is already loaded into the system. You don’t have to manually enter the numbers. You can just use what’s already been submitted. This also applies if you paid for health insurance out of pocket during a gap between jobs, or if you received unemployment benefits. You can see all these documents directly in Elster.
However, the worst part of Elster is definitely the user interface. Since Elster is available to everyone, and taxes are complicated, the forms can be super overwhelming. If your German isn’t great, it’s almost impossible to navigate and figure out where to put certain numbers. If you’re just submitting the standard information from your employer, it’s not so bad. But if you want to deduct some expenses for tax returns, report investments, or account for freelance work, it gets really tricky to figure out.
Because of this complexity, there are several third-party services that help with filling out tax forms, like SteuerGO or Taxfix. For the first few years, I used SteuerGO to handle my taxes, but in the last couple of years, I decided to switch to Elster, even though my forms got more complicated due to my sole proprietorship. I wanted to learn the entire process because I’ll need to submit tax returns every year for the rest of my life, and I didn’t want to rely on a third-party service forever. Plus, those services charge around €30, while Elster is free.
I really hope that one day the Finanzamt realizes how difficult Elster is to use and improves the user experience. Once you’ve submitted your tax forms, you’ll receive a letter from the Finanzamt that tells you how much you owe or how much you’ll be refunded.
So far, I’ve mentioned quite a few letters. If you live in Germany, you’ll definitely need a folder to keep track of all the letters you’ll receive. From my understanding, letters are still the preferred method of communication because it’s the most reliable way to ensure you receive important information. The alternative would be using emails, but then there’s the issue of needing some form of tracking to confirm that the person opened the email. Plus, emails aren’t encrypted, so there’s a privacy concern as well.
At some point, maybe the government will introduce a system to replace physical letters. Some government offices already offer digital-only communication options, meaning you can choose to receive only emails and not letters. But if you miss something, it’s on you. In these systems, you’d get an email notifying you of a new message, and then you’d need to visit the official website to view the content of the message.
Dealing with all these letters can be overwhelming, especially if you’re constantly checking your mailbox. That’s where Deutsche Post comes in with a free service that notifies you when a letter is on the way via the DHL app. I really appreciate this because I don’t have to check my postbox every day. You just register for the app, confirm your address with a letter, and from then on, you’ll get notifications whenever a letter is on the way. They even send you a scan of the letter, so you can see who it’s from before it arrives.
In most cases, you get the letter the same day or the next day. The app also notifies you when a package is on the way, which I find super useful. This service is one of the main reasons I always use DHL for my packages.
A couple of years ago, when you got a sick note from your doctor, you’d receive three copies: one for your insurance, one for your employer, and one for yourself. You’d then submit the papers to your employer and health insurance. Some companies even allowed you to take a sick day or two without a note, so you didn’t have to deal with any paperwork. But in the last few years, this whole process has been completely digitalized. Now, when you get a sick note, the doctor submits it directly to both your employer and health insurance — no more paper handling.
The same goes for prescriptions. These were also digitalized recently. If your doctor gives you a prescription, you can simply go to the pharmacy and redeem it by showing your health insurance card. If you need a refill for medication you regularly take, you can usually just email your doctor to request it. There are also services where you can see a doctor via an online call, so many aspects of healthcare are now fully digital.
When it comes to payments, you typically don’t pay for most health services, but if you’re staying in a hospital after surgery, you’ll pay €10 per day. Once you’re discharged, you’ll get a letter for the payment. The same process applies to dental treatments — you get the service and then a letter for the payment.
There are a few issues I’ve noticed with the health services, though. One is the lack of a standard way to make appointments. Some doctors use services like Doctolib or Jameda to manage their appointments, while others have their own system, or some don’t use any online service at all. In those cases, you have to call them, which I personally dislike, especially when I have to do it in German. That’s why I always prefer doctors who offer a digital appointment system.
Another issue I’ve encountered is when you switch specialists. Your old doctor prints out a bunch of papers for your new doctor, who then scans those papers into their system. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but I believe this problem is being addressed through the introduction of digital health records (ePA). With this system, you won’t have to carry physical papers from one doctor to another.
During my 7 years, I also lost my job once and was unemployed for a while. I was really surprised by how digital the whole process was. I’ll write another blog post later about what to do if you lose your job in Germany, but for now, I can say that you do almost everything through the Agentur für Arbeit website.
You just sign up using your ID card, fill out some forms about your situation, and upload the letter your employer gave you about the job ending. Most of the time, you’ll need an appointment to speak with someone about your case, but you can also do that online if you prefer. Sometimes, you may need to send them a letter, but if you use your ID card, you can send it online by signing the document digitally. You can also choose to get all messages through the website instead of by mail, and they’ll send you an email when there’s something new.
When I told my German friends about this, they were also surprised at how digital it is. The website even has Passkey support now, which was another surprise for me. Through the Agentur für Arbeit site, you can tell them you’re unemployed and looking for a job, set up an appointment and have a video call, apply for benefits, send an appeal, get a confirmation that you’re unemployed, and later let them know when you’ve found a job. It’s all online, no need for paper.
When it comes to payments, you can use your card almost everywhere in Germany these days. Of course, there are still some places that don’t accept MasterCard or Visa — they only accept Girocard, which is a local payment system with lower fees. From what I’ve observed, most places offering cheaper products tend to avoid card payments, but this is probably true for only about 10% of the places.
If you need to make a payment at a government office, you’ll usually need either a Girocard or cash. I assume the reason for this is that they don’t want to pay commissions to MasterCard or Visa. One other common thing I’ve noticed is that many Döner shops don’t accept any cards at all, so keep that in mind.
For person-to-person payments, PayPal is still the most widely used method. If you’re selling something you no longer need, most people prefer paying through PayPal. Similarly, if you’re paying a friend for something, PayPal is usually the go-to option.
In the past few years, many supermarkets have introduced self-checkouts, where card payments are the only option. This is part of the shift towards cashless transactions. For public transportation, many people now use the Deutschlandticket, a subscription that lets you travel without limits. You can also buy tickets through a mobile app developed by the transportation company in your city. The cool part is that there are no card readers on buses or trains. Instead, there are random ticket checks to make sure you have a valid ticket. You can add your Deutschlandticket to Apple Wallet, for example, and just show the QR code on your Apple Watch during those checks.
When it comes to renting a flat in Germany, there’s one rule that keeps the process from being fully digital: you have to see the flat in person. Before that, though, you need to somehow secure an appointment for a viewing, which can be tricky due to the high demand and limited supply. In most cases, landlords post their ads on websites like ImmobilienScout24, and within minutes, they receive dozens of messages from interested tenants. These messages typically include basic information about the applicant, like their job, salary, and other personal details.
Once you secure a viewing, you’ll go to the flat, and if you’re interested, you’ll fill out a form with the same information you shared earlier to show your intent to rent. If the landlord chooses you, you’ll get the contract, which you’ll sign in person. So, while the process is mostly digital, the in-person viewing and signing remain essential steps.
After you’ve signed your contract, managing utilities is fairly simple and can be done entirely online. If you’re moving from another flat, you just inform your internet or electricity provider, and they’ll update your address in their system. This means no interruptions in service. If you want to cancel a utility contract, it used to be necessary to send a signed letter, but thanks to the Kündigungsbutton law, companies now have to provide a cancellation form directly on their websites. However, some providers try to hide this cancellation option by burying the link deep in their site or making it hard to find. Their goal is to get you to call them so they can try to convince you to stay.
In addition to utilities, phone contracts are also easily manageable and cancellable online. If you switch your phone number or bank account, you might need to verify your identity. In most cases, you can do this via a video call where you show your ID or by simply uploading a photo of your passport or ID through an app. No need to visit offices or send physical letters anymore.
There are probably some things I didn’t mention here because I haven’t needed to deal with them or just forgot. A friend of mine also mentioned that when you buy a second-hand car, you can handle everything digitally. I’m not a German citizen, but I know that for elections, you can either vote by mail or in person. However, when you vote in person, you still use paper ballots. For things like museums, concerts, and other events, you usually get a QR code for your ticket, and that’s all you need. You can also add it to your Apple Wallet sometimes. Gone are the days of printing tickets!
If you’ve made it this far, you might be wondering, “Germany seems fairly digital—so why do people still complain about bureaucracy or the lack of digitalization?” There are three key reasons for this, and they’re exactly why I wanted to write this post—because these issues often don’t get the attention they deserve.
One major problem lies in how digitalization is defined. Take this year’s elections in Hamburg, for example. When I tried to learn about the political parties’ platforms, I visited their websites. Instead of finding clear, digestible summaries, I was faced with 100-page PDF documents packed with dense policy details. Technically, yes, that’s digital—they’ve uploaded their programs online. But realistically, that’s not useful. A giant PDF isn’t reader-friendly. There are much better digital tools out there—web pages with interactive elements, infographics, or summaries that make information accessible.
So while something may be available online, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been digitized in a meaningful or user-friendly way. And that brings us to the deeper issues.
Even though many administrative processes are now online, you still have to collect and resubmit the same documents multiple times. For instance, if you hold a Blue Card and want to apply for permanent residency, you’ll need to provide your address registration (Anmeldung), pension history, and other records—again. Even if you’ve already submitted them elsewhere.
This redundancy slows everything down. In a truly digital system, government offices would be able to access the data that’s already on file, pulling your information automatically from connected databases. This wouldn’t just save you time—it would ease the burden on civil servants too, reducing manual work and room for error.
Even with online forms and uploads, many processes still move at a snail’s pace. A big part of the problem is staffing: there simply aren’t enough people working in government offices to handle the volume of requests. So even if you submit your documents digitally, you might still be waiting for months.
This is especially frustrating for critical applications like visas or residence permits—delays here can affect your ability to work, relocate, or make long-term plans. If agencies were digitally integrated and systems could communicate, that alone would speed things up significantly. There’s also potential for express services, where applicants pay extra for faster processing, which could help fund more staff and reduce overall wait times.
And when I say “long,” I don’t mean a few days or weeks. I’m talking about months, sometimes even years. I know people who waited six months just to get an appointment, and then another three months for their Blue Card to be issued. Citizenship applications are even worse—despite going digital recently, the process still requires collecting documents from different offices, facing repeated requests for more paperwork, and enduring radio silence for years on end. Some people have had to hire lawyers just to navigate the delays. In fact, over 1.000 people sued the immigration office in Berlin for its lack of action. As a result, the process has improved, and now, while naturalization still takes years in many cities, in Berlin, it can sometimes be completed in just a few weeks.
Like my previous blog posts, this one turned out to be pretty long, but I think I’ve made my point. Everywhere on the internet and in the news, you hear a lot about digitalization and bureaucracy. But I think these terms don’t really capture the real issue. What we should be talking about is the integration of government offices and reducing waiting times.
Government offices need to be held accountable for how long people have to wait, and they should be incentivized to speed things up. One idea is to share average waiting times on their websites, just like Deutsche Bahn does with train delays, and compare between the cities. That could give people a clearer picture and push for improvements.