Hungry? This new free app is bringing food porn to an entirely new level

By Hillary K. Grigonis July 8, 2016

yummy is the social media for food photography sergey rasulov 123rf — Sergey Rasulov/123RF

Food porn just got a new platform. Yummi, a social network exclusively devoted to all things food-related, is now available for iOS-toting foodies.

With a helping of Instagram-inspired features, a dash of Yelp, and a pinch of Tinder, Yummi’s developers say it integrates the best features from different social networks. The app allows users to share and organize their meals, whether it’s home-cooked or professionally prepared. Posts are organized by chronological order (a time-stamp of when it was shot determines the order, not the posting date/time) and each one can be categorized by cuisine to easily find later on. A calendar view will also show users an overview of their food diary.

yummi-screenshots — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Along with the social aspect, Yummi serves as a sort of Yelp for food, with the option to geo-tag and sort by the dishes closest to you, find new restaurants, or even identify new menu items from local favorites (data is sourced from Google). Posts can be saved for later, while a search tool allows for finding food by location, cuisine, or hashtags. A quick swipe right will also bring up nearby posts.

Yummi’s developers said that, along with sharing restaurant cuisine, the app is also designed to share recipes. And unlike Instagram, a popular social network for food photography, posts aren’t uploaded and then lost or forgotten. Because there’s a food journal that chronologically tracks the places you’ve visited or foods you’ve eaten, it serves as a memory bank as well as an easy way for you and others to search.

“I love using the Yummi app as a food journal to keep track of places I have eaten,” said Kristie Hang, a food blogger and TV host. “The app design is so easy to use. All the features are extremely helpful for anyone who loves to eat. It’s about time someone developed an app like this that extracts more value out of a picture than just giving it a Like.”

Yummi isn’t the first social network to center around food. A few years ago, Foodspotting showed a good deal of promise (it’s even the basis of an Amy Schumer joke). But since its acquisition by OpenTable, Foodspotting hasn’t evolved (its last update on the App Store was February 21, 2014). Yummi seems to have taken the baton and continuing where Foodspotting left off, and while both have a similar Instagram-like feel, Yummi is a bit more dynamic in what you can do. For example, you can post different food photos in one post (e.g., multiple dishes from one restaurant). If you’re proficient with any other social networking app, the user interface for Yummi should be familiar.

The one thing Foodspotting does, that Yummi doesn’t, is produce food suggestions when you type into the description box. That will come in time when more users join Yummi and the information gets crowdsourced. We also wish there was the ability to do some form of photo editing before posting, as cropping an image or enhancing the coloring can oftentimes produce a nicer shot. Right now, you have to edit the photo outside the app beforehand. Foodspotting doesn’t have editing tools either, but it does let you perform simple cropping. It’s still early days for Yummi, so we hope more features get added.

The free app, created by former Google executive Pete Wong is currently available for iOS in the App Store.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

Photography

Best Camera Deals: Save on Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, and GoPro

fujifilm x t4 review set 2 dm 1

Whether you're looking for the best digital cameras or the best travel cameras, there are a ton of options out there, sometimes too many options, especially for those who aren't familiar with the photography world. Luckily, we've done a lot of legwork for you and collected a range of great camera deals across the spectrum, so even if you want something more sports-oriented, like a GoPro, there are a couple of deals for those too. So, let's jump right into it.
Today's Best Camera Deals
One of our favorite deals is the Canon EOS Rebel T7 going for $400, as it's one of the better DSLR cameras on the market, and it has a reasonably budget-friendly price on it, making it a great starter camera. Of course, if you've been in the game for a while and are looking for a powerful upgrade, the Sony Alpha 7R IV is one of the best full-frame cameras on the market, and while it still costs a hefty $3,200, that's still $300 off the usual $3,500 price tag. That said, if you're looking for something more portable and action-oriented, you can't go wrong with the GoPro HERO11 Black Mini, although if you're a professional content creator, the GoPro HERO9 Black 5K is probably the one to go for instead.

Do I Need a DSLR or a Mirrorless Camera?
Like most things, this really depends on what you're trying to do. Mirrorless cameras have fewer internal moving parts, which generally means they can capture images quicker, so if you're taking pictures of action-packed stuff like sports or animals in the wilderness, a mirrorless camera is a great option. On the other hand, DSLR cameras are great for low-light conditions and are great for anything from portraits to landscapes. DSLRs are also cheaper and have much better battery life, as well as having a decade or two worth of lenses to choose from.

Computing

How to blur a background in photos

A person photographed with iPhone 11's portrait mode.

Introducing a background blur to your photos can draw attention to a specific subject, such as an individual in a portrait or an item in a still life, while also adding a professional flair to your image. This beautiful background blur, also known as bokeh, can be achieved even after shooting your photo, thanks to advances in editing software. This guide will walk you through the process on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.

Mobile

How to download Instagram photos (5 easy ways)

Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.