Quick Picks: What I Use on iOS
In just a few years, my smartphone has become indispensable. My most used device is my iPhone 6S, 64GB. Here are the apps that I use on my iPhone and why I recommend them.
Instagram (Free) is my go-to app for keeping up with my favorite artists and sharing my own artistic process work. The latest mobile update brings some nice modern interface tweaks that puts more focus on the photos. I don’t much care for the app’s new logo, though.
A few weeks back, I shared my workflow for capturing and sharing screenshots to the service.
Dropbox (Free) is my cloud data storage of choice. With it I can organize and keep track of my academic files and share images to Instagram. New users get 2GB of storage, making it an ideal replacement for a small thumb drive.
Words with Friends (Free – with ad removal $9.99) is everything I want out of an online version of Scrabble. It’s frequently updated, looks great in iOS, and is my favorite time-waster throughout the day. At any point I am playing 7 opponents, some of whom I have several simultaneous games with. The Pro version, which removes all ads in the free version, is well worth it if you’re a serious WWF player like I am.
Fantastical ($4.99) keeps me up to date on appointments and schedules. It syncs well with its Mac counterpart, and looks great to boot. Typing in new appointments is easy to do thanks to its natural voice recognition capabilities.
Evernote (Free) – I use Evernote as a glorified receipt tracker. I’ve stuck with the free version, because it does what I need.
Google Maps (Free) is my favorite location tracking app. I tried Apple Maps a few years back and it was… unreliable. I’m sure Apple Maps has gotten better, but why change if something already works well?
Flipboard (Free) – RSS is dead, long live Flipboard. This is my RSS reader of choice. It presents articles in a magazine style format, with the option to tag, share and create your own curated magazine(s) for other people who might be interested in what you’ve enjoyed reading.
Yelp (Free) has changed the way we dine outside. Before we visit any restaurant, we Yelp it. Build around user reviews, we’ve discovered great new places to try out.
Youtube (Free) is another time-waster app that I really enjoy using. With it, I can track down rare concerts, watch my favorite Youtube only show (Roadkill), or watch videos to help me fix things around the house. I’ve leveled up in my handyman skills, all in part to some excellent Youtube how-to videos.
Tweetbot ($9.99) is another app that gets a bit of a workout from me. $10 is a steep price, but I use Twitter a great deal and find Tweetbot’s list of features (like the Mute button) well worth paying for.
pCalc Lite (Free, with in-app purchases available) is my favorite calculator that handles Reverse Polish Notation. It’s skinnable and includes a la carte features that you can add as needed. I purchased the Multiple Memories and Show Ticker Tape options. It’s the next best thing to my venerable HP48 calculator.
Thermostat (Free) lets me adjust our home’s temperature from within an iOS app. The app itself could use a bit more polish, but gets the job done, I suppose.
1Password (Free, in-app purchases available) organizes and securely protects my important data (passwords, etc.). Use your fingerprint or a password to access your data in a quick and painless way. Like Fantastical, 1password syncs across all my other devices – giving me fast and secure access to my data when I need it.
Calm (Free, $39.99 annual fee) is a meditation app, but it’s so much more than that, really. The free app gives a good taste of what to expect, so you can try it and see if it’s right for you. I’ve always struggled with meditation, but Calm has made it easier with its guided meditation approach. With available daily programs including Self-Esteem, Focus, and Sleep, using Calm is like having a therapist in your pocket. The subscription version of the app also includes Kid’s Calm, which tells bed time stories to ease the little one’s as they prepare to sleep. (My daughter Sonia loves it!)
SunTrust (Free for account holders) is a modern and highly useable banking app, supporting remote check deposits via the iPhone’s camera, as well as fingerprint authentication.
Gboard (Free) is a Google keyboard for your iPhone. For me, typing with Gboard on my iPhone feels more accurate than typing with the built-in iOS keyboard. The best feature is the ability to search and send info right from your keyboard. No more switching between multiple apps. Gboard is the keyboard Apple should have shipped with iOS.
On my iOS dock, I have my most accessed apps:
OmniFocus 2.0 ($39.99) is my preferred to-do and task management client. It took me forever to give it a try, but once I did, I couldn’t live without it. Again, this app isn’t cheap, but since I use and depend on it regularly, buying the iPhone version was a no-brainer. It also syncs across my devices.
Overcast (Free, donations accepted) is my favorite podcasting app. I listen to an electic assortment of podcasts any given week, and Overcast does a great job of downloading and managing the experience. I really like Overcast’s UI, with its large buttons for Play, Pause, and Skip.
Want more recommendations? I’ve compiled a list of my favorite iOS travel apps.
Those are my most-used iOS apps. What iOS apps do you love to use? Share your favorites in the comments below.
-Krishna
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