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- Facebook Messenger. 4.5. Whatever your take on the social network of record, its messaging app is without equal. You don't need a phone number to use Facebook Messenger, and you can use it on any device without the need for your phone to be present as it must with WhatsApp.
- Gmail. 5.0. Google's email app is a wonderful communication tool. Like the excellent Microsoft Outlook, it lets you read mail accounts from Hotmail, Yahoo, and others via IMAP.
- Kik. Many messaging apps require you to give up your phone number to those who you chat with, but Kik only requires a username. Featuring a bot store boasting more than 6,000 bots, Kik beat Facebook Messenger and Skype to the punch in the field of artificial conversationalists.
- Microsoft Outlook. 4.5. Microsoft Outlook's light and flexible mobile email app supports nearly every email account you own, includes an integrated calendar, and provides a Focused inbox that only displays important messages.
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Gmail
Sure, you could use Apple’s built-in email browser, but why would you when the alternative is this good? Google’sGmail is fully cross-platform, syncs almost instantly, and is fully integrated with Google’s other services, like Drive, Docs, and Sheets. It’s intuitive, looks great, and best of all, is totally free to use. If you’ve got a Google account anywhere else then you’ve basically already got a Gmail account, so you might as well take advantage of one of the world’s best email apps. iOS
WhatsApp
WhatsApp, now owned by Meta and probably the most popular messaging app in the world, is a great choice for anyone who doesn’t have unlimited texting and spends a lot of time connected to Wi-Fi, lets you send and receive messages, pictures, audio notes, and video messages. It’s one of the most feature-packed chat apps out there, and worth downloading if you’re a regular chatter. Despite it being a worldwide sensation, most Americans don’t use it, which is odd, since it’s a phenomenal app. Do...
Telegram
Data is important (and valuable), and you likely want to keep yours firmly under control. Telegram offers a way to make sure your private chats stay, well, private. Telegram uses strong peer-to-peer encryption that makes sure your chats aren’t intercepted by anyone, not even Telegram itself. But encryption alone doesn’t make a good chat app, and thankfully, it also excels as a messaging service. It has a range of tools to edit photos and videos, access to super-groups of up to 200,000 members...
Filter Off
Dating is tough enough, but turning up to a date and finding out you have absolutely no chemistry can make that even tougher. If that sounds familiar, take a look at Filter Off. Filter Off’s unique selling point is it offers video chat speed dates, so you can find out if there’s an immediate attraction or not. Much like in-person speed dates, Filter Off offers themed events for different types of singletons, and your profile picture will be blurred out by the app before you’re matched — so yo...
Bumble
Bumble isn’t your usual dating app because it encourages women to be the ones who make the first moves. Match with someone in the Tinder-like interface, and the woman has 24 hours to send a message or the match expires. It’s a different way of doing things, and the time-limited nature can help to spur connections quickly. iOS
Grindr
Grindr is the largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. The app uses your phone’s location to find other members close by to talk to, swap photos with, or meet in person. It’s not just about dating either, and there’s a group chat feature for when you need to assemble your friends. Here is a more comprehensive list of the best dating apps in 2023. iOS
Instacart
Sometimes getting out of the house to shop can be tough. Maybe you’re working long hours, have a new baby, or simply struggle to get to the shops and back. Instacart can get your groceries delivered with a tap. Enter your zip code to see which shops are available in your area, and get your first delivery for free, in as fast as two hours. iOS
DoorDash
Need food delivered? There are few apps better for it than DoorDash. Probably the biggest food delivery app in the U.S., DoorDash caters to over 4,000 cities, with more than 310,000 restaurants and stores included. So whether you’re looking for a big shopping trip straight to your door or just tonight’s meal, DoorDash is the strongest app around. It’s free to use, but you can get free delivery fees and exclusive deals from DashPass for $10 a month. iOS
Whisk
There are amazing free recipes everywhere on the internet — but finding the one you need is very much like dealing with a needle in a haystack, and it’s easy to lose a great recipe. Instead of that, why not start using Whisk? Whisk allows you to pool recipes from all over the internet, substitute ingredients and amounts, and basically create your very own cookbook. There’s a meal planner you can use to plan the week ahead, and making a shopping list is as easy as pressing a single button. Nev...
Roblox
Why is Roblox here and not in the best iOS games article? It’s because it’s one of the best apps to download to play a huge variety of games. Roblox is less a game itself these days and more a platform for creative people to make their own games. Join your friends and explore thousands of different experiences created by people around the world. Not sure what Roblox involves? Check out our guide on Robloxto find out. iOS
Twitch
Twitch is the best place to watch other people play video games or professional tournaments, or just chill out with some real-life board games. Yes, it sounds like the app version of being a younger sibling, but we promise you that it’s maddeningly compulsive once you get started. Whether you’re there to watch some professional gamers play new decks on Hearthstone or a League of Legends tournament, the Twitch app allows you to chat with streamers and other viewers and watch previously recorde...
Strafe Esports
If you love to keep up with the latest news and scores from your favorite e-sports, then give Strafe Esports a try. It covers news from a variety of games, including League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Rocket League — and it even allows you to gamify your e-sports experience with a betting system that pits your predictions against other people’s. If you’re a lover of esports or are just curious, this is worth downloading. Here is a more comprehensive list of the best iPhone games for 2023. iOS
TripAdvisor
Whether you’re going out at home or abroad, TripAdvisor is one of the best apps you can download. TripAdvisor’s massive database has over 700 million reviews from travelers all around the world on all the best attractions, restaurants, and more. You can book from the app for certain places, and you can even pay using it. iOS
Google Maps
Admit it, you’ve not used a mapping app other than Google Maps for years. Google’s app is the king of mapping apps for a reason, and it’s a reliable and endlessly updated service you access for absolutely nothing. It’s not just a map, and it can provide real-time updates on traffic conditions and public transit information as well. You can read and write reviews for businesses and restaurants, label your favorite places, see a timeline of your activity, and share your current trip and locatio...
Duolingo
Want to learn a language? There are few language learning apps better than Duolingo. It has over 35 languages available to learn (including Klingon), and you don’t have to pay anything to get started. Lessons are simple but ramp up in complexity fairly quickly. You’ll start by identifying words with pictures and move on to using them in simple sentences, and before you know it, you’ll be able to quickly and easily translate more complex sentences. It’s free to use, but with limited incorrect...
Pillow
Sleep is a massive part of staying healthy, and if you don’t have a wearable with sleep tracking, then your phone can do it instead. You can use it with or without an Apple Watch, and it will monitor your sleep stages throughout the night, noting when you’re getting your rest and how restful each stage is. It can be used as a smart alarm clock and will wake you up specifically in your lightest stage of sleep, helpfully avoiding those groggy feelings, and it can even record snoring and sleep a...
Impulse — Brain Training
Keeping your brain healthy is as important as keeping your body healthy, so carving out some time in your personal fitness routine for your mind is worthwhile. Impulse makes that easy and offers a range of exercises that help keep your brain refreshed and well-trained. Impulse claims training your brain often can improve your memory, focus, math, and other key skills. Unfortunately, it’s locked behind a $7-per-month subscription, but there’s a three-day trial to see if it’s worth it for you. iOS
Carrot Fit
The old carrot-and-stick approach to motivation is a good one, but we’ve never seen the carrot actually using the stick itself before. Carrot Fit is from the same people who made the foul-mouthed Carrot Weather app, and its approach to personal fitness is to bully, threaten, and (if you’re lucky) inspire you into getting fit. Carrot Fit’s “seven minutes in hell” workout pushes you with a range of exercises with fun names like Mount Doom Climbs, Celebrity Face Punches, and Dragon Mating Dances...
The default music app on iPhones and iPads is Apple Music, which has its own subscription service and plenty to recommend it. But there are a host of other alternatives if Apple’s default app doesn’t appeal to you.
Apple Newsis the default news app for iOS, and it’s a great news app. But it’s not the only news app around, and there are plenty of other options if you want something more specialized or a different pace of news.
Google Opinion Rewards
If you’re looking to earn a little petty cash on the side while using your phone, then Google Opinion Rewards is a great way to do it. Simply answer small surveys sent to you by Google, usually based on what you’ve been doing recently, and you’ll earn a little money from doing it. It gets paid out in either Google Play Store credit or to your PayPal account, and it gets paid out when you hit $2. It’s not going to make you rich, but hey, it’s better than nothing as long as you don’t mind selli...
Acorns
Investing is one of the cheat codes of growing capital, but it used to be that you needed a big nest egg to get started. That’s not the case anymore, and now anyone can invest, thanks to apps like Acorn. Rather than investing large sums of money, Acorn rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar, investing the difference. While it may not seem like much, from tiny acorns do massive oak trees grow, and this passive saving method could be key to helping you to build up a significant nest egg...
Venmo
Venmo is the payment app for the people. Connecting directly with your debit card, Venmo offers free person-to-person money transfers. Credit transfers require a percentage fee. It’s compatible with many shopping apps for easy checkout. iOS
CapCut
Still images aren’t the only part of smartphone photography — videos are an oft-neglected element of the humble smartphone, and CapCut’s editing software can make them the best they can be. The iPhone’s editing tools are already pretty good, but CapCut really takes it to the next level with a wide range of effects, or the ability to overlay other videos, or put two in a splitscreen mode. Add additional music, reverse the video, slow it down, or pretty much anything you can imagine. iOS
Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor
Why go to anyone but the master if you’re looking for image editing software? Adobe Lightroom is now available on iOS, and that means you’ve got an incredibly powerful photo editing suite right at your fingertips. It has all the tools, from the simplest crop to the finest detail changes, and it also comes bundled with a professional-quality camera app as well. There’s a premium mode that you’ll need to get the most out of it, but it does come bundled inwith a bunch of Adobe Creative Cloud sub...
Slow Shutter Cam
An iPhone camera is generally excellent, but it does lack some tools more advanced users would deem essential. One of those is shutter speed, as you can’t take long exposures without the ability to fiddle with your shutter speed. If you want to take light-trail photography, pictures of the stars, or anything that needs a longer exposure time, Slow Shutter Cam should be your first stop. This app gives your phone an unlimited shutter speed — so you can take long star trail pictures or pictures...
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Sep 8, 2023 · Discover the best iPhone apps for 2024 in various categories, from photo and video to social media and entertainment. Read our expert reviews and tips.
- Contributing Writer
Jan 5, 2024 · Fender Play. One of the most famous producers of guitars also makes one of the best apps for learning guitar. Fender Play is a video-led learning platform, one particularly well-suited to beginners. The app will teach you the basics (and plenty more) through learning songs from recent years, and those decades old.
Jan 23, 2023 · Obscura 2. $4.99/£4.99/AU$7.99. Obscura 2 is the best manual camera app for iPhone. It achieves this not with a slew of features, but by providing an interaction model that’s so brilliantly ...
- Craig Grannell
Jul 6, 2021 · Full access to the app costs $4.99 a month with a free trial available to see if Wakeout is right for you. We think it will be, since Wakeout was the best iPhone app according to our Tom's Guide ...
Find and download top apps and games for iPhone on the App Store.
