Federico Viticci’s mega reviews on MacStories are fast becoming some of my favourite things to read online. In his latest effort, he details must-have apps currently on iOS. His full time use of iOS has been well documented so it’s only natural that he would have some good insights into how to get the best out of these devices.
Some of the apps mentioned which also fall on my list:
1Password
I would be lost without this app. I have tried several password managers but nothing comes close to 1Password. All my logins, my driving license and passport details are safe behind the master password (or Touch ID). Extensions also make it easy to use these when browsing in Safari. iCloud Keychain has proven unreliable for me when I am working with several different devices, making 1Password my go-to password manager.
I wouldn’t call myself a major Twitter user, but I do find myself checking it throughout the day. Twitters stock app works fine for me although if I were to use it for more than just consumption of tweets I can imagine there are better options.
Whatsapp needs no introduction. I use this app every day for both private and group chats, and its reliable even with a poor connection. Recently they also added support for Whatsapp on the browser. Now if only they could support iPad..
Instapaper
I read a lot of different websites each day. Many of these have long articles which I don’t have time during my workday to read. Instapaper allows me to save these to read later on any device. The reading experience is usually better than the websites themselves as there are no adverts or strange popups to deal with. There have been a number of these read-it-later services since Instapaper first appeared, but none have managed to offer the same experience.
Pedometer++
David Smiths Pedometer++ is probably the simplest pedometer app that I’ve used, and that’s what I like most about it. It offers a simple chart indicating if you’ve hit your step goal for the day. The Notification Center widget also allows me to check my steps in real time without unlocking my phone.
Overcast
Overcast beats Apples stock podcast app because of it’s two great main features - Smart Speed, (which dynamically removes silences from the podcast, saving time without distorting the voices) and Voice Boost (which I’m not exactly sure what it does, but it makes everything sound a lot richer). The user interface is easy to navigate and new podcasts are easily discoverable.
Google Maps
Google Maps is still my go-to map application. Apple Maps has a long way to go to match the accuracy and features of this. In fact I’d doubt that it ever will fully match it as Google have been at this game a lot longer.