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100 iPhone Apps to Supercharge Your New iPhone

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Here’s a list of 113 iPhone apps that will help you have fun, take better photos, be productive, manage a business or personal finances, chase storms (or avoid them) and much more.

Like many of you, I am attached to my iPhone. Not only am I an automotive technology writer for this site, but I am also a technology and social marketing consultant at a local information technology company. In addition, I even sometimes fancy myself an amateur storm chaser. App discovery on iOS still leaves a lot to be desired, so I thought it would be a good time to briefly go over the apps that I use daily. Maybe you’ll find something you didn’t know about that you can integrate into your workflow.

My personal preference for app organization is to have only one page of apps, and use the groups function to create folders for all of the apps. If you need help organizing your iPhone apps, try this trick to quickly organize iPhone apps into folders.

iPhone Home Screen

iPhone

My iPhone Home Screen

Messages: Stock Apple Messages app.

Calendar: Stock Apple Calendar app. I continue to use it because it actually updates the date without having to use a notification bubble.

Camera+: Advanced photography app for iOS that allows for separate white balance and focus, as well as an incredible “Clarity” filter that makes shots look great.

Flashlight: Just a simple flashlight app. It does not have any frills, like a level or a strobe.

Newsstand: The default Newsstand app. Apple does not allow the user to put the app in a group or remove it from the home screen, so it sits there.

Reeder: Great RSS reader that works with many RSS services now that Google Reader has been discontinued.

Settings: Default iOS Settings app.

iPhone Dock Apps

Phone: Stock iPhone Phone app.

Gmail: My personal email and both work email accounts are through Google Apps, so using the Gmail app makes everything much easier.

Safari: Apple’s stock web browser. iCloud syncing between Mac and iOS works well, and once Mavericks is released there will be even more functionality.

Spotify: Spotify is my music streaming service of choice. I also really enjoy the AppLink integration with Ford Sync.

iPhone Social Apps

iPhone

My Social Networking Apps

Tweetbot: My “must have” app that I use constantly. I believe it is the best Twitter iOS and Mac client out there. iCloud sync and bit.ly support make it invaluable to my workflow.

Convo: Convo is a communications app that we use here to keep staff on the same page.

Facebook: The default Facebook app is also a necessity for me, despite claims of poor battery performance. Too many friends and business contacts use it to not have it.

Foursquare: I enjoy the “gamification” of check-in apps, and it is tightly integrated with Facebook’s check-in service.

Klout: Whether or not a Klout score is actually an accurate measure of social influence is unclear, it is important to me to keep tabs on it because some people do take it seriously.

Vine: While I do not frequently make 6 second video clips, I like the idea of the app and the creativity behind many of the posts. Also, I like having a separate app from photos, unlike the Instagram model.

LinkedIn: A professional social network with a decent-looking app. My biggest criticism is that it seems to overload the user with information that they may not care about. It is like they are trying to be a Flipboard-style news app.

Netbot: Made by the people who make Tweetbot, Netbot is an App.Net client.

Pinterest: Hey, someone has to occasionally check to see what the Benedict Cumberbatch fan girls are up to!

Hangouts: By Google, Hangouts is a multi-format (video and text) communications tool that I am just starting to experiment with on my phone.

iPhone Weather Apps

iPhone

My Weather Apps

Storm Shield Weather Radio: This app can serve a lot of useful purposes, but I use it simply to be notified of severe weather in my area. This app will alert me in more conditions than what the emergency government alerts will, if you set it up to do so. Once it is setup, there is no need to really interact with the app.

RadarScope: For the times I want to geek out on weather, RadarScope provides real-time National Weather Service radar data. It is one of the key apps professional storm chasers use.

Dark Sky: This is a beautiful app that really is glossed over by the set-it-and-forget-it usefulness of its notifications. It simply will notify you when it is about to rain, and how long it is going to rain for. And it does it surprisingly well.

Forecast.io: Forecast is from the same company that makes Dark Sky, and is a free HTML 5 web app that is amazingly accurate and beautiful to look at.

Weather Underground: Most weather apps obtain current weather information from a nearby reporting station. Oftentimes an official weather service location is many miles away. The Ohio Department of Transportation manages a small weather station in my town, used to help report road conditions. Weather Underground reads that weather data as well and provides me with the most accurate current location data.

Hi-Def Radar: While not as geeky as RadarScope, this app provides a composite view of all National Weather Service radar sites, instead of looking at them one-at-a-time.

Hurricane Pro: Simply the best app for tracking current hurricanes and looking at historical storms.

iPhone Finance Apps

iPhone

My Finance, Banking, and Accounts Apps

E*TRADE: If you have an E*TRADE account, it makes sense to have the app.

StockTouch: StockTouch provides a unique visualization tool to see which stocks are doing well and which ones aren’t.

Capital One 360: If you have an account with them, you can perform all their online functions from the phone.

Discover Card: Great way to pay online and track purchases if you have a Discover Card.

PayPal: Ever since I enabled two-factor authentication this app has become useless to me, but I used to use it a lot to send money.

Stocks: Default stock tracking app from Apple.

iCurrencyPad: Excellent currency converter.

Sutton Bank: A local bank’s iOS app.

My Verizon: Since I have Verizon Wireless, the app is a great way to keep tabs on usage and make account changes.

iPhone Navigation Apps

iPhone

My Navigation and Location Apps

Google Maps: Maps’ local search is far superior to Apple’s, so I find myself using this app a lot. Occasionally it does weird things with the brightness of my phone’s display, so it is far from perfect for me.

Maps: I believe Apple’s built-in Maps app is getting better, and do use it.

Glympse: This is a great tool to show friends where you are and your estimated time of arrival. It’s especially useful if I’m running a few minutes late.

iPhone Entertainment Apps

iPhone

My Entertainment Apps

Netflix: The Netflix app works great on 3G and LTE, as well as wireless.

Videos: Stock Apple videos application.

YouTube: Since Apple stopped making its own app, the YouTube app makes viewing videos and checking upload stats easy.

Kindle: The Kindle app syncs books and page locations across all Kindle apps, making it easy for me to read on-the-go regardless of device.

Air Video: This app allows me to watch saved videos on my computer (PC or Mac) on my iPhone anywhere in the world. It even converts the video on-the-fly to save the step.

Audible: Reviewing vehicles often involves long car trips. If music gets boring, an audio book is a great way to help pass the time.

TouchTunes: Many bars and restraunts that have jukeboxes can be controlled by TouchTunes. Credits are purchased through the app and songs can be requested without leaving the table.

FStream: This is an app that allows me to listen to Internet radio stations.

Downcast: Downcast is my favorite podcast app, and syncs settings and location across many devices with iCloud, making it extremely useful.

iPhone Travel Apps

iPhone

My Travel and Events Apps

TripIt: For someone who frequently travels, TripIt is a fantastic way to keep track of itineraries and flight information. On a recent trip to Texas, it was invaluable in helping with flight delays and directions to the hotels.

Expedia: The Expedia app is a beautiful-looking travel app that makes it easy to book airline and hotel reservations. I have used Expedia forever and have always had a good experience.

FlightTrack Pro: When i want to geek out on airline information, FlightTrack Pro makes it easy. It notifies me of plane delays, arrival times, and more.

American: The American Airlines iOS app supports Passbook, and is the reason why this app lives on my phone. Electronic boarding passes eliminate the need for paperwork at the airport and are just plain cool.

Eventbrite: Eventbrite is an app I use to register for events. It supports Passbook so there is no need to print a paper ticket for an event.

iPhone Utilities

iPhone

My Utilities

Clock: Default clock app that I use for setting alarms and countdowns.

Calculator: Default iOS calculator app.

HDE OTP: This app is a replacement for Google Authenticator that actually is designed for the iPhone 5’s bigger screen. And it looks cooler.

Compass: Stock compass app.

Voice Memos: Stock voice recording app.

Keynote Remote: Useful in controlling Keynote presentations. Uses wireless to connect to the computer running Keynote.

Dropbox: Useful in sharing files from Dropbox, viewing my own Dropbox and automatically uploading my photos from my iPhone to the service for backup.

Speedtest: When I want to see how fast my wireless or LTE connection speed is, this app tells me.

Ignition: I use LogMeIn a lot, and Ignition allows me to control those machines and transfer files directly from my iPhone.

LastPass: LastPass is a great service that allows me to create unique, hard-to-crack passwords and store them for me so I do not have to remember them.

Google: When I want to use Google Now, this is the app I have to use.

dB Meter Pro: A useful tool to see how loud an environment is.

Mactracker: THE definitive Apple product database. It even includes all the Mac start-up sounds.

ConvertBot: If I need to convert one unit of measure to another, this is the tool I use. It comes from the makers of Tweetbot so it looks great.

Skitch: Skitch is a great tool for marking up and annotating photos on the phone. Extremely useful in blocking out license plate and personal information.

TextExpander: I use TextExpander on the Mac, and this app allows me to create and use those snippets on my phone.

iPhone Apple Apps

iPhone

My Apple Apps

iTunes: Stock app for purchasing music from Apple.

App Store: App for purchasing and downloading iOS apps.

Find iPhone: Useful app for protecting all of my Apple devices.

Contacts: Default contact manager app.

Apple Store: This app allows me to purchase items from a physical Apple store and skip the cashier altogether.

Camera: Default photo and video camera.

Photos: Default photo managing app.

Weather: Default weather app. I never use it.

Keynote: A great way to make small touches to a presentation while on the road.

iMovie: Powerful mobile utility for editing video, adding effects and transitions and publishing to YouTube and other sources.

Passbook: App used for managing boarding passes and tickets.

Mail: Default email app on iOS. I do not use it.

iPhoto: A mobile version of the desktop app, making it easy to do small touch ups on the go. I often use Camera+ for editing and skip this app.

iBooks: Apple’s app for eBooks

Music: Default music playback app. I have replaced it with Spotify.

iPhone Buy/Sell Apps

iPhone

My Buy / Sell Commerce Apps

Staples: I often shop at my local Staples, and this app provides coupons and access to my Staples Rewards information anytime.

Amazon: I have an Amazon Prime membership, and this app makes it easy to order… like immediately when I realize I’m out of toothpaste.

eBay: A great app for tracking auctions. It is also cool to be able to scan a bar code and have all the item information filled out.

iPhone Games

iPhone

My Games

Angry Birds Star Wars: The best Angry Birds game.

Angry Birds Space: Just because.

Angry Birds: Just because.

Angry Birds Seasons: Just because.

Angry Birds Rio: Yes, really.

Cut The Rope: I love showing this game to little kids. Since it’s not Angry Birds, they probably haven’t played it. It’s amazing to see how quickly they pick up on the physics of it.

Tetris: A classic game that has the original soundtrack.

Game Center: Default app for keeping track of friends and their games.

NBA JAM: A modern take on the classic game, including all the great announcers.

Crazy Taxi: For car guys, there’s Gran Turismo/Forza, Mario Kart, and Crazy Taxi.

Midway Arcade: One of the games included is Spy Hunter, and that’s why it’s on my phone.

iPhone “Sports” Apps

iPhone

My “Sports” Related Apps

Dynolicious: A great tool that uses the iPhone’s sensors to determine 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times and other performance metrics for a vehicle.

Golfshot GPS: When on the golf course, opening this app can show me how far I am away from the green. It also provides an electronic scorecard and can computer handicap.

iPhone Productivity Apps

iPhone

My iPhone Productivity Apps

Reminders: The iOS default reminders program.

Evernote: A great tool for synchronizing notes. I use it to keep track of articles that I need to write for the website.

Notes: Default note-taking app.

Drafts: A program that allows for quick, distraction-free data entry to applications like Messages, Twitter and Markdown files.

MindNode: A useful app for mind mapping. It uses a graphical charting interface to keep everything linked to each other.

iA Writer: When I write on iOS, I use iA Writer. It syncs with iCloud, provides word count and is simple and distraction-free. Also, I use it on the Mac, making it easy to post stories online.

Office Mobile: I have an Office 365 subscription, and if I need to lightly edit an Office document, this makes it easy. Unfortunately the only sync option is SkyDrive.

iPhone Business Apps

iPhone

My Business-Related Apps

PayPal Here: For collecting payments from customers or friends, it is useful to have.

FreshBooks: For client work, I need to bill people. I find QuickBooks more complicated than I need and like that FreshBooks can send electronic and paper bills without me printing them. And it is free.

MileBug: All the driving I do in my own vehicle for client work can be deducted on my taxes. MileBug makes it easy to keep track of it and export it to a file my accountant can use.

Analytics Pro: For viewing client Google Analytics data on-the-go, this app makes it easy to interpret the data and present it in a visually-friendly way.

Square Register: For the tech consulting business I work for, we use Square’s credit card reader for accepting payments.

Summary

As you can see, I use a lot of apps throughout the day. Without my iPhone, I would truly not be able to perform the business that I need to get done. If you have any questions about a particular app, feel free to ask in the comments below.

4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. DaveB

    07/09/2013 at 3:51 pm

    Thanks for the review and suggestions. I’m a new iPhone user. so I am often amazed by the capabilities of smartphones.

  2. Tiffany

    07/10/2013 at 12:26 pm

    Thanks for the great article! I just got my iPhone 5 last Friday, and am having a hard time really finding ways to enjoy it to its full potential.

  3. Waeel

    07/22/2013 at 10:54 am

    Thanks it was really help ful

  4. prabhat

    08/19/2013 at 5:46 am

    Nice list chad. I’ve used almost all of these apps on my iPhone & its really fun using them .,One can not get bored when he/she is having an iPhone as it offers so many features/apps which will keep you busy & entertaining.

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