You recently received a new iPhone 15 or 15 Pro Max. Or have you opted for a new iPad this time or an iPhone SE 2, XR, XS, or even 12, 13, or 14? There may even be some of you who came from the Android world. However, acquiring a new iOS device is a (re)discovery of the vast world that is the App Store, but also the opportunity to clean up your applications and thus get rid of those that are too old or never used.
Apple’s iOS app store contains wonders we must learn about or discover during our first purchase! So, to help you find your way on your new iPhone or iPad, the iPhon.fr editorial team offers you a file listing the essential iOS applications, constituting the basis for any new iOS user. Here, they are described and linked to their respective App Store page. Enough to surpass the native applications provided by Apple, which are not always very successful, it must be said!
The Unmissable
i-nfo.fr
Our iPhon.fr blog application, to follow all the Apple news on your favorite iOS device. The app lets you see the general news feed and access the most shared articles, good deals, or even our guides. In its new version released recently, a dark world, a brand new interface, and various new features, including favorite topics and articles, are also included. Do not hesitate to consult our complete guide to the i-nfo.fr app. Thank you again for your feedback and your superb App Store ratings. We fix bugs as quickly as possible.
Youtube
If we had to describe YouTube to a total tech novice who has never heard of it, if there are such profiles, let’s say to put it simply that it’s the new TV. Google’s video service must, therefore, be present on iOS, which is the case, fortunately. The application is practical and well-made, allowing you to watch a video while searching for the next one.
Molotov
Molotov is the essential app for watching several live TV channels and seeing or rewatching shows in replay. It also allows you to find new shows based on your tastes. The app will enable users to schedule the recording of their favorite content on a virtual VCR to watch later when they have time. The promise was to reinvent TV, and it has been kept!
Waze
In the free GPS category, an application holds a special place, Waze, owned by Google. Entirely based on its community, Waze offers to take you to your destination and warn of road events such as traffic jams, checks, and accidents, which could slow you down on your vacation route.
Dropbox
Dropbox allows you to synchronize your files between several Mac computers, PCs, smartphones, and iPad-type tablets by simply dropping them in a folder on the sole condition of installing an application on the computer. Once the operation is done, the files are automatically synchronized and accessible on iPhone or iPad. They can be marked as favorites to not depend on a connection. The office becomes mobile: super practical! This is especially true since Dropbox, like some other “Cloud” file services, is increasingly supported by many third-party applications.
Shazam
Less essential now that iOS integrates similar functions in Siri, some may find it interesting to keep track of recognized songs and options that are broader than those offered by Apple’s voice assistant. Shazam is almost magical: launch the application when you listen to any piece of music, and in a few seconds, Shazam indicates the title of the album and the artist. Now, you will always have the answer to the question: “Who is singing?”. “There is no limit; you can “Shazamer” as much as you want, and for free, the app is regularly updated—note, an excellent free alternative is SoundHound.
Citymapper
It is essential for all people using public transport in Paris, Lyon, and other cities. It lets you know the shortest route and the time needed to go from point A to point B using public transport (metro, RER, bus, tram, etc.). You indicate the address or the name of a place (bar, restaurant, etc.) if you need to know the exact address, and the app handles everything. It even understands the metro exits and indicates which car to board to exit in front of the exit.
1Password
Probably the best password manager in the App Store, 1Password is a proper digital personal safe that can be synchronized across all platforms, from iPhone to iPad to computer and browsers. With it, identifying yourself becomes child’s play.
Shortcuts
The “Shortcuts” function is for iOS, and Automator is for macOS, but it is much more powerful and takes advantage of Siri. The application was born following the acquisition of Workflow by Apple. Thanks to it, it is possible to program any keyword to launch one or more actions on your iPhone or iPad. Its operation can be scary, however, given the potential power of the app and its depth. However, we have published several helpful articles, which can be found here, including:
- The first part of our app discovery file: getting started with the Shortcuts app
- The second part: develop your first shortcut with a demonstration video and example to download
- The third part: create a shortcut for your morning/evening routine (condition, settings, alarm clock)
- The fourth part: create a shortcut taking advantage of IFTTT
Choose your favorite news topics and let Flipboard work sorting and selection. In addition to this user-tailored news aggregation, Flipboard also allows you to follow news feeds created by others. For example, you can follow the iPhon.fr news feed via this link. A greatly appreciated app synchronized with the web service of the same name, all so you get all news worthy of interest.
Lydia
Reimburse a loved one who paid for the round at the bar, collect money between brothers and sisters for the parents’ gift, or even pay directly for your order at many merchants; this is what Lydia allows you to do very simply. In just a few years, the app has become one of the new benchmarks for sending money via mobile. And even if PayPal, available here on the App Store, also holds an essential place in the same field, Lydia, with its growing popularity, particularly among young people, has the potential to gain the upper hand over the competition.
Social Networks
Twitter/X
X, formerly Twitter, is still essential on iOS and, more generally, on the web to keep up with what is happening in real time. We also regularly share information on our X account @iPhonfr. There are more than 74,000 of us, and we look forward to your comments!
We no longer present this social network. The Facebook app is so downloaded (it is one of the most downloaded from the App Store according to official Apple information) that Apple could even automatically integrate it into the iPhone. No more joking; the Facebook app allows anyone who wishes to stay in touch with their friends. Very regularly updated, it is much more effective than a web connection for keeping in touch.
Like its predecessors, the most recent iPhones feature an improved photo and video sensor. And the App Store is full of photo apps. But if I had to choose just one, I think this is the one we should take. Instagram has become as essential as Facebook (which bought it) or Twitter in just a few years. In addition to photo sharing, Instagram offers “stories” and live videos. Lovers of beautiful images can’t do without it!
Snapchat
Snapchat was originally the simplest way to share photos that are not intended to be kept. It is, therefore, practical and fun for unusual photographs that are made to share a short moment of life without spending time taking it, knowing that the photo will be deleted a few seconds after being opened by the recipient. The application also allows live chat by text or video, offers increasingly sophisticated animated and dynamic filters (with the addition of augmented reality!), and has since popularized a viral “stories” format.
TikTok
A natural tidal wave from China, this application has established itself in less than 2-3 years as one of the most used social networks, particularly among young people and stars. The app allows you to film, edit, and share video sequences recorded to a song. TikTok has also made it possible to create many musical artists, thanks to the buzz of different TikTok videos.
iPhone And iPad Applications For Communicating
This is one of the most used instant messaging applications in the world. It allows you to chat with many contacts, share photos, share your geographic location, send audio messages, and even call your WhatsApp contacts. A great alternative to iMessage for anyone whose tribe isn’t 100% iPhone!
Facebook Messenger
As with WhatsApp, Facebook is still in charge of Messenger. This is the port of Facebook’s Messenger service, allowing you to communicate with your contacts on the social platform. Facebook is still one of the most popular social networks in 2020. Messenger must have a place on your iPhone or iPad to chat with Facebook contacts who still need alternatives that are perhaps more attentive to private data, like Signal, presented below.
Signal
Signal is announced as a messaging application at the top of technologies and services in terms of respecting the privacy of its users. In particular, it offers end-to-end encryption of conversations based on an open-source protocol. In addition, it guarantees independent operation, using neither advertising nor trackers to persist. All support in the development of the app comes from its user community. Signal is the top messaging app for those serious about keeping their interactions private.
Apple Apps Are To Be Noticed
iMovie
For those who like to make videos, iMovie, presented in the essential video apps folder, should appeal to you. Edit your videos and add transitions and sound from your iPhone for stunning results—enough to get the most out of your new iPhone’s photo/video sensor.
The iWork Suite
Arriving on the iPhone long ago, the iWork suite (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers) is also perfectly integrated into iCloud. Start on iPad or Mac and take your documents to your iPhone/iPad via the cloud to view and edit them. The most mobile among us will appreciate it.
GarageBand
GarageBand is to music creation what iMovie is to video editing: a simple, straightforward, essential software in appearance, but still complete, to a certain extent. GarageBand is, therefore, a musical sequencer that allows you to create and record mock-ups of songs and edit audio projects, such as a podcast or the sound of a video. In addition, it is straightforward to open a project started on GarageBand on iPhone or iPad in GarageBand or even Logic on Mac.
The Essentials From Google
If Google has its operating system with Android, it is nonetheless very present on the Apple App Store with well-finished and regularly improved applications. Among the many search engine applications, some seem essential to us. Here they are :
Google Maps
Whoever says GPS on mobile often says Google Maps. Over time, the app from the Mountain View giant has gained the status of reference in the genre. It is practical, efficient, high quality, and well stocked. We have compiled a file for you presenting more than twenty usage tips!
Google Photos
This is the application for Google’s photo and video storage and sharing service. The latter offers unlimited and free storage provided the photos do not exceed 16 megapixels, and the videos are 1080P. In the case of content with a resolution higher than these, a reduction in quality conversion is carried out before storage in the cloud.
The app includes a potent search engine that will recognize what is in the images. For example, if you type “sunset,” the app will display all the photos where it has detected a sunset. The app supports Apple Live Photos and can automatically create albums from your photos. Extremely practical!
Snapseed
This free app is one of the best photo editing apps in the App Store. It is used by many amateur and professional photographers, allowing you to precisely modify many parameters of a photo to make it even more beautiful. It is also capable of editing images in RAW format.
Street View And Google Maps
For the Street View function, Google offers a dedicated application. The latter allows you to walk around the planet thanks to all the 360° photographs taken by Google and user contributions. Consequently, we have direct access to certain unusual places and the interiors of particular buildings such as restaurants, museums, stadiums, etc. It’s enormous, and you can quickly get lost!
The same goes for Google Earth, the service for which the Mountain View giant has also decided to offer a dedicated mobile application. Explore the planet, from the most unusual places to the most famous monuments and places, and enjoy superb guided tours from NASA, BBC Earth, and National Geographic.
Google News
Google News on iPhone and iPad allows you to find the web service of the same name. In short, it is a news aggregator that helps you to see news from different media in a single app. The user can choose preferential themes to sort the news and easily see local, national, or even international headlines. Plus, the Google News iOS widget is excellent! Failing to benefit from the full Apple News service in France, this is the best alternative offered by Google.
Chromium
Like the previous two, Chrome is a high-quality application. It is a good alternative browser to Safari. Regularly updated, Chrome can interact with other Google apps on the iPhone. It offers tabbed browsing, Google voice search (excellent), and page syncing with Mac, PC, or iPad.
Firefox also has its browser on iPhone. The app is ergonomic but also very efficient and well-supported by Mozilla. Finally, private browsing, tab, and surf synchronization are included, among other practical features.
iPhone And iPad Pearls
Here are lesser-known applications that are worth a look at.
Night Sky
Space holds many mysteries, still inaccessible to man. Its beauty is matched only by the magnitude of its distances. And when the clouds are rare, space offers a lovely spectacle to observe from home, or better, in the mountains, far from the lights of the day before. And to learn everything about space, our favorite application is Night Sky.
The app’s exemplary design includes a staggering database of stars in the sky. It will allow everyone interested in discovering the world’s roof to learn more about it. Thanks to guided tours and augmented reality, the iPhone is pointed towards the sky.
Pixelmator
There is no need for Photoshop for iPhone, iPad, or Mac when you have Pixelmator. This well-designed and affordable application (€5.99 on iOS) allows novices and experts alike to create pretty photo effects and image montages. The app is also regularly updated. It is aimed at a specific target but has all the assets to quickly introduce image processing to the general public.
Prisma
Simply the best photo effects app. Presented here, it allows you to apply many styles to a photo. And all of these filters are honestly striking. There are several dozen of them. To transform a moderately successful photo into an actual work of art, there is nothing better.
ProCamera
The Camera app on iOS is fundamental. Indeed, it will be sufficient for many users to take simple photos and videos. However, it is better to equip yourself with a third-party app to go further. And ProCamera is the best alternative. It combines ease of use with processing power. Notably, it has an excellent night mode and numerous effects and other settings available to enhance your photos. It costs €17.99, but honestly, it’s well worth it.
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