12 great apps for your new iPhone in 2020

If you’re lucky enough to have unwrapped a new iPhone as a Christmas gift this year, you’ll probably want to install some new apps on it. Fortunately, we’re here to help with some suggestions. We include great apps that are often fun or useful to have on your phone and apps that you must download to replace the ones that Apple sends.

We’ve put together our favorite and most used games, apps and entertainment. Check out our app choices for iPhones, Android Phones, Windows PCsand Macs equipped with M1; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our best choices for Gaming PCs, a PS5, Xbox One and X / S Series, Nintendo Switchand VR. We also list our favorite streaming programs on the Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plusand Netflix; some great science fiction books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: the price was correct at the time of publication, but may change.)

Widgetsmith

With iOS 14, Apple made it easier to customize the look of your iPhone, offering new widgets and easier methods for defining custom app icons. One of the biggest names when it comes to iPhone widgets is Widgetsmith, which allows users to add photos, text, quotes and more. Combine it with some smart icon changes (now easier than ever in the latest iOS update) and the right wallpaper, and you have the personalized iPhone of your dreams.

Libby

It’s hard to get to the libraries right now, but if you have a smartphone, you can go to the next best option: Libby, which allows you to borrow ebooks and audiobooks from your local library for free right from your phone. In addition, the app itself is a great digital reading app by itself, so you can enjoy books even without a dedicated device like a Kindle.

TikTok

TikTok exploded in popularity in 2020 to become one of the largest social media networks on the planet, with everything from internet memes, comic sketches and even a complete Ratatouille musical. In other words, it’s the most fun place on the internet right now. Add an algorithm that almost magically seems to show videos perfectly tailored to your interests and you’ll have almost infinite content to watch.

Tweetbot

Twitter is a vaguely terrible way to spend your time nowadays, but if you (like me) can’t get rid of the social media / hellhole service, you’re going to want Tweetbot, which actually makes using Twitter a lot less painful. Tweetbot shows the tweets of the people you follow, in the order they tweeted them. There are no promoted ads or tweets, powerful mute filters to block unwanted noise and (thanks to the hostile changes to the Twitter API) no notification to send a constant ping to get you back to the app.

Paprika recipe manager

The Internet is basically the best cookbook ever made, with recipes for any dish, dessert or drink you want to create just a click away. Paprika allows you to paste links to these recipes, extract the crucial information (ingredients, instructions, portions) from the sometimes endless stories and stories that food blogs insist on including and save the information in your own digital cookbook for access whenever you need it.

Halide camera

The cameras on the new iPhones are better than ever, and a lot of that thanks to the useful AI-powered algorithms that work to perfect your photos. If you have a little more photographic knowledge, however, you may want an app like Halide, which is designed to allow you to push cameras to the limit. It also supports all the latest features of the new Apple iPhones, including the iPhone 12 Pro’s ProRAW format, perfect for taking your photography to the next level. With an annual subscription, it’s not free, but if you’re big on iPhone photography, it’s worth the cost.

Dark room

Of course, photography is only half the equation. Editing is just as important (if not more), and Darkroom is one of the best apps, with support for RAW and ProRAW photos, along with the option to edit photos in batches. Best of all, it’s free, although there is also a monthly subscription option for additional features.

Authy

Safety time! Do you protect your internet accounts with two-factor authentication? If so, great; Authy is the application you want to use for authentication codes. If no, go configure two-factor authentication now! And when you do, use Authy, which does a better job of storing and tracking all authentication codes than other apps like Google Authenticator.

Lastpass / 1Password

Speaking of Internet security, you should probably start using a password manager instead of just entering the same password for all your accounts. LastPass and 1Password are the two best options, each with different advantages, disadvantages and costs. Setting up a new phone is the perfect time to set up a little more security.

Microsoft Outlook

Apple’s standard Mail app for email is still just plain bad. The UI is difficult to handle and support for Gmail is still bad enough for you to install a different email application. Outlook for iOS is still one of the best options available, with useful features, a fast user interface and support from Microsoft, which means it will still exist for many years to come. In addition, with iOS 14, you can even configure it to replace the Apple app as the default option.

Google Maps

Apple Maps is not bad today, truth be told. But it does not matter. You are likely to move it to a folder and use Google Maps anyway, because you are the type of person who doesn’t like to get lost on the way to wherever you are. Sometimes, you just can’t beat the original.

Venmo

Whether you are sharing your Internet bill with roommates or sharing a bill at a bar (whenever the bars are opened again), everyone will have to pay someone at some point. Venmo makes it simple, easy and secure – and unlike Apple Pay, it works on things that aren’t iPhones, either.

Google Photos

Apple Photos is the default photo app and you will probably never replace it, as that is where all the photos you automatically take go. Google Photos is ending its unlimited storage as of June 1, 2021, so it will not back up all your photos and videos for free. But it will still offer 15 GB (in addition to all the photos and videos you have already uploaded). This is much more than Apple’s standard 5 GB iCloud storage, so it’s better than no backup. And when it comes to all your favorite photos, why take the chance?

Fantastic 2

The standard Apple Calendar is for basic tasks, but if you want something a little more powerful, buy Fantastic. Now free (with additional features available for a new subscription), you’ll get an UI that’s much more useful on a phone screen than on Apple itself, along with Fantastical’s excellent contextual tips that can automatically add details like dates or locations when you add new events. It also has a really great widget that is much better than the standard calendar app – something that is especially useful with iOS 14.

Otter

This is a bit of a niche category, but if you record a lot of voice notes on your iPhone (maybe you’re a student who wants to play lectures or a tech reporter who needs to interview people every now and then), then you’ll want Otter .there. It is a voice recording application with AI technology that transcribes while you speak and stores everything in the cloud to access from anywhere. There are some limits in the free version – you can only record 40 minutes at a time and up to 600 minutes per month – but it is still a useful tool to have.

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