The most important apps on my iPhone 14 are ones like Apple Wallet, Safari, Mail, Photos, and Apple Fitness+ — the standards. But there are a few other apps that I turn to day-to-day, or at least often enough that they've truly made an impact on my life. Sure, apps can be powerful, but I use some more often than I thought I would. Whether they're functional apps most people would appreciate or ones that are more tailored to my specific tastes, they can be wonderful additions to any device.
1 Waze Navigation
Waze is one of the best navigation apps around, providing not only turn-by-turn directions to a destination, but also other useful information that many more popular apps can't, like traffic reports, red light cameras, and obstructions on the road This is possible thanks to crowdsourcing, wherein Waze users contribute reports on the fly so that you get real-time alerts on the road ahead.
As someone who is, as I like to say, directionally challenged, I use Waze daily. I connect my phone to my vehicle and thanks to CarPlay, I can see the map and details on the car’s dash while also hearing turn-by-turn guidance through the vehicle’s speakers. I'll still use it even when I know where I'm going, so I can leverage other features of the app, including real-time re-routing should a road be unexpectedly closed or there’s an accident. I also love being able to see my estimated time of arrival; you can even use the app to plot a destination and determine the best time to leave to get there at your desired time.
If I’m traveling somewhere far away, I’ll send my route to the person I’m going to see (as long as they have the Waze app as well) so they can follow along with my drive. You also can personalize the voice guidance using everything from celebrity voices to fun ones like 1970s DJs. There are also limited-time releases — think Santa during Christmas, a zombie at Halloween, or Batman around a movie release. Most recently, Waze added new Customize Your Drive features with different visuals and audio, so you can keep the experience fresh.
2 Bring! Grocery Shopping List
Jotting down grocery lists on a piece of paper is a thing of the past. For several years, I have used the Bring! app to keep track of what groceries I need each week. As soon as I notice I’m running low or completely out of something, like milk or eggs, I add it to the Bring! app. Whenever I’m at the grocery store, I review the list and know exactly what I need to buy. A simple tap removes the item from the list. It'll even populate my most frequently purchased items, so I can easily add them back again with another simple tap.
Unlike other shopping list apps, there are great visual aids you can add, like small photo icons for common items, everything from broccoli to sliced cheese and bread. If you need something more specific, just type in the name and an icon will appear with a letter. You can share the list with others so everyone in the family or household can contribute as needed. You can even set up specific lists, like a separate one for a summer barbecue or holiday party, or even use the app to log Christmas to-do lists and more.
3 Paprika Recipe Organizer
I’m a passionate cook and baker, so it’s no surprise that there’s a second food-related app on my list. I've been using Paprika for many years, and it’s the best recipe app I've ever used.
Chances are you find recipes from a variety of sources online. Once you try them and decide it’s worth keeping, you might bookmark the recipe page for the next time. With Paprika, you can copy and paste the recipe URL into the app. It will then strip out all the extraneous information (like the five pages worth of commentary before you even get to the recipe) and neatly organize only the important details into two sections: ingredients and directions. It will even save a photo of the recipe along with a link to the site if you want to go back to read the tips or make sure everything was ported over accurately (although I've never experienced any issues).
You can also rename the recipe anything you like, upload your own photo, and even adjust ingredients or directions to your liking. You can also scale the recipe if you’re making a half batch or double. I have an entire section in the app dedicated to Instant Pot recipes, renaming each one with “Instant Pot” for easy identification.
Note that you can also use the app to store your own personal family recipes, too, by manually inputting the ingredients and directions. This is a great way to finally get rid of grandma’s old recipe cards and digitize cultural and secret family recipes so you never lose them.
4 Find My
I recommend that every iPhone user turn on the Find My app. It uses location tracking to keep tabs on all the Apple devices that are set up and connected to the same Apple ID. This includes not only the phone itself but its location should it be lost or stolen. You can also track items like a MacBook computer, iPad, and Apple Watch. If you misplace your iPhone, for example, you can play a sound on it using the app on a connected MacBook. And its super easy to use; see our complete guide to learn how to use Find My on an iOS device.
Combined with the Apple AirTag, the app is useful for tracking other objects like keys, a gym bag, a briefcase, or whatever other item you want to affix the little item tracker to. As someone who is constantly misplacing my phone and occasionally misplaces my keys, I use the feature often.
5 Signal Messaging
About a year ago, my friends requested to switch our group chat from WhatsApp to Signal. The reasons varied, but the most important was the high level of security and privacy you get with Signal, which offers end-to-end encryption. The app is reliable and easy to use, working just like any other messaging app, but it provides peace of mind that the company isn’t reading your messages or selling data to companies that want to market to you based on the contents of your private conversations.
I have several individual and group chats going in Signal now. While I still use the Messages app with other iPhone users as well as WhatsApp for those who still prefer it, Signal has become a new go-to for some of my most important conversations.
What are your favorite iPhone apps?
Some people love having their iPhones loaded with apps, organizing them into various folders and across multiple screens. Others love to focus on only a small selection of iPhone apps that are used frequently. I admittedly fall into the former category with plenty of apps that I use often, have used in the past, and believe I might use again. It’s a good idea, especially if you’re an app packrat like me, to periodically go through your apps and remove those you don’t use nor need to keep the phone fresh and to prevent old apps from inadvertently accessing your personal data in the background.
If you still find you love having numerous apps, thankfully all the best iPhones have a variant with ample storage to accommodate them. Plus, you can sign up for iCloud storage as a backup. Nonetheless, when it comes to first-page app status, all the apps noted above, as well as standard apps like Wallet and Safari and popular social apps like Facebook and Instagram, are a priority. I can’t imagine using my phone without them. You probably have your own top-five, too, and if you’re looking for some new apps to add to the collection (or use more often), these five are worth looking into.