For the longest time, I was Team Anti-iPhone and was adamant I’d never have one. Finally, a few years ago when we switched carriers, I was convinced to jump on the bandwagon and bought an iPhone 4. I thought I’d hate it but I’ve grown to love it and don’t think I’d switch back.
I have since gotten an iPhone 5S, which I love even more because the camera is much higher quality. I use my phone for everything: my watch, camera, alarm clock, to-do list, and calendar, just to name a few.
When it comes to apps, I’m the first to admit I’m a cheapskate. I hoard my App Store credits in case I need to use them on something, you know, really important someday. Therefore, most of my suggestions are free or close to it. If I do actually pay for an app, I definitely make sure it’s worth it!
I figured I’d put together a list of my favorite (and most used) apps on my iPhone, so here goes, in no certain order.
1. Instagram– This is pretty much a given. It has become super popular in the past couple years, and I think for good reason. I use it quite a bit for putting up pictures of my kids, so I like to keep mine on private. I love Instagram, but I’m not really on board with those who like to use #threepagesofhashtags on #everysinglepost, but you know, #whateverfloatsyourboat.
2. Pinterest– I don’t use Pinterest all that often, but when I do, it’s usually for 4 hours straight when I should be doing something more productive, pinning things that I’ll never actually be able to make. But I do like the app and the newer updates make it super easy to use, which I love.
3. Diptic– There are tons of collage making apps for Instagram, but Diptic is my favorite and the easiest I’ve found to use.
4. Timehop– This is one of the newer apps I’ve downloaded, but one of my favorites! Timehop lets you connect your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, among others, and shows you your social media activity on this date in years past. It is really cool to see what my life was like on this date years ago, before I had a husband, kids, and responsibilities.
5. Pocket– This is another wonderful app invention. I always have several articles open in my Safari at any given time waiting to be read. Nowadays, I save them to my Pocket instead of leaving them in Safari, so I can read them when I don’t have any internet service. It’s really easy to transfer them from Safari to Pocket, and when I can’t use my internet, I can still use my phone to read these articles. I so wish I had this throughout my two pregnancies when I spent hours upon hours in my OBGYN’s office (which had zero service as soon as you stepped through the door) looking for something to entertain me.
6. Our To Do List– This might be my most utilized app on my phone. I searched high and low looking for a good app to make lists in. This is it. I even sprung for the paid version, so that should tell you something. Our To Do List is very simple, which is what I was looking for. The best function is the ability to create lists within lists, something I use a lot. I use this app for everything from a grocery to list to Christmas gift ideas to restaurants I want to try.
7. Feedly– I follow a lot of blogs, but don’t like to clog up my email with newsletters. I used to use Google Reader, but when they (sadly) closed that down, I switched to Feedly. I actually love it more than Google Reader, even though it is set up very similar. I find Feedly much prettier to look at. I use it on both my iPad and phone and prefer it on my iPad, but use it on my phone on a pretty regular basis too.
8. Target Cartwheel– I’m all about saving money and I spend lots of time and money at Target. This is my shopping dream come true! There are discounts on hundreds of things in Target. It is organized by category, so items are easy to find if you already know what you’re looking for. But if you’re like me and just browse and fill your cart with random things, you can scan an item’s barcode and check if any Cartwheels are available for it. It’s easy to use and I’ve saved $87 since I started using it six months ago. Yikes, I don’t even want to think about how much that means I’ve actually spent!
9. Ibotta– This is another money-saving app. Ibotta takes a little more time and effort than Target Cartwheel. The basics: the app has lists of items in grocery stores, drugstores, restaurants, etc. that you can purchase. After buying an item on the list, you scan the barcode and take a picture of the receipt. You submit the claim and they deposit money (usually $.50-1.00) into your Ibotta account. After you earn a certain amount, you can redeem it for gift cards or cash through Paypal. Like I said, a little more work, but for things I was buying anyway, I’ve racked up $23.00 over the past couple months.
10. Covet Fashion– This is a silly game, but an addicting one! You have a “bank account” to buy clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. They have several “events” going on at a time such as a wedding, night out on the town, and work function. You buy outfits for these events with money you earn for judging other peoples’ outfits. It’s pretty fun for a time killer (not that I really need many of those these days!).
I would say those ten apps are my favorite and most used apps on my iPhone. A few honorable mentions are Facebook, Words with Friends, Urbanspoon, and Goodreads. I hope you’ve seen something on here that you haven’t heard of and now you love it too
