What iPhone apps can't you live without?

Question

What are your "must-have" iPhone or iPod touch apps—the ones you can't live without? (Figuratively speaking, I hope.) Please omit apps that come pre-installed.

Rules

One app per answer.
Use this format for the first two lines of your answer:
## [app name](link to website)
[App Store](link to appstore)
Include short description.
Check for duplicates before adding new answers.
If you find a duplicate, vote it down and encourage its poster to upvote the original entry instead (and remove the dupe).

Please exclude iPad-only apps from here; there's Great iPad Apps for those.

Disclaimer: I know this type of question is controversial. However, great many people do find that properly implemented and curated CW polls can be useful. (If you are one of those who do not, could you simply consider ignoring this?)

Why do people insist on downvoting in these types of questions. That's really in poor taste, I think. If you don't like something, just leave it alone. — Philip Regan, Aug 31 '10 at 20:39
Hmm.. the price probably depends on the Apple store (e.g. for me prices show in Euros) Which price should we note? — Juan A. Navarro, Aug 31 '10 at 20:56
@Juan: yes, prices vary and are in different currencies. I think the most "universal" for our purposes is USD; you can check the US$ prices for each app at http://appshopper.com.
Over here we use the euro too, and I personally chose to put both USD and EUR prices e.g. in this answer. — Jonik, Aug 31 '10 at 21:39
It's a bit silly to list prices here as they change pretty regularly. If somebody reads the description in the answer and is compelled to buy it, they can click through to the app store to see what the current price is. — bpapa, Nov 28 '10 at 19:47
@bpapa: Fair point. Then again, it may have some value that readers can see right away whether an app is free or its (ballpark) cost. — Jonik, Nov 28 '10 at 21:20
@Jonik thanks for formatting the answers properly, and sorry I didn't do it myself at first. Nice job! :) — cregox, Jan 12 '11 at 12:49
If your interested in task automation, I created a cool app called "Actions - Fast forward everyday tasks". You can download it on the App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id993488068 — Supertecnoboff, Aug 30 '16 at 13:21

score 53 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

53

Dropbox

App Store

Conveniently access files in your Dropbox on the go.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 27 '10 at 11:13

Jonik

6,673

Out of all 40 apps listed here before my contribution, this is the only one I would include as "iphone app I can't live without". – cregox Dec 24 '10 at 19:20

score 38 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

38

Twitter

App Store

The official Twitter client. Previously known as Tweetie 2.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 27 '10 at 11:43

Can Berk Güder

591

I used to use TweetDeck, but after trying this (when it was made free and renamed Twitter for iPhone) I haven't gone back. Very smooth, inspired UI. – Jonik Aug 27 '10 at 11:58
Meh, Echofon is much better. – DisgruntledGoat Dec 16 '10 at 15:11
Unfortunately, recently started to display unremovable promoted tweets. And that can't be disabled. – Eugene Bujak Mar 06 '11 at 14:07

score 32 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

32

Reeder

App Store

Google Reader client.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 27 '10 at 11:38

Can Berk Güder

591

3

Reeder is truly what an RSS reader should be. I wish I could find a desktop counterpart that matched it. – Bryson Sep 15 '10 at 22:28
@Bryson, why you need a mobile RSS reader? Can't you read it from web browser? – Graviton Sep 27 '10 at 13:55
I use the web Google Reader on my iPhone daily and i am not missing much, up to now. What are the main advantages of an app? – LennyAskDifferent Dec 14 '10 at 11:14
Well, Reeder's interface is much nicer (and cleaner) than that of Google Reader. Also, Reeder supports offline reading. – mipadi Feb 09 '11 at 17:05
1

@Bryson there's Reeder for Mac. http://madeatgloria.com/brewery/silvio/reeder – Eugene Bujak Feb 21 '11 at 11:14

score 32 · Answer 4 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

32

Instapaper

App Store

A simple tool to save web pages for reading later.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:45

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 27 '10 at 11:40

Can Berk Güder

591

score 31 · Answer 5 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

31

Remote

App Store

Wifi remote control for iTunes music library (or Apple TV). This is made by Apple but doesn't come pre-installed.

(Some have pointed out that Remote's development has stagnated, but personally I don't mind that much, as the app works as great as ever, and all major features are already there.)

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 28 '10 at 09:20

Jonik

6,673

IMHO a very handy, instantaneous way to control music playback at home. Unlike with infrared remotes, walls are not an obstacle. :) When first trying this (some 2 years ago), it was one of those tech "wow" moments. – Jonik Aug 28 '10 at 09:24
They came out with a new version within the last 2 weeks. – Benjamin Oakes Oct 21 '10 at 15:58
Yeah, they did. Version 2.0 includes e.g. proper iPad support which is really neat. – Jonik Oct 22 '10 at 17:16

score 26 · Answer 6 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

26

Facebook

App Store

If you're into Facebook, their official iPhone app is pretty good for staying connected with people.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 27 '10 at 10:23

Jonik

6,673

score 19 · Answer 7 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

19

Shazam

App Store

Records a few seconds of what you're currently listening to and then shows you information about this song. Shazam is quite old by now, but still an amazing piece of software that's always useful from time to time.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:27

Marc

236

Can you compare Shazam to SoundHound - which one is better? – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun Dec 07 '10 at 06:54
I'm forced to use both: SoundHound is generally better at finding a song. I had many situations where Shazam didn't know a song but SoundHound found it easily. However, SoundHound isn't sensitive enough. As an example it's not possible at all to catch a song from the radio in my office. Shazam on the other hand seems to adapt and can easily record songs also from this same radio. – Marc Dec 07 '10 at 10:28
SoudHound seems a lot faster than Shazam. Will start to try to match a song even before the full capture. It also identified songs that Shazam didn't. And SoundHound's free version allows unlimited matches, while Shazam allows 5 per month. – lpacheco Jan 11 '11 at 11:02

score 15 · Answer 8 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

15

Sleep Cycle alarm clock

App Store

An alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns (using iPhone accelerometer) and wakes you in the lightest sleep phase.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Nov 11 '10 at 08:10

Artem Pakk

666

Just got this over the weekend, and I'm very impressed. Currently have a pretty bad cold, and I remember waking with coughing fits a few times during the night. Because I was using this app, I could tell what time they were and how long they lasted. It also wakes me at the time I want, and its been easier to wake up, because its not in the middle of a sleep cycle. Pretty cool. – xdumaine Jan 31 '11 at 13:07

score 15 · Answer 9 · answered Jan 30 '11 at 21:12

1Password

If you use 1Password on your Mac, the iOS app is quite handy. It can be linked to a Dropbox account therefore keeping data synchronized between your desktop and iOS device. There are regular and pro versions available for both iPhone and iPad.

score 13 · Answer 10 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:46

PlainText

App Store

Dropbox text editing.

For editing text on iPad & iPhone. PlainText is a simple text editor with a paper-like user interface. Unlike the default Notes app, PlainText allows you to create and organize your documents in folders and sync everything with Dropbox.com. Requires iOS 3.0+

After trying different note-taking apps like SimpleNote and Evernote, I discovered this beauty a few days ago and it immediately replaced the built-in Notes app for me, both on my iPhone and my iPad. It fit my needs perfectly, and is really simple & beautifully designed. YMMV, but it's free to try.

P.S. Elements is a feature-packed alternative with Markdown support and built-in email, but I'm not sure I need those features and it's $4.99.

Thanks for the recommendation! Seems to fit my needs pretty well, as I already use Dropbox and often use plain text files for notes. Now I just need to do some Dropbox reorganising to make my stuff show up in this app... — Jonik, Dec 14 '10 at 16:44

score 13 · Answer 11 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:45

13

Things

App Store

Task management tool. The todo items can be synced (over wifi) with OS X and iPad versions.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:45

Community

1

answered Aug 27 '10 at 09:51

Jonik

6,673

1

Cheaper alternatives exist, but I haven't regretted buying Things (having used it for almost 2 years). I like the simple yet powerful UI. – Jonik Aug 27 '10 at 09:52

score 11 · Answer 12 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

11

SoundHound

App Store

SoudHound seems a lot faster than Shazam. Will start to try to match a song even before the full capture. It also identified songs that Shazam didn't. And SoundHound's free version allows unlimited matches, while Shazam allows 5 per month.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Jan 11 '11 at 11:06

lpacheco

1,869

I love it! But I guess I could live without it... :P – cregox Jan 12 '11 at 07:43

score 11 · Answer 13 · edited Jun 15 '13 at 02:10

11

Angry Birds

App Store

The best game in the app store

edited Jun 15 '13 at 02:10

Jash Jacob

4,443
10
36
64

answered Jan 12 '11 at 02:37

eliben

490

See also: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/683/great-ios-games – Jonik Jan 12 '11 at 17:10
1

I bought into the angry birds hype, but quickly got over it. Realized it was just a trial and error game with a good physics engine, not exactly my forte. A great time waster nonetheless. – xdumaine Jan 31 '11 at 13:13
With people, of any age, who haven't played much games before (or perhaps used iPhone at all), it's fun to load this up and see them quickly learn the game, then become a bit addicted to it. – Jonik Apr 15 '11 at 02:26

score 10 · Answer 14 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

WhatsApp

App Store

WhatsApp Messenger is a smartphone messaging app which allows you to exchange messages with your friends and contacts without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger is cross platform and available for iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia (beta) and yes, those phones can all message each other! To send and receive messages, WhatsApp utilizes your existing smartphone internet data plan: 3G/EDGE (or Wi-Fi when available)

In addition to messaging, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry WhatsApp Messenger users can send each other unlimited images, video and audio media messages.

score 10 · Answer 15 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

10

Cydia

Cydia (jailbreak required)

Cydia is a software application for iOS that is a graphical front end to APT and the dpkg package management system. It allows a user to browse and download applications for a jailbroken iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

cydia-screenshot

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:47

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Jan 12 '11 at 16:46

sorin

29,875

score 9 · Answer 16 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

9

Articles

App Store

Best way to read Wikipedia.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:08

Marc

236

1

Is this better than the official Wikipedia app? – mipadi Sep 27 '10 at 16:36
1

I would say yes, but this of course is subjective. – Marc Sep 29 '10 at 09:17

score 8 · Answer 17 · edited Apr 06 '17 at 15:05

8

Spotify

App Store

For listening to music off the internet (directly on wifi/3G or via offline playlists).

NB: Spotify is only available in certain countries, and Spotify Premium (€9.99 or £9.99 per month) is needed to use the iPhone app.

Now with iOS 4 + iPhone 4 (unlike with my unjailbroken iPhone 3G earlier) the experience is really good, as you get background play and ability to use normal iPod playback controls (e.g. the headphone remote). In other words, it's similar to using the built-in iPod app, except that you have approximately 10 million tracks available at your fingertips.

edited Apr 06 '17 at 15:05

grg

201,078

answered Nov 08 '10 at 16:04

Jonik

6,673

Aren't most apps only available in certain countries? I've tried to install Japanese apps on my American iPod, and been rejected by iTunes as needing an AppleID/iTunes account with a mailing address in Japan for that. – Ken Nov 16 '10 at 00:40

score 8 · Answer 18 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:48

8

IMDb

App Store

iPhone app for the largest movie database website IMDb

edited Sep 20 '11 at 09:48

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Nov 11 '10 at 08:05

Artem Pakk

666

score 8 · Answer 19 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

8

OmniFocus

App Store

Task management application that uses the Getting Things Done (GTD) organizational method. Also available for Mac and iPad.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 28 '10 at 09:06

g .

3,308

score 8 · Answer 20 · answered Aug 31 '10 at 20:48

8

Simplenote

Note-taking in a better interface than the default Notes application (no Marker Felt) and notes are synched to a server for easy backups and viewing elsewhere.

answered Aug 31 '10 at 20:48

Philip Regan

6,251

2

This is awesome. There's an OS X app called Notational Velocity (that's also open source) that also syncs with Simplenote, and can be set to store notes in my Dropbox. This keeps my notes backed up locally, in the cloud, and in Simplenote's server as well as being editable across any platform. Such a great app/service. – Bryson Jun 03 '11 at 17:33

score 7 · Answer 21 · edited Jan 19 '11 at 12:42

7

instagr.am

App Store (free)

It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented.

Simple idea, brillantly executed.

edited Jan 19 '11 at 12:42

Jonik

6,673

answered Jan 18 '11 at 21:29

kraymer

2,982
2
18
15

score 6 · Answer 22 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:44

6

Dictionary.com

App Store

Comprehensive, yet free, dictionary & thesaurus. Key features:

All word definitions come with the app—no internet connection needed
Decent UI with autocomplete (no need to type in the whole word)
Audio pronunciations (internet connection required for this)

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:44

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Sep 17 '10 at 11:56

Jonik

6,673

score 6 · Answer 23 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

6

Adobe Photoshop Express

App Store

Great little mobile photo editor!

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Dec 14 '10 at 03:57

matthewpavkov

414

Annoyed that it doesn't let me do scaling to make images smaller for sending MMS, but it's good for the couple limited things it does. – Bryson Jun 03 '11 at 17:35

score 6 · Answer 24 · edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:41

6

Cut the Rope

App Store ($0.99)

The best game in the app store

edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:41

Jonik

6,673

answered Jan 12 '11 at 05:21

Sairam

5,736

score 6 · Answer 25 · edited Jan 31 '11 at 12:27

6

Pandora Radio

App Store (free)

Everyone probably knows about Pandora Radio by now. Put in a favorite artist and it helps you locate similar artists. It's helped me find many new bands.

edited Jan 31 '11 at 12:27

Jonik

6,673

answered Jan 30 '11 at 21:15

mybrainishuge

91

score 5 · Answer 26 · answered Sep 26 '11 at 21:43

Tweetbot By Tapbots

App Store (Price: $2.99)

Description

Tweetbot is a full-featured iPhone (and iPod touch) Twitter client with a lot of personality. Whether it’s the meticulously-crafted interface, sounds & animation, or features like multiple timelines & smart gestures, there’s a lot to love about Tweetbot.

enter image description here

score 5 · Answer 27 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

5

Trainyard

App Store ($0.99 USD)

A great puzzle game with tons of levels. Kept me playing for days, and I've still been unable to beat a couple levels after a couple months of having the app. There is also a free version. Intuitive, fun, and brain exercising.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Jan 31 '11 at 13:17

xdumaine

517

score 4 · Answer 28 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

4

Pulse

App Store

Reeder is the best RSS reader for Google Reader. But Pulse is much nicer to randomly read various feeds.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:14

Marc

236

I like it, but I find it crashes a lot for me. Anyone else? – Ciaocibai Jan 30 '11 at 22:15

score 4 · Answer 29 · edited Aug 30 '12 at 16:15

4

Pocket

App Store

Pocket lets you save webpages to read later, even without an internet connection. Ideal for those who have iPod touch but don't have access to Wifi. Also while travelling in subway, where 3g always goes haywire.

edited Aug 30 '12 at 16:15

Ethan Lee

3,994

answered Oct 18 '10 at 06:06

vikmalhotra

317

score 4 · Answer 30 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:45

4

Doodle Jump

App Store

Doodle Jump™ is THE MOST ADDICTIVE GAME on the App Store. Enough said :)

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:45

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Oct 18 '10 at 06:10

vikmalhotra

317

See also: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/683/great-ios-games – Jonik Jan 12 '11 at 17:10

score 4 · Answer 31 · edited Jun 15 '13 at 02:10

4

Flipboard

App Store

the best newsreader and social hub

edited Jun 15 '13 at 02:10

Jash Jacob

4,443
10
36
64

answered Jan 16 '12 at 22:29

aggalaviz

91

score 4 · Answer 32 · answered Jan 31 '11 at 02:00

Soulver

App Store ($2.99)

Soulver is by far the most useful calculator app in the App Store. It's a much easier and more powerful way to work with numbers over a normal calculator. Embed text with your calculations to make it easier to see the problem you are solving. You can easily go back and make a change earlier in the calculation and have everything updated, similar to a spreadsheet. You can use several lines and reference previous lines in your calculations allowing yourself to split up long equations or even reuse parts to see different results. These can all be saved on separate sheets so it's easy to go back and reference them later. You'll never go back to a normal calculator again.

(Sorry, will only let me post one hyper link)

score 4 · Answer 33 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

4

Remember The Milk

App Store

The best way to manage your tasks.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:43

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Aug 28 '10 at 06:46

gsharp

1,010
1
13
19

RTM is actually a paid app - it's free to download but after 2 weeks it only works with a paid account on the RTM website! – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun Dec 07 '10 at 06:56
not anymore. the app is now free (if you want advanced notifications features, then you need the paid account) – gsharp Dec 07 '10 at 08:46

score 3 · Answer 34 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

3

Echofon

App Store (free)
App Store ($4.99)

A great twitter client with synchronization between the desktop version for Mac and the Firefox extension

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Oct 16 '10 at 04:47

Aragorn

1,933
5
22
34

Can you name anything specific that make it better than the official Twitter app? (I'm pretty happy with that one.) – Jonik Oct 17 '10 at 19:30
1

@Jonik: It's just designed much better and easier to read tweets. You can click links without having to click the tweet and loading it first. Plus on the trending topics you can see explanations, which I like. – DisgruntledGoat Dec 16 '10 at 15:10
I found Echofon to be the best Twitter app until the official one came along, and even then I kept it for notifications, but now that the official Twitter app has those, the only place Echofon wins out on is trending topics, explanations as mentioned above and IIRC you were able to select a region for the trending topics. However I've uninstalled it and just use the offical app now. – LC1983 Jan 04 '11 at 13:17

score 3 · Answer 35 · edited Jan 17 '12 at 03:44

3

Instacast

App Store ($1.99)

It's the best Podcast-App in the AppStore, and handles Podcast much better than iTunes.

Download all Podcasts; automatically and in the background
Stream Podcast over Edge, 3G or WiFi
Continue where you left off
Support for iCloud

edited Jan 17 '12 at 03:44

Jonik

6,673

answered Jan 16 '12 at 22:43

ohboy21

5,934

score 3 · Answer 36 · edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:45

3

Viber

App Store

Viber is a MUST-HAVE app. Lets you make and get free calls over 3G or Wifi even the app is not running. Notifies you when there is a call for you. Also gets your contact list and notifies when a friend installs VIBER. Sound quality is amazing even on 3G. I am talking to my best buddy living in Switzerland freely via Wifi from Turkey. And VIBER is a FREE app.

edited Sep 20 '11 at 10:45

Loïc Wolff

14,706

answered Jan 10 '11 at 18:02

ARTniyet

635

"...free..." Which brings up the question, how do they make money? – SilverWolf Jul 08 '18 at 12:35

kraymer · Answer 37 · 2011-01-11T21:53:02.240

3

Mobile Mouse

App Store (1.99$)

Mobile Mouse instantly transforms your iPhone or iPod touch into an in air, wireless remote for your computer! Sit back and use this remote to surf the web, browse your photo library or control your music player from the comfort of your couch.

I use an old mac-mini as a Media Center and the combi Remote+Mobile Mouse apps is gold!

edited Jan 11 '11 at 21:53

answered Jan 11 '11 at 16:28

kraymer

2,982
2
18
15

awesome app1 writing with it now ;) – Andrey Jan 12 '11 at 03:09
you should try JumiOne, tho I think it's still windows only. – cregox Jan 12 '11 at 07:46

score 3 · Answer 38 · answered Jan 13 '11 at 10:52

3

Calvetica

App Store ($2.99)

A beautiful, minimal calendar app without peer.

Just go look. I defy you to not become more efficient with your calendar use.

answered Jan 13 '11 at 10:52

David Metcalfe

1,170

score 3 · Answer 39 · answered Feb 07 '11 at 01:43

3

AppShopper

App store (free)

You can keep a list of apps you want, and it will let you know when they drop in price.

answered Feb 07 '11 at 01:43

Alex Szatmary

356
7
11

score 2 · Answer 40 · answered Sep 15 '10 at 10:57

ComicBookLover

App Store (free)

Read .cbr and .cbz format comic books. All sorts of transfer options, including iTunes sync. Good, intuitive page flipping. Great in combination with the desktop version, which allows you to add all sorts of metadata to maintain your collection.

Works best on the iPhone's 4 retina display - no need to zoom!

score 2 · Answer 41 · edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:35

2

MyWi

(Not avaiable in app store; jailbreak required.)

Turns your iPhone into a wifi hotspot. Just great!

edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:35

Jonik

6,673

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:34

cregox

3,544

score 1 · Answer 42 · answered Apr 28 '11 at 14:21

1

WiFi2HiFi

App Store (USD $3.99)

Stream Grooveshark, Spotify, Pandora or any other audio player from the computer to the iPhone.

answered Apr 28 '11 at 14:21

user6094

1

score 1 · Answer 43 · answered May 09 '11 at 20:51

Pastebot

App Store ($3.99/€2.99)

Together with its companion Mac application, let's you copy/paste from Mac to iPhone. Really handy. It also keeps clipboard data in your iPhone (example: you can copy an image from a website and keep it in Pastebot)

score 1 · Answer 44 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

1

MoneyBook

App Store ($2.99)

Great app to track and manage finances.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:05

Marc

236

score 1 · Answer 45 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

1

Prizmo for iPhone

App Store ($9.99)

Though it is expensive (compared to other apps that is), this is OCR done right. Works great to capture some texts, quicker than using a scanner and can also be used to import business cards.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:18

Marc

236

score 1 · Answer 46 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

1

StreamToMe

App Store ($2.99)

Streams almost any video or music from your Mac or PC to the iPhone and iPad. The Mac/PC is converting the source file on the fly. Playback generally starts after 5 seconds.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Sep 14 '10 at 21:23

Marc

236

score 1 · Answer 47 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

TextExpander

App Store ($4.99)

Create shorthand strings which expand into more complex statements. For instance, you can create a snippet such that typing ssig expands to

Regards,

John Doe

123 Sesame St.

Anywhere, USA 12345

[email protected]

Snippets can include variable values, and quite a few other niceties. Many popular apps also support TextExpander, a list of which appears here. This is really useful for reducing the amount of typing repetitive or common phrases.

score 1 · Answer 48 · answered Sep 16 '10 at 09:02

1

Profanity

App Store ($0.99 / £0.59)

The best (and only) profanity generator in the App store. Always useful in the pub. Otherwise completely pointless but great fun.

answered Sep 16 '10 at 09:02

Richard Stelling

1,191

score 1 · Answer 49 · edited Nov 11 '10 at 10:48

1

Wikipanion

App Store (free)

Probably the best Wikipedia app in the AppStore. Easy navigation, nice article formatting, very fast.

edited Nov 11 '10 at 10:48

Jonik

6,673

answered Nov 11 '10 at 07:59

Artem Pakk

666

Articles is probably slightly better, but out of the free Wikipedia apps, yes, Wikipanion is the best. – Jonik Nov 11 '10 at 10:51
There is also the new official wikipedia App, although having used both I'd be hard pushed to say which is better out of the official app and Wikipanion. – LC1983 Jan 04 '11 at 13:18

score 1 · Answer 50 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

1

Prompt

App Store ($7.99)

Allows you to SSH from any iOS device. I find it indispensable for doing C++ homework.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Mar 21 '12 at 01:22

Moshe

8,761

score 1 · Answer 51 · edited Dec 14 '10 at 09:24

1

GoodReader for iPhone

App Store ($2.99)

Super-robust PDF reader with advanced reading, annotating, markup and highlighting capabilities, excellent file manager, TXT file reader and editor, audio/video player, Safari-like viewer for MS Office and iWorks files.

This is a great app for any documents organizer and good PDF reader. It also can unzip the zip files, as it's not natively handled by iOS. I use it everyday. It used to sell $0.99, but now they increased price.

edited Dec 14 '10 at 09:24

Jonik

6,673

answered Dec 13 '10 at 20:14

garikapati

627

Update: It's now a universal app, so it works on both iPhone and iPad! – SilverWolf Jul 08 '18 at 12:38

score 1 · Answer 52 · edited Jan 11 '11 at 22:07

Snappy

Enable using the camera from anywhere, even while screen locked. Just configure how to activate it (mine is double tap the lock button) and take photos really, really fast. Also configure the volume button to act as a shutter. It has few more great features such as being able to take one photo after the other really quickly, proper geolocation and camera meta data.
This apps is for jailbroken phones only.

score 1 · Answer 53 · answered Jan 12 '11 at 15:47

PCalc

App Store ($9.99)

My favourite calculator on iOS. The best feature is the optional RPN mode, but it's chockers with other goodies, a very capable tool. I've found it indispensable at university—unfortunately I still have to borrow a graphics calculator for officially invigilated exams, but when there's an in-class test sprung upon me, someone asks me to help them, or even in casual conversation when a question beyond my horrifically meagre arithmetical abilities arises, PCalc is great. It doesn't handle actual graphing, & it still handles statistics in the same horrifically bad way every physical calculator since the old HPs has, but the rest is fine: different notations, bases, button layouts, unit conversions, etc., & the (distressingly un-)usual logarithmic, hyperbolic, trigonometric et al. functions. A dedicated unit from TI, HP or Casio will completely outstrip PCalc but it makes the anaemic built-in calculator look like a child's toy.

score 1 · Answer 54 · edited Sep 27 '10 at 13:29

1

Server Remote

App Store ($3.99)

Simple app to monitor servers, including uptime, running commands, load levels, and memory. Really worth it.

edited Sep 27 '10 at 13:29

Jonik

6,673

answered Aug 27 '10 at 14:35

Josh K

1,878
9
25
30

score 1 · Answer 55 · answered Jan 31 '11 at 02:10

Anki

Anki is software to help make it easier to remember things. It uses spaced repetition technology to make sure you only see the items you are having trouble remembering and the things you do remember you see less often. I can't imagine studying without it anymore. In particular it's been a huge help studying languages and I highly recommend it. The iPhone app is a companion to the desktop software and syncs through their servers. The desktop application is free, but if you find it useful the iPhone app is invaluable to studying on the go.

score 1 · Answer 56 · answered Aug 31 '10 at 20:42

Safety Light

When it comes to flashlight apps, you get what you pay for. I've tried a number of these, and the interface and technical capabilities are just right. Much, much better than the free ones. Also, it somehow manages to get the screen super-bright, lighting up an entire room without draining the battery like the new LED-using apps that have flooded the App Store. No battery warning to is this one.

score 1 · Answer 57 · edited Aug 31 '10 at 21:43

Byline

App Store ($4.99 / 3.99 €)
App Store (Byline Free) (free; with ads)

Google Reader on the go. Byline will automatically bring you new content, putting thousands of RSS and Atom feeds at your fingertips. Even when you have no internet connection, Byline gives you instant access to complete web pages. It automatically analyses your feeds so that it can cache the ones with truncated content. This means all your news is there in full when you’re offline, and blazing fast to load when you’re online to boot.

score 0 · Answer 58 · answered Apr 14 '11 at 00:57

0

Age Of Zombies

App Store (USD $2.99)

Pure awesome fun.

answered Apr 14 '11 at 00:57

ohitsanazn

103

Courtney Faulkner · Answer 59 · 2011-05-11T18:45:02.757

0

Posterous

App Store (free)

Post to your posterous.com microblog, especially useful for posting pictures and location on-the-go. Similar to twitter feeds, but a bit nicer to view photo galleries for your viewers. It can be set up to auto-publish to twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc.

edited May 11 '11 at 18:45

answered May 10 '11 at 22:07

Courtney Faulkner

176

score 0 · Answer 60 · answered May 11 '11 at 14:29

0

Notebooks

App Store ($5.99)

Another note taking system. Can also display HTML and RTF files, and you can sort notes into a hierarchy of notebooks.

answered May 11 '11 at 14:29

Harald Hanche-Olsen

4,149

score 0 · Answer 61 · answered Sep 15 '10 at 04:09

0

Colorendar

($0.99)

Simple calendar app that let's you create a "color diary." Also shows you phases of the moon.

answered Sep 15 '10 at 04:09

Trieu

830
3
9
10

score 0 · Answer 62 · edited Sep 15 '10 at 20:25

0

OPlayer

App Store (€2,39)
App Store, Lite version (Free)

Plays almost every kind of video format, without having to transcode first. Transfer via iTunes sync or stream right from a web server. There's also an iPad version.

edited Sep 15 '10 at 20:25

Jonik

6,673

answered Sep 15 '10 at 10:52

Sietse

533

score 0 · Answer 63 · answered Oct 18 '10 at 08:43

Prowl

App Store ($2.99)

The app itself is ultimately a "dumb client" for sending push notifications to your phone. Prowl is a service used to push arbitrary text to you. There are numerous services in the wild for leveraging it to send you NAGIOS and other alerts from monitoring software, Prey Fetcher exists to push posts, @'s, DMs, and list updates to you, and anything else you're capable of dreaming up.

score 0 · Answer 64 · answered Jan 16 '12 at 22:15

0

TechNews

App Store

This is errr... my app, but I couldn't find any rules on this one. Anyway, it is a really cool news app about Apple and other related stuff.

answered Jan 16 '12 at 22:15

Paul Dunahoo

123

score 0 · Answer 65 · answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:19

0

Grocery IQ

App Store

A great grocery list management app. Can be shared across users - so for example, I can add items at home on my iPad and the list is synchronized to my wife's iPhone while she shops.

answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:19

Quacker Backer

103

score 0 · Answer 66 · answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:23

0

Twitterific for Twitter

App Store

A great Twitter client for iPhone and iPad. Free/ad version and paid versions available.

answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:23

Quacker Backer

103

score 0 · Answer 67 · answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:31

0

Zite

App Store (free)

Zite is a free personalized magazine for your iPhone that automatically learns what you like and gets smarter every time you use it.

answered Jan 17 '12 at 01:31

segiddins

1,359

score 0 · Answer 68 · answered Nov 08 '10 at 19:01

0

Flashcards Deluxe

App Store (USD 3.99)

Not perfect, but possibly the best SRS app on the (U.S.) App Store.

answered Nov 08 '10 at 19:01

Ken

168

score 0 · Answer 69 · edited Nov 10 '10 at 19:56

0

Epic Win

App Store ($2.99)

This is a great app for task management. It's a lot more fun than Things, although not as feature-full it combines a To Do list app with an RPG. Beautifully designed and useful.

edited Nov 10 '10 at 19:56

Jonik

6,673

answered Nov 09 '10 at 22:45

bpapa

1,422

score 0 · Answer 70 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

0

Talkatone

App Store (free)

Allows you to make completely free phone calls using your Google Voice account.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Mar 14 '12 at 04:48

daviesgeek

38,901
52
159
203

Mathias Bynens · Answer 71 · 2012-03-23T20:42:39.787

0

Opera Mini

App Store (free)

Opera Mini offers the fastest, most cost-efficient web-browsing experience for your iOS device today.

Of course, if data limits/costs are of no concern, just use Safari for the most beautiful browsing experience on iOS — but Opera Mini is perfect for travelling abroad, to keep data roaming costs to a minimum, or when you’re stuck with a slow connection.

edited Mar 23 '12 at 20:42

answered Mar 23 '12 at 20:35

Mathias Bynens

11,642
13
66
111

cregox · Answer 72 · 2011-09-26T21:24:08.840

0

iGmail

App Store (free)

Just a browser wrapper to use gmail easily and quickly. I find this much better than regular Maill.app - too bad it doesn't have an offline version thus being slow and not as much reliable.

edited Sep 26 '11 at 21:24

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:07

cregox

3,544

What is wrong with the regular Mail.app? Having Gmail setup through Exchange (m.google.com) works nice with push e-mail, contacts and calendar. Only labels do not work as natural as the web interface. – bouke Sep 20 '11 at 10:20
@bouke search doesn't work as good as gmail on mail.app - that's about half of my gmail usage, which is a big problem. - for the record, I do use it as you've pointed, and I keep hoping the search will get better. – cregox Sep 26 '11 at 21:22
searching is indeed a no-go with the Mail.app setup. I would also like to see that fixed. – bouke Sep 27 '11 at 08:29

score 0 · Answer 73 · answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:09

0

Qik

First and best real time video streaming on iPhone. 'nof said.

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:09

cregox

3,544

score 0 · Answer 74 · edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:36

0

Longitude

(Available in Cydia; jailbroken only)

Automatically feed your location into Google Latitude.

edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:36

Jonik

6,673

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:29

cregox

3,544

Doesn't googles own Latitude cover this? – deiga Feb 21 '11 at 08:47
@deiga only on iOS 4 devices with multitasking enabled (iPhone 3G doesn't have it by default). Longitude works on any iOS 3 device, you can set the refresh rate up to 4 hours and I'd bet it consumes less memory and battery. – cregox Feb 21 '11 at 11:58

score 0 · Answer 75 · answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:31

0

Kirikae

Brings multi-tasking to iOS 3 way before iOS 4 was born. It actually works even better than iOS 4, from my opinion, because it doesn't leave every app open (which can bring batter down quickly) but it does let you configure if you want to do that per app basis. In other words, you can configure which app you want to automatically leave in background.

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:31

cregox

3,544

As of 2018, background apps aren't just left open all the time (at least in more recent versions). They're suspended, and if the system runs out of memory, silently killed. – SilverWolf Jul 08 '18 at 12:40

score 0 · Answer 76 · answered Jan 12 '11 at 15:14

Ninjawords

App Store ($1.99)

A dictionary, to put it simply. It uses definitions from Wiktionary, which I find both more concise & more helpful than those of Dictionary.com, for instance. More importantly though, it's got a fast, lean & intuitive interface. No superfluous features, but I never find myself missing any functionality. It's a joy to use, unlike any other dictionary app I've tried.

score 0 · Answer 77 · answered Jan 12 '11 at 16:08

Textie

App Store (free, $1.99 to remove ads)

Textie provides free messaging between iOS devices a la SMS. If Textie isn't installed on the recipient device, the service will route the message to SMS on many US mobiles, & to email in every other case. Replies are delivered to Textie on the original sending device with push notifications. The icing on the cake is the slick, minimal interface.

WhatsApp is already on this list, but not only does it not integrate with SMS or email, but I've always found it to have extremely variable latency, from a couple of seconds to two days. Textie's latency has never exceeded twenty seconds for me.

So...how is this better than iMessage? It also routes to SMS if iMessage isn't available. (Plus, it's end-to-end encrypted!) — SilverWolf, Jul 08 '18 at 12:41

score 0 · Answer 78 · edited Jun 15 '13 at 02:23

ShopShop

App Store (free)

I feel like a bit of a dork for posting this but I find it quite useful and simple. It's just a list app. It keeps a repository of all entries you make so you can quickly add them back the next time you need it. Make a grocery list and check them off. The next time you won't have to type out items you've already used, just add them to a new list from the remembered items.

score 0 · Answer 79 · answered Jan 30 '11 at 21:22

0

MobileRSS Pro ~ Google RSS News Reader

Pretty self-explanatory. An RSS reader for Google Reader. Simple and well-designed.

answered Jan 30 '11 at 21:22

mybrainishuge

91

score 0 · Answer 80 · edited Feb 21 '11 at 10:20

0

Boxcar

App Store (Free)

Aggregates notifications from various services including Twitter and Facebook; the killer features of this, for me, are its integration with Buzz, which has no built-in iOS notifications, and Growl, allowing me to send notifications from scripts running on my desktop and get them on my iPod Touch.

edited Feb 21 '11 at 10:20

Jonik

6,673

answered Feb 21 '11 at 01:27

Alex Szatmary

356
7
11

score 0 · Answer 81 · answered Feb 21 '11 at 01:32

0

Papers

App Store ($14.99)

Tool for managing academic journal articles. Syncs with the Mac App.

answered Feb 21 '11 at 01:32

Alex Szatmary

356
7
11

score 0 · Answer 82 · answered Feb 21 '11 at 01:41

0

Site to Phone

Bookmarklet that lets you send the current page in your browser to your mobile device of choice.

answered Feb 21 '11 at 01:41

Alex Szatmary

356
7
11

score 0 · Answer 83 · answered Aug 31 '10 at 20:47

0

Major League Baseball (MLB.com)

Better than reading the sports page.

answered Aug 31 '10 at 20:47

Philip Regan

6,251

score -1 · Answer 84 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

-1

Zapd

Great app to publish entire websites from your iPhone in a few clicks.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 08:04

Community

1

answered Apr 28 '11 at 14:30

VCezar

101

score -1 · Answer 85 · edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:37

-1

LogMeIn Ignition

App Store ($29.99)

Remote control in which you can see the screen with free subscriptions and desktop versions. iPhone app costs quite a bit, but it's the best remote control for iPhone I've seem, and probably the first too. Works over web or within same intranet wifi.

edited Jan 12 '11 at 10:37

Jonik

6,673

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:12

cregox

3,544

score -1 · Answer 86 · answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:16

-1

TomTom

Car navigation with full offline maps for probably every country out there. TomTom is well known for their own car navigation GPS's, but this version for iphone can become very handy from times to times where you don't have one proper device.

answered Dec 24 '10 at 18:16

cregox

3,544

Down-voted because TomTom takes your location and speed data and sells it to the Police. The Police then use it to set up speed traps or to use against you should you decide to take a ticket to court. – Bryson Jun 03 '11 at 17:43
@Bryson I wouldn't put my hand on fire for any company, but you're making a very bold allegation there. Can you cite some sources or make some sense of this? Plus it's not like any of those GPS apps are so reliable to be taken as an evidence in court, I'd guess. – cregox Jun 03 '11 at 17:54
3

Engadget had an article a couple weeks ago about it. TomTom sold data to the Dutch police force, who then used it to set up speed traps based on the speed and location data. TomTom said they were shocked that the police would do this. I'm not sure what else they expected them to use it for when they sold it to them. http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/tomtom-user-data-sold-to-danish-police-used-to-determine-ideal/ – Bryson Jun 03 '11 at 22:34
@Bryson I got the wrong impression from what you've said, and I think maybe you got the wrong impression from what happened too. It doesn't take your location to the police, it takes anonymous locations and speed data to them, and they retracted from doing it again because it was being used for speed traps. Again, I don't think they're that innocent, no big company is, but they also are very cautious on shooting their own feet like that. So, no, I don't think I agree with you on your worrying or protest - but thanks for bringing it up. It was an interesting view of the company. – cregox Jun 04 '11 at 20:10

Rules

86 Answers86

Sleep Cycle alarm clock

Trainyard

Epic Win

iGmail

Linked