Apps are an essential part of how we use our smartphones. Each of us has a different library than the one we use daily, and I wanted to share it. I tried to keep it for independent developers, and avoid the major options. You won’t find these in my list of best iPhone apps, but I find them invaluable in my daily life.
Most of these devices are iPhone only, although one is available on Android. Feel free to share your favorite apps, iPhone or Android, in the comments so others can check out.
1. Apollo
I use Reddit a lot. It’s my favorite social media platform and how I stay up to date on things. I regularly participate in different subreddits, browse helpful news and guides, and connect with people who share similar interests as me.
The app I use most often on my iPhone is Apollo, which is a third-party Reddit client. Its beautiful design harmonizes well with the look and feel of iOS, and it has rich features, all of which provide a much more enjoyable experience than the official Reddit app. It does not contain ads or those annoying live broadcasts, allowing you to focus on posts and comments.
It’s best to try Apollo when you unlock the middle tier features. You don’t get notifications (a feature limited to the more pricier Ultimate Unlock) or chat, so keep that in mind while using it. However, if you like Reddit, Apollo is the best app for it.
Download Apollo: App Store (Opens in a new tab)
2. BeFocused
I am struggling with task and time management. Either I find it hard to maintain my focus or I become hyperfocused, forgetting to stretch, eat, or drink. I had to find a way to manage that and settled on the Pomodoro system.
You’ve probably heard this before, as you work out for 15-25 minutes, then take a 5-10 minute break. After a few rounds of that, you can take a longer 15-20 minute break to recharge before diving back into your mission. This has proven to be very useful for me and the app I use to achieve this is BeFocused.
It is a simple application that follows the pomodoro system. You can create specific tasks – for example, I make tasks for articles I need to work on, like this one. You can view statistics as well. There’s also an Apple Watch app, so you can have timers on your wrist. All in a great app that I use daily, and I thought the premium upgrade was more than worth it.
Download BeFocused: App Store (Opens in a new tab)
3. Obsidian
Although I don’t particularly respect educational institutions, I love learning. Part of learning is translating the information into a format that I can refer back to later. I’ve found the Zettelkasten notation system – which I won’t explain here because it’s too complex – and the app I’m using to achieve this is obsidian.
Full disclosure, I use obsidian more on my MacBook than on my iPhone. Typing on my laptop is more efficient, but I use the mobile app for quick notes and references on the go for later when I don’t want to fall in front of my laptop.
Obsidian is a free app and uses markdown language for formatting. It is a very powerful application that allows you to create your second mind by creating connections between other notes. Describing Obsidian’s workflow is beyond the scope of this article, but it’s an app that I use daily on my Mac and iPhone.
Obsidian download: App Store (Opens in a new tab)
4. NetNewsWire
In my heart, I’m a huge fan of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). It’s something I can fall behind and support however much I can. So when looking at RSS readers, I wanted to find something that could keep me away from Feedly. I found NetNewsWire, an RSS reader for FOSS, and gave it a try. I’m glad I did.
Although NetNewsWire isn’t as visually interesting as Feedly, it does give me my feeds without the fuss. Feedly has the advantage that it is very easy to add sites and categories, while NetNewsWire requires more work. If you already have a lot of Feedly stuff, you can link NetNewsWire to your Feedly account, as well as others like Inoreader. There is also a Mac app.
NetNewsWire Download: App Store (Opens in a new tab)
5. Sofa
I have a large backlog of games to play, books to read, and movies/shows to watch. It’s hard to track and my spreadsheet method has proven ineffective so far. So imagine my happiness when I found Sofa, an app that allows you to organize your free time in a visually appealing way.
The sofa has proven invaluable to me. Once I went through the painful process of adding all my non-consumed media to the app, I could easily scroll through what was left for me to play, read, or watch.
You can record a piece of media in your Activity tab so you can see what you’ve done so far. There are a bunch of other features too, so if you’re overwhelmed with backlog or TBR, be sure to check out Sofa.
Sofa download: App Store (Opens in a new tab)
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