100 greatest iPhone apps
APP STORE GOLD
100 must-have apps for your iPhone
We all have our favourite apps. Apps that deliver our daily news, apps to work out with, apps to entertain us, apps to stay in touch with our loved ones, plus a smattering of others that have no doubt been offloaded from our iPhones through lack of use. Well now is the time to give your app sets a makeover by ditching those tired, bordering-on-obselete apps in favour of the newer, shinier stuff. Here we present the 100 best apps available for the iPhone today, including plenty of replacements for the default Apple ones.
Discogs
Anyone with a slightly obsessive compulsion to collect music will love this app’s cataloguing capabilities and the way it provides a running total estimated value of your vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, etc. You can also use the app to buy and sell music.
Portal: Escape Into Nature
Though better suited to larger iPad displays, Portal is nevertheless a delicious slice of escapism. Through over 40 varied scenes complete with audio, you can use this app to wind down to sleep or focus during the day.
Google Maps
It seems like Apple’s own Maps app is constantly playing catchup to this navigational masterpiece. It has the most detailed, up-to-date geographic information and has honed its street view and indoor maps features to perfection. Always our go-to app for directions.
Chip
If you find it hard to save money then this app provides an easy way to do it when you aren’t looking. It tracks your spending and then skims off a small amount based on your needs and stores it in a separate Chip account for you. It magically accumulates quickly and you can withdraw funds back at any time.
IMDb
If you love film and TV then this app is a trove of information. You can check out the top picks on what to watch, get cast information or filmographies for particular actors and read up on in-depth trivia for any film or TV series, which has won us many a pub quiz!
TikTok
A source of much joy during the COVID-19 lockdown, TikTok allows you to capture and share your own videos easily and swipe through an endless stream of uploaded videos based on the themes you love. It’s great fun to dip into for an instant lift and can make a viral star out of anyone.
Widgetsmith
Whereas iOS 14 introduced widgets that could be dragged to populate your Home Screens, this app allows you to go a lot further in customising the appearance and functionality of these widgets. Once you have set your widgets up they can then be added to your iOS collection and dragged into position as normal. You can enjoy some of the more basic widgetediting features for free, but you’ll need to invest in a monthly or annual subscription (£1.99/£19.49) to unlock the various seasonal themes and extras.
THE 5 BEST GAMES IN APPLE ARCADE
Hot Lava
A superb-looking, hi-octane first-person jumper, Hot Lava has you bounding across platforms, swinging from rails and bouncing off walls as you try to make it to the end of the assault cause levels without ever touching the molten lava floor.
Sneaky Sasquatch
In this enjoyable game you get to live out the life of the mythological Sasquatch. Sneak around campsites pilfering food from picnic baskets, searching for treasure, partaking in fun mini-games and avoiding those pesky ‘hoomans’.
NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition
Stunning to behold, NBA 2K21 lets you take to the court with the sport’s biggest names, play multiplayer with your friends and even embark on your own career mode journey to NBA legend status. The best sports sim on iOS.
Simon’s Cat – Story Time
Everyone needs a decent puzzle game simmering on the back burner. Based on the popular animated series, this tile-matching puzzle game has you earning coins in order to upgrade and restore a proposed local building site to its former glory. Good fun in small doses.
Sonic Racing
Even on the small screen this game takes your breath away. Race as one of the Sonic universe’s 15 most recognisable characters and then beat your opponents around the perilous tracks using an array of power-ups.
Mission to Mars AR
Through captivating augmented reality, this app lets you explore the red planet in glorious 3D and also take control of one of the Mars rovers and drive them around your house.
PS Remote Play
If your household TV is being used by someone then you can stream your PlayStation 4 or 5 to your iPhone or iPad through this app and then use that as the screen. It’s easy to pair the two devices but your internet speed could be an issue.