Indispensable additions to your iPhone
Our selection of the very best apps for iOS devices, from creativity to organisation
From social media to social gaming, from multi-format messaging to mighty reference tomes, you name it, there’s probably a free iPhone app for it.
Open the App Store on your iPhone and search for an app. If there’s a ‘Get’ button instead of a price, then the app is free to download and use (although there might still be in-app purchases needed for certain features).
Image credits: Meta, Wikimedia Foundation
Facebook
> FROM App Store
> NEEDS iOS/iPadOS 13.4 or later
What
could
we
write
about
Facebook
that
you
haven’t
read
already? Not much we’ll wager, but as it’s one of the major social-media platforms and has a great free application for the iPhone and iPad, we won’t exclude it from our list. Using the free Facebook app is far more convenient than accessing the website. It offers the same features, but is perfectly tuned to the iPhone and its touchscreen. You can read incoming news, post to your timeline and more, but if you want the personal messaging feature, you also need the Messenger app (also free).
Wikipedia
> FROM App Store
> NEEDS iOS 14 or later
If there’s something you need to look up online, chances are it will be on Wikipedia. It’s an encyclopaedia that anyone can edit or add to. If there’s a subject you think needs a page, you can add one. If you think there’s a mistake on an entry, you can correct it. If a page needs updating or adding to, you can do that too. Of course, this means it’s prone to both errors and vandalism, but it’s still worth having for when you need to check your facts. Just don’t depend on it for writing essays or magazine features… It’s completely free, with no adverts.