5 iPhone apps I can't live without from StoryGraph to Google Photos

Date:
Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
Of all the apps available on iOS, these are five of my very favorite, and I use most of them every day.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Apps are the lifeblood of smartphones, and with so many to choose from, we inevitably have our own favorites. As such, the apps I'm about to suggest might not be essential for everyone, but they are for me and you never know, you might just fall in
love with them too.

These are five of the iPhone apps I use most throughout my day, so they essentially define how I use my phone. For the most part, theyre also apps that I actively enjoy spending time in. So, if they sound interesting to you, then theyre worth a download especially as they all have free versions. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: 1. StoryGraph (Image credit: The StoryGraph Limited) For a long time, Goodreads was my go-to app for logging what Im reading, making lists of what I want to read, and finding new books, but recently Ive largely switched over to StoryGraph .

It's a very similar concept to Goodreads but with an arguably more
attractive, modern interface, and without the baggage of it being owned by Amazon a brand Im trying to interact with less. You may like 7 of the best Mac apps to level up your new MacBook Neo Do I need a VPN on my phone? 7 things you can use a VPN for on your mobile This app finally helped me track every movie and TV show I'm watching

But on top of that, StoryGraph also has far more stats and book details built into it, showing you things like the pace of a book, how plot-driven it is, whether it has strong character development, and more, all based on what readers have said.

You can also see how many books and pages youve read, how many books of each genre, what moods your books most commonly feature, how your reading has changed over time, and more. So, if you like stats, theres a lot to dig into here. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Some features are hidden behind a StoryGraph Plus subscription, but the majority of the app is available for free. 2. Letterboxd (Image credit: Letterboxd Limited) Unlike StoryGraph, Letterboxd is something Ive been using for a very long time, and its a similar idea but for movies so just as StoryGraph is an alternative to the bigger name Goodreads, Letterboxd is an alternative to IMDb.

But its more social and community-driven than IMDb, with user reviews very much being front and center of the Letterboxd experience. And as with StoryGraph, there is a wealth of stats available (though some of these are hidden behind a paywall). What to read next Stop the financial bleed! How Orbit fights back against the dreaded 'Subscription Creep' iPhone loyalty
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You can see how many films youve watched, how many hours youve spent
watching, the number of directors and countries youve watched films from,
your most watched genres, your highest rated films from each decade, your
most watched themes, and many, many other things.

Plus, of course, you can make lists, view lists created by other users, add films to your watchlist, and even rent movies including sometimes films that arent available anywhere else. 3. Pocket Casts (Image credit: Automattic,
Inc) Podcasts are the soundtrack to much of my day, and Pocket Casts is my player of choice. I wont pretend this is the only great podcast app, but if youre unhappy with your current player, then its well worth giving this one a try.

Pocket Casts has been around for a long time, and its gradually gotten better and better, to the point where now, I cant think of much that could improve it.

It has an attractive interface with good discovery tools, the option to sort podcasts into folders, both dark and light themes, playlist support, the option to change the speed, boost the volume, and trim the silence, a sleep timer, videos (where available), and more.

Plus, Pocket Casts works not just on iPhone but also on Android, Apple Watch
, Mac, Windows, the web, and Sonos ; it also supports CarPlay, Chromecast,
and AirPlay, so you can listen to your podcasts just about anywhere. 4.
Proton VPN (Image credit: Proton AG) VPNs have always been advisable from a privacy perspective, but never more so than now, when countries like the UK are increasingly requiring you to hand over identification to access large parts of the internet often outsourcing the data collection to companies
that may or may not be responsible with it.

So, VPNs are one way to avoid that risk, but they also have other benefits beyond security and general privacy, such as letting you access streaming platforms that might either not operate in your region or have a different selection of content elsewhere.

As for why Im recommending Proton VPN in particular, Im a big fan of Proton
in general and also use some of their other services. They take privacy more seriously than some VPN companies, and their VPN has over 17,000 servers in over 120 countries, so its a good, reliable service, and I dont notice significant speed drops when connected to Proton VPN either.

That said, there are plenty of other great VPN providers to consider (check out our best VPNs guide for our full list of recommendations), so while I stand by Proton VPN, my suggestion is more just to make use of VPNs in general. 5. Google Photos (Image credit: Google) Yes, Apple has its own
Photos app built into iPhones, and its not bad. But for me, Google Photos is the superior option.

Part of that is because it works across various operating systems , so if I ever switch back to Android, Ill still have ready access to all my photos.
But even if youre a lifelong Apple user, there are still advantages to Google Photos .

While both apps have a decent search function for finding photos through keywords, Google Photos does this best in my experience, and it comes with
far more free cloud storage. So, if you want to back up a lot of photos, then Googles offering is the clear winner there.

Ultimately, I find myself using both apps, but its Google Photos that Im more passionate about and that Ill take with me to non-Apple devices. Today's
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/5-iphone-apps-i-cant-live-without-from -storygraph-to-google-photos


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