I use a lot of apps on my iPhone on a daily basis, and increasingly a big chunk of them are Apple’s own apps. But there are a handful of apps that I turn to on a regular basis and have become a core part of my daily workflow.
Here are the five of those essential iPhone apps that I feel help transform iPhone users into iPhone power users.
Best password manager
This has become my go-to password manager, and the one I recommend to others in my circles.
While I’m happy to pay for the premium service (and this gives me access to two-factor authentication using YubiKey), Bitwarden is one of those rare services. — especially for password managers — that offers a decent free service.
I’ve tried countless password managers, and the free version of Bitwarden is better than the paid version of some of the competition.
Not only is the iOS app great, but it offers a smooth, cross-platform service.
Awesome VPN service
Oh, I can’t tell you how many VPN services I have tried. Dozens. Maybe over a hundred.
And yet I keep using — and paying for — Freedome.
This started out as my go-to VPN service on my iPhone, but quickly moved to being my go-to VPN on all my devices.
It’s everything that I want from a VPN. It’s offered by a trusted name in security. The service is excellent. And the apps are reliable and easy to use.
Easily convert photographed documents into PDFs
I don’t scan documents to turn them into PDFs anywhere as often as I once did, but when I do need to do this, I always turn to Microsoft Lens.
And it’s not just documents I scan with it. It’s great for scanning posters, protected slides, and pretty much anything else you might want to change into a PDF.
There are lots of apps that promise to turn documents into PDFs, but this one is by far the best, easiest to use, and most reliable.
And for those who use other Microsoft apps, this integrates well into the ecosystem.
Secure your iPhone!
iOS is a pretty secure operating system, but with a little know how and the right app, you can make it even more secure.
iVerify is a security app that combines in-depth information and step-by-step guides on how iPhone users can take to secure their device, along with threat detection scanners to make sure that no nasties have made their way onto the device.
I consider myself quite proficient when it comes to iOS security, but I was amazed at how much I learned and how many tips I got from this app. And the great thing is that it’s updated quickly for new releases.
Secure, convenient two-factor authentication
So long, SMS two-factor authentication, and hello to secure multi factor authentication. This app stands head and shoulders above Google Authenticator, which is the app that everyone seems to know about.
Authy is great because it has advanced features such as the ability to sync information across multiple devices, back up to iCloud, and it even supports 8-digit tokens.
A great app, and a great service.