After a deleting spree precipitated by many low-space warnings, there are only a fraction of the apps I once had left on my phone. Only the best and brightest survived. Not all of them are beauty queens, but these are all apps that do their duty and make the day better… faster… stronger. Or something like that. We’re skipping the obvious mail and Facebook apps, which we know you probably already have. These are the app gems.
Feedly
Feedly is a news aggregator. You simply add a news source—or blog—to Feedly, and every time there is something news, it’s available in your Feedly app in a standardized, easy-to-read format that still retains all the images in the articles but eliminates ads, sidebars, and popups. So instead of going to cnn.com or your favorite blog, you can add it to Feedly. You mark the sources you like the most as “must read,” or if you are subscribing to a lot of sources, you can group them in categories. Feedly makes it so much faster to scroll through the information you want to see without distractions, and without having to check back at the original source. You can also easily share articles from the app. (It also doesn’t generate any phone notifications, which is a welcome change from similar apps these days.)
Stitcher
Stitcher is a simple interface that allows you to keep track of your favorite podcasts. Each episode of “This American Life,” for example, is only available for a week at a time, and Stitcher can remind you to download it—or any other podcast—for listening later.
Dropbox
If you haven’t signed up for Dropbox, this is the time. Dropbox gives you 2 GB of storage space in the cloud to start with. If you use this link, we’ll each earn an extra 500 MB of space. You can save files on your computer into Dropbox, then access them easily on your phone. You can use it to easily send files, even to other people who don’t have Dropbox. And you can back up important files quickly and efficiently.
Netflix
I rarely watch a movie or television show on my phone, but it’s nice to have the option. More often, I’ll hear about something I want to watch while out and about, and I’ll add it to the queue on the fly—that’s the real value of the app.
Uber
It’s a good idea to download the Uber app and sign up for it when you’re not in a position where you urgently need a ride. That way, if your car key breaks off in the lock, you have the Uber app at the ready and can hail a driver in a matter of minutes.
Kroger
This one is a snooze, but it IS helpful. Once a week, I open this app, view the most recent digital coupons, and add them to my card. Then, when I go shopping and use my loyalty card, the coupons are automatically applied. This is so much easier than keeping track of little pieces of paper. Check to see if your grocery store has a similar app, because it’s generally worth the 3 minutes of your time per week.
Honorable mentions go to:
Nest: for controlling your Nest thermostat or other Nest devices. So simple and satisfying to use!
VSCO Cam: for editing photos with lots of filters and other tools.
