You just got a new phone. To download your favorite apps to your shiny new device, you should head to the App Store or the Play Store. While the team at Engadget tries to keep our phones relatively undamaged, there are some apps that we can't live without. We think you should try a dozen of the best.
1Password
You should download a password manager if you only take one piece of advice away from this article. It doesn't have to be the one we recommend. We like 1Password for a number of reasons. It will allow you to create strong passwords for all your online accounts, and it also has two-factor verification. You don't need to download a separate app to make your logins as secure as possible. If you have access to a Fastmail account, you can use 1Password to generate random emails for your logins, giving you another way to protect your privacy. It's a pleasure to use and it's well-designed.
FireFox.
If you haven't used Firefox in a while, now is a good time to do so. Many of the best desktop features were brought over to the mobile version of the browser. More robust support for third-party add-ons was added in that release. Enhanced Tracking Protection stops trackers from using your browsing data. Since the release of the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system, there's never been a better time for users of the device to switch to another browser.
I subscribed to Headspace at the beginning of the Pandemic. It's become one of the few apps I use every day. Headspace is a meditation app, but it's more than that. It also has a mix of music that helps you focus and work out at the end of a long day. Everything it offers is excellent, and you'll find yourself turning to it for more than just peace of mind.
The Hopper.
Hopper is on your phone if you plan to fly soon. Hopper is one of the best ways to save money on plane tickets because it has grown over the years to include a variety of features. If you tell the app where you want to go, it will tell you if you should book your flight now or wait. When it estimates you'll get the best deal, it will notify you. Hopper will save you from constantly checking websites.
There is a person named Libby.
If you want to read more in the future, you should not buy books on Amazon and instead download the book, called "Lobster". If you're not familiar with the app, it allows you to borrow eBooks, digital magazines and graphic novels from your local library. Most systems in the US offer for free a library card. Sometimes you have to wait to borrow the books you want to read, but you'll find that she will expand your reading list.
The table is open.
With restaurants reopening in cities throughout the US and the rest of the world, there's a good chance you'll be able to eat out soon. You will need a reservation to dine at some of the most popular spots in your city. Open Table is the closest platform that nearly every restaurant uses. It's a must-download if you eat out a lot. It's a great way to find new places to visit since you can sort by cuisine and area.
The transit.
There is nothing worse than waiting for a bus on a cold winter's day or watching three go by one after another. One of the best public transit planning apps is available on both phones. The interface of Transit is easy to use and it shines when other apps fail. One of the better methods for predicting departure times is it, so you'll know when you need to leave your house or apartment to catch the next bus, train or streetcar.
Paprika.
You can spend $5 on Paprika to make feeding yourself easier. It allows you to download recipes from your favorite websites and make them accessible on all your devices. It can be used to scale the size of the meal you're about to cook. You have an app for home cooks if you add a mealplanner, shopping lists, and a tool for tracking the ingredients in your pantry.
The cast is Pocket Casts.
With the popularity of podcasts increasing each year, there's a good chance you already have a few favorite shows. Pocket Casts is the best podcast app, even though it would like you to think so. We like it because it offers a consistent great experience. You don't have to worry about sync if you use a mix of platforms. It is nice to use software that does not feel caught between two worlds. Pocket Casts is an app for listening to podcasts. That is not something you can say of the service, and it is often a source of frustration for those who use it for music.
There is a pocket.
Pocket is a way to read more. It's one of the most popular read-it-later apps, allowing you to save online articles. This app is compelling because it offers a consistently excellent device-agnostic experience, making it a great option for those who haven't gone all-in on one platform. You can save articles you find on the internet with a browser extension. You can read them on your phone or computer. Don't forget to add to your Pocket reading list occasionally.
The Telegram and Signal.
It can sometimes feel like a Sisyphean task to ask your friends and family to install another messaging app on their phone, but the effort has never been more worth it. Telegram and Signal are the most secure chat apps on the market. Telegram feels complete and it's why we like it here at Engadget. It has an edit feature that comes in handy when you make a mistake, and a secret chat tool that can be used to hide messages. If you switch to Telegram or Signal, you'll free yourself from the Meta ecosystem. It might not seem like much, but when Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went down, many people were without a way to communicate with their friends and loved ones.
The tunnelbear.
After a Password manager, you can use a Virtual Private Network to protect your online privacy. There are many options, but we like TunnelBear for its simplicity and ursine theme. A password manager is more important than a virtual private network if you frequently use public wi-fi at places like cafes and libraries. Any information you send over will remain safe and private if you use a PureVPN in those contexts.
It is called snapseed.
The recent phones have great cameras. Even with the latest phones, most photos can benefit from an edit before you share them. If you want a photo editing app that works well, look no further than Snapseed. It's an old favorite that offers a comprehensive suite of editing options, but never getsbogged down in too many settings. It makes it easy to save edits to your camera roll and then use the app to post them.
