As I started writing today’s “Friday Five” (check back later) I realized that there was enough to say to justify two posts instead of just one. So for this one, I wanted to share a few of the Apps I rely on most to replace “stock” apps on my iPhone.
Spark - by Readdle. Spark is new and unfortunately right now iPhone only, but it has COMPLETELY replaced my email app on iOS for personal accounts. (I have Outlook for work and it’s great as well). While Spark barrows heavily from many modern email apps (pinning, swipe gestures, unified, prioritized inbox etc.) the real magic of Spark is the way it automatically filters notifications. Spark intelligently decides which emails to send me a notification and icon badge for- and which ones to just let wait in the inbox. And so far- it’s never been wrong. I used to keep all my email notifications off. Now I happily leave it on and marvel at the fact that the only time I get “dinged” is when I really care to be. It’s amazingly good.
Paper - by Facebook. Okay, so Facebook isn’t “technically” a stock app- but it might as well be. And as someone who has a low tolerance for Facebook, this is the ONLY way I can tolerate Facebook anymore. Paper is a radically different design but I love it. ZERO notifications; yet Messenger is built right in so I don’t need the separate app. No promoted anything on the timeline- just posts that my friends made or liked. Big, beautiful photos. And not one singe Candy Crush Request. If you’re light on Facebook like I am- Paper is the BEST way to go by far!
Calendars 5 - Also by Readdle this is my favorite calendar app. Honestly because it’s my favorite graphical design for a calendar and the sync is good. Gives me what I want, then stays out of my way. Perfect productivity.
WeatherUnderground - As a Floridian, my driver’s license doubles as a membership card to the American Meteorological Association. We’re weather junkies here since it’s known for being fast, furious, and always on the move. So good weather apps are important. I use Dark Sky for notifications and a separate Hurricane Tracker for storm activity, but WeatherUnderground has become my daily go-to. Mostly because the Widgets are fantastic, but also because it does a great job of putting what I want most (radar) right up front for me. Reliable and accurate. It’s great.
Grab - my Instagram replacement. Again, not technically “stock” but pretty much is. Grab has a great flow, allows me to download posts (which I do often for my work account) and allows for multi-account management. (Seriously- how is that not in the native app by now??) It’s a pain that you can’t post otherwise, but oh well. For all but one task, Grab makes Instagram better so it’s my go-to choice.
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