Congratulations on becoming the proud new owner of an iPhone! As you finalize the setup and personalization, you‘re probably wondering which apps you should download first to make the most of your new iOS device.
With over 2 million apps on the App Store vying for your attention, trying to determine the most useful, productive or entertaining apps for your needs can get extremely overwhelming.
That‘s why we‘ve carefully evaluated hundreds of top iPhone apps to select the 10 absolute essentials every user should download on their new device right off the bat.
How We Selected the Must-Have iPhone Apps
Several factors went into compiling the below list of highly recommended apps across various categories:
- Popularity: Number of active installs and downloads indicating widespread adoption
- Ratings & Reviews: Overall app store rating and number of positive reviews
- Utility: Usefulness and variety of app features solving day-to-day needs
- Price: Free or paid app and value for money
- Quality & Performance: UI/UX design, visual appeal, stability and reliability
- Brand Reputation: Developer track record and brand credibility communicating trust
Additionally, we optimized our recommendations based on apps that provide the best user experience specifically tailored for iPhone models and iOS integration.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 essential apps to download on your new iPhone:
| App | Category | Price | App Store Rating | Key Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Music & Audio | Freemium | 4.8 ⭐ | 75M tracks, social sharing, audio quality, device syncing |
| Google Maps | Navigation & Transit | Free | 4.7 ⭐ | Live traffic, AR exploration, directions for 200+ cities |
| Microsoft Outlook | Email & Calendar | Free | 4.7 ⭐ | Unified inbox, intelligent search, reminders and notifications |
| Dropbox | Cloud Storage | Freemium | 4.8 ⭐ | File version history, link sharing, security, iOS Files app integration |
| Zoom | Video Conferencing | Freemium | 4.7 ⭐ | HD video, customizable layouts, device syncing, easy scheduling |
| YouTube | Video Streaming | Freemium | 4.8 ⭐ | 2B+ monthly users, personalized recommendations, background play |
| Uber | Ridesharing & Food Delivery | Free | 4.8 ⭐ | Fare estimates and trip tracking, delivery from restaurants nearby |
| News Aggregator | Free | 4.5 ⭐ | Curated headlines and stories, ad-free reading, personalization | |
| Houzz | Home Design & Lifestyle | Free | 4.8 ⭐ | Design inspiration, visual search, shoppable ideas, renovation advice |
| PayPal | Mobile Payments | Free | 4.8 ⭐ | P2P payments, store cards for easy checkout, purchase protection |
Now let‘s explore each of these 10 phenomenal apps further and why they deserve a spot on your iPhone‘s home screen today!
1. Spotify – The Best Music and Podcast Streaming App
With over 422 million monthly active users, Spotify is undoubtedly the world‘s most popular audio streaming app. It gives you instant access to a massive catalog spanning over 82 million songs, 4 million podcasts, and more.
Beyond the extensive content libraries, what sets Spotify apart is its top-notch personalization algorithms. Based on your listening activity, liked songs, followed artists etc. Spotify‘s recommendations really mirror your tastes delightfully.
The app makes downloading music and podcasts for offline listening extremely convenient. This means you can enjoy ad-free playback without using cellular data or relying on finicky Internet connectivity.
Premium subscribers can further take advantage of enhanced audio quality up to the HiFi CD level. But lossless listening may appeal more to audiophiles.
We also love Spotify for its social elements like being able to view friends‘ playlists and getting notified about new releases from favorite artists.
While the ad-supported free version of Spotify works great, it has limitations like shuffle-only playback and a lower audio bitrate. By subscribing to Spotify Premium for $9.99/month, you unlock unrestricted quality listening without any interruptions.
For the ultimate iPhone music experience, Spotify is absolutely unbeatable in its ubiquity and delightful matching of songs to your personal preferences thanks to top-class algorithms.
2. Google Maps – The Best Navigation and Transit App
Hailed as the undisputed leader in mapping and navigation apps, Google Maps should be one of the very first few apps you install on your new iPhone – especially if you drive or use public transportation frequently.
Equipped with constantly updated data informing estimated arrival times and routing, Google Maps makes navigating unfamiliar areas or routes efficient and stress-free. Even in parts with spotty cellular connectivity, you can preload offline maps to your phone and still access turn-by-turn directions uninterrupted.
Public transit riders can view train and bus schedules, routes, real-time departure data and delays or service alerts all conveniently within Google Maps. This takes the guesswork out of commutes and transfers – all you need to input is your destination, and Google Maps figures out the optimal transit journey.
Google Maps offers rich point-of-interest data surfaced based on user ratings and prior interactions. So whether you‘re looking for top-rated restaurants nearby or interesting attractions around, Google Maps has it all covered.
The street view functionality and AR mode enabling you to view shop fronts, restaurant interiors etc. right from the app are also incredibly handy. This gives you a preview of the actual location before you even visit.
And best of all – Google Maps offers this entire robust set of capabilities 100% free without any subscription or in-app purchases needed.
Advanced features like sharing your real-time location with certain contacts provide an added safety element as well.
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Google Maps‘ popularity only promises growing leveraging constant user feedback and usage patterns to further enhance personalization.
3. Microsoft Outlook – The Best Email and Calendar Management App
Juggling multiple email accounts across work and personal can quickly get disorganized. Microsoft Outlook fixes this beautifully with a stellar unified inbox neatly consolidating messages from all your different accounts automatically.
This saves you the hassle of checking individual email apps or browser interfaces constantly. Outlook‘s intelligent algorithms also surface the most important incoming messages upfront based on your interactions so you never miss anything urgent.
Outlook goes above and beyond basic email with deep calendar, contacts, notes, and tasks functionality in the same app. Location suggestions for meetings make scheduling super smooth. The reminders and notifications are contextual around all upcoming appointments, tasks nearing deadlines etc. So your iPhone keeps you punctual at all times.
Search in Outlook is especially powerful using AI to find results across people, attachments, text within documents – not just email titles. This significantly cuts down on the email back-and-forth when collaborating on files.
Outlook offers great cross-platform sync too. So your emails, calendar appointments, contacts seamlessly stay updated across desktop, web and mobile.
While Outlook competes closely with Apple‘s default Mail app, its depth of features and intelligent experiences take productivity up a notch. And conveniently, core Outlook features are available entirely free to use!
4. Dropbox – The Best Cloud Storage and File Syncing App
Dropbox pioneered the concept of cloud-based file storage back starting 2008. Today, it securely hosts over 700 million registered users‘ files spanning photos, documents, videos and more to access instantly from any device.
A key reason Dropbox stands out is its seamless syncing across desktop and mobile. Save a file on your work computer, and it automatically gets updated to your phone – no wires, cables or manual transfers needed!
The built-in document scanner is genius allowing you to directly scan passports, paperwork, handwritten notes etc. right from your iPhone camera into sharable PDF documents on Dropbox.
File-sharing also offers fine-tuned access controls from edit permissions down to password-protected and expiring view-only links. This keeps your sensitive work documents secure while allowing external partners occasional access as needed.
The website and document integration further streamlines your workflows with over 100 supported services like Slack, Zoom, Google Drive etc. You can start meetings, share folders for easy collaboration right where work happens daily.
While you get ample 2GB free storage, 85% of Dropbox individual users opt for a paid subscription unlocking more space, premium features, advanced admin controls for about $12.50/month. With iOS Files integration and industry-leading reliability over 15 years, Dropbox easily qualifies among the first apps to download when setting up your iPhone.
5. Zoom Cloud Meetings – The Best Video Conferencing App
As video calls became routine for work and personal contexts post-2020, Zoom undoubtedly emerged as the most popular and user-friendly conferencing app. It deserves a home screen spot for facilitating frictionless meetings with enterprise-grade security.
Hassle-free scheduling works across desktop and mobile letting you start instant meetings or plan video calls through Outlook, Gmail integrations. This makes conferencing easily blend into your everyday workflows.
Zoom reliably handles up to 100 participants with HD video and audio powered by proprietary algorithms optimizing quality dynamically based on network conditions. So you enjoy stutter-free meetings even on the move via iPhone cellular.
The customizable meeting features give you ultimate control including the ability to brand layouts matching company styling, spotlight active speakers, tweak how many participants show per screen and more based on discussion dynamics.
Useful in-meeting tools like screen sharing, co-annotation, whiteboarding, and breakout rooms enable highly engaging sessions that feel interactive despite the physical remote barriers.
And under the hood, Zoom employs end-to-end encryption safeguarding meeting contents. The app duly notifies you upon detecting connections via China-based servers, allowing you to take appropriate steps securing sensitive discussions.
Paid Zoom tiers unlock longer group session limits, cloud recordings saving, advanced analytics etc. But the free version works great for most basic needs.
With an unparalleled ease of use combined with continual security enhancements, Zoom has permanently revolutionized visual communication – making the app a daily essential for personal and professional contexts alike.
6. YouTube – The Best Video Streaming App
In the vast ocean of apps on iPhone, YouTube stands in a league of its own as the premium ad-supported and subscription video streaming platform globally.
YouTube stats speak for themselves – over 2 billion monthly active users, over 1 billion hours of video watched daily, and 500+ hours of new video uploads every minute!
Via the YouTube app, you can access all this rich content totally optimized for mobile at your fingertips. An AI-based recommendation engine suggests new videos to watch based on your viewing history and topics of interest to keep you engaged for hours.
Downloading videos offline for when you lack Internet connectivity is easy. This makes YouTube viable for flights or subway commutes where streaming isn‘t reliable but entertainment is still essential!
We especially appreciate the background audio play feature giving you an uninterrupted listening experience similar to podcasts and music. So you can keep watching or close the app, and the audio persists.
While YouTube has experimented with ad-formats, the overall experience remains non-intrusive. For completely ad-free viewing, a YouTube Premium paid subscription priced at a nominal $11.99 per month unlocks additional perks like exclusive original shows too.
But the sheer volume, variety and personalization that YouTube‘s content algorithm enables makes the free ad-supported usage itself extremely delightful already.
7. Uber – The Best Ridesharing and Food Delivery App
Uber‘s ride-hailing services sparked an entire industry with massive ripple effects making on-demand transportation ubiquitous in over 10,000 cities globally.
Via Uber‘s excellently designed iPhone app, you can conveniently book uberX economy rides, premier luxury vehicles, carpooling options, and even public transport integration in select cities.
Fare estimates available beforehand coupled with expected time of arrival updates based on live traffic let you plan your commute seamlessly. Trip route maps give you visibility into your progress during the ride itself as well for additional peace of mind.
Split fare options make managing group rides a breeze by automatically dividing up the total fare evenly or custom, and even allowing you to expense rides to corporate accounts.
Uber has expanded well beyond rides into food delivery and convenience items fulfillment. So you can now conveniently and quickly arrange dinner from restaurants nearby even late night or stock up on grocery essentials without stepping out.
While Uber has faced its share of controversy in establishing trust and fair driver policies, the iPhone app itself remains undisputed in its convenience enabling reliable transportation access complementing mass transit infrastructure wonderfully.
8. Flipboard – The Best News Aggregator App
Beyond social media, Flipboard represents an esteemed brand in curated news discovery trusted by over 100 million readers and counting.
The app handpicks top stories across general news, technology, business, science, entertainment etc. from over 5,000 global media outlets. An AI then personalizes your feed based on read articles and topics followed.
So you enjoy a rich news diet each day reflecting current events globally and themes matching your interests – no sensationalist clickbait or misinformation.
Supported natively on iPhone, Flipboard renders articles in gorgeous magazine-style layouts with vivid imagery or pull quotes. This truly enhances the reading experience and retention versus cramped text-heavy alternatives.
Respected media brands like CNN, BBC News, Bloomberg, National Geographic etc. partner with Flipboard directly to syndicate content. This editorial curation ensures only credible professionally produced stories get featured.
Local news options also help you stay updated on happenings from your city or personalized locations.
The entire Flipboard app is free to use without any ads or sponsored posts marring the pristine reading. So you can stay informed daily just as news was meant to be consumed!
9. Houzz – The Best Home Design and Lifestyle App
Planning any home upgrades whether minor decor tweaks or major renovations is infinitely easier with Houzz as your guide.
The key differentiator making Houzz the largest home design app with 40+ million monthly users lies in its rich visual orientation. Instead of vague descriptions, you literally visually browse over 15 million high-res photos spreading design inspiration or shopping ideas.
Houzz also captures extensive catalogues from 4,000+ retailers online indexing over 4 million home-related products searchable directly within the app. This makes finding your dream furniture, fixtures or decor utterly seamless.
Don‘t know exactly what you need but have a vague idea or inspiration image? Houzz‘s clever visual search uses image recognition to instantly pull up near-identical items to purchase across price ranges.
Beyond shopping, Houzz offers a supportive community of home design and remodeling experts to offer advice suited to your property. These include architects, contractors, interior designers and more vetted professionals.
While all core app capabilities are free, Houzz does allow you to contact and book dedicated design consultants too.
With an unparalleled wealth of visual data at its heart spanning aesthetic galleries, important technical dimensions and robust e-commerce support, Houzz makes home projects surprisingly frictionless.
10. PayPal – The Best Mobile Payments and Commerce App
Finally, PayPal completes our recommendations as the world‘s most ubiquitous P2P payments app since 1998 with over 350 million active individual and merchant accounts globally.
Via PayPal, splitting bills or expenses with friends has never simpler requiring just their email or phone number associated with their PayPal account. Transfers reflect instantly without hassles of cash withdrawals or banking delays.
PayPal also enables easy online shopping across merchant stores supporting it with your stored cards and shipping details auto-populating securely at checkout.
You can further store loyalty memberships, tickets, airline boarding passes all safely within PayPal‘s vault. And your purchases remain protected via buyer guarantees in case issues crop up.
Managing finances is convenient too with capabilities like depositing checks directly by taking a mobile picture, sweeping account balances under FDIC insurance into a PayPal Cash Plus account earning interest, paying credit card bills etc.
Thus PayPal equips your iPhone into the ultimate shopping and banking companion tailored to digital commerce‘s demands and security best practices.
The app uncomplicatedly facilitates both global business and daily delights like splitting utility bills or treating someone to coffee securely.
There you have it – the 10 absolute must-have apps for your new iPhone validated by millions of delighted users!
While personal preferences will still vary, we aimed to compile a starter kit covering essentials like:
- Music, podcasts and video entertainment
- Communications via email and conferencing
- Cloud storage and file sharing
- Navigation, transit and ride-hailing
- News discovery and online payments
These categories address most common day-to-day usage needs from productivity and work to leisure so you can readily unlock your iPhone‘s capabilities.
Each app also rates highly not just for its utility but for delightful and reliable user experiences specifically enhanced for iPhone and iOS.
Plus featured options consist of both free category leaders and paid versions unlocking better ad-free or premium experiences based on individual requirements.
We hope our thoroughly researched recommendations help inform your app download shortlist as you personalize your new iPhone to suit your lifestyle.
Here‘s to app adventures galore on your slick new device!
