Got A New iPhone? These 10 Free Apps Are Worth Checking Out

From good ol' Google Maps to tiny little animals living inside the iPhone 14 Pro series' dynamic island — there's a lot to choose from.

It really is iPhone season. Apple has released the iPhone 14 series and as the festive season approaches, a number of merchants have been offering deals and discounts on other iPhones as well. As a result, a lot of folks have gone and got themselves some version of Apple's smartphone. But getting a new iPhone is only the first part of the iPhone experience. You need to set up the phone and install apps on it to really get going. 

There are those apps that almost everyone downloads, such as social network apps (Twitter, Facebook), mail (Outlook, Gmail), and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Snapchat). But what if you want to go beyond those, preferably without spending too much money (hey, you just got an iPhone)? 

Well, here are 10 apps that we think you should get on your iPhone right away. They are powerful, useful, and best of all, totally free: 

Flipboard: The app-y news magazine 

Smartphones and apps have become a primary source of news, helping us keep up with all that is going on around the globe. This is the reason why almost all major news sources (publications, channels, news wires, et al) have their own apps. But downloading and using all these different apps can be a pain. To save yourself from this hassle, you can download Flipboard. 

Flipboard is a part social, part magazine/news app which not only gathers news but also blog posts, articles, videos, and other formats of content from different sources and arranges them in a magazine-like format allowing you to flip through it. 

The app requires users to create a profile and uses a very basic login process. It allows you to select genres of information that you would like to stay updated about and also recommends topics, people, and publications that you might like to follow.  

Once you have selected the topics you would like to follow, the app will pick stories related to those particular topics and feature them in one magazine under that topic. 

You can flip through the stories and select the one you would like to read further based on the headline and a small intro. Clicking on the story will redirect you to the page of the original publication within the app. You can have a quick read and then go back to your app again and browse through some more stories. 

Snapseed: Image editor supreme

We all know that iPhones have some very capable cameras which are paired with equally efficient editing options, but if you want to take your photography game to a different level then we would recommend you download Snapseed on your iPhone. 

The app, which comes from Google itself, is a free yet extremely powerful image editing tool that allows you to tweak your pictures as you please. Snapseed comes loaded with filters (labeled as ‘Looks’) for beginners, as well as a plethora of ‘Tools’ that would come in handy if you want to give your photo more than just a filter coat. 

Options like Brush, Healing, and HDR Scape allow you to touch up your images while tools like Text and Frames let you add more to your photographs. 

That is not all, you can even edit RAW format files on the app. You can undo, redo or revert to the original photo and view edits made on the photo as well.

Once you are through with your edits, you can export your image to your social media or share it with your friends from within the app itself. Snapseed is the most user-friendly yet powerful image editing app out there by some distance, making it our absolute go-to image editing app. 

Google Maps: Still the map app master 

Yes, we know Apple Maps exists and Apple has improved a lot in the past few years, but Google Maps pretty much remains unbeatable in this realm.  

Google Maps is known for its accuracy and attention to detail when it comes to even remote areas, making it the absolute best map to use in a country as large and diverse as India. 

Apart from finding out the fastest route from one location to another (with different options for cars, motorbikes, walking, and local transport) and letting you know the state of traffic on roads (so important in India), Google Maps comes with many additional features as well. 

The app has an Explore feature which gives you information about interesting and relevant places you can visit or check out depending on your location. The app also allows you to pin specific locations that you might travel to often, like your home or work. To get directions to them from wherever you are, simply tap on them. 

You can also save locations, make the app remember where you parked your car, share a location with your friends and family and contribute reviews of places you visit. The app also comes with categories such as Food and Drinks, Things to do, Shopping, and Services. You can tap on a category, pick the type of location you would like to visit and Google Maps will highlight places in that category. 

You can even check out the menus of restaurants, read reviews, and find out whether a mall or cafe you are planning to visit is crowded, It might be called Google Maps, but is way more than just about getting from point A to point B, and is in many regards, the perfect travel companion. 

Glympse: Share where you are 

Glympse is awesome for those times when we need to let people know where exactly we are or where we are headed. There are navigation apps that let you share your location too, but what makes Glympse special is its single-minded focus on letting people know where you are. 

You just have to download the app, ensure that GPS is running and you can send people a Glympse by mail or message to let them know where you are on a map. 

You can share your current location or even your live location for a period of time (like if you are travelling in a new city or are out late), with either a single person or a group of people. 

The best part is that the receiver does not need to have the app on their device. They just need a device that can access the Internet, and can see where you are on a map, be it on a notebook, tablet, desktop, or a phone. 

The app has become a little more enterprise-oriented of late but it remains totally free and very effective, and pretty much a must-have for most of us. 

Photoshop Camera Photo Effects: For those wanting spectacularly special photographs 

The iPhone's default camera app comes with some very good filters, but if you want to do a whole lot more, then this is the app for you. The rather elaborately named Adobe Photoshop Camera Effects not only has some brilliant and spectacular filters but even has a lot of image processing magic built in, thanks to which you can change your images to a remarkable extent.

You can add a different sky to a landscape, make steam come out of ice cream, convert a portrait into a cutout, fill up a face with trees from a forest, and much more. And all of this can be done in a "live" interface — you can actually see the effect on the subject before you take a snap. The results are spectacular and very well rendered as well. 

You can also add effects and filters to existing snaps if you wish, and the best part is that the collection of effects — Adobe calls them Lenses — keeps expanding and you can keep trying out new tweaks. There are even some basic image editing tools such as cropping and adjusting shadows, highlights, contrast, and so on. And all incredibly easy to use!

Canva: The simple design productivity champ 

When it comes to blending images and words and creating designs, there are few apps that work as well as Canva does. The app lets you create everything from social media posts to whiteboards to presentations and posters to videos and actually can even help you make a website. 

And all without paying a penny, although you do get a paid option that gives you more features. There are dozens of formatting options and templates to choose from. 

The sheer variety of choices you have, be it in terms of fonts, images or backgrounds can at times be a little overwhelming, so remember to be patient. What makes Canva even more special is the presence of a very vibrant and interactive community that actually tries to help you out when you get stuck. 

This is the app for those who love to be creative with their content and share it, be it on social media or with their co-workers in an enterprise environment. 

Google: Search, scan…this is THE search app to have 

Google’s search engine prowess needs no preamble and while Google can be accessed by using the pre-installed Safari browser as well, the dedicated Google app is a much better, and more feature-rich way of searching the Web.  

On the iPhone, the Google app also comes with Google Lens to the app which allows you to know more about that subject or object by just taking a picture of it in the app. You can even identify objects you have previously photographed using this feature. 

Also on board is Google Voice Search, which lets you speak into your iPhone and get information on any topic. You can even use the app to identify a song that is playing. 

The landing page of the app shows the latest trending news, making it more than just about search. The app also comes with a widget of its own, which you can place on the iPhone to access more easily. 

All the searches made on the app are encrypted which is major thumbs up for privacy and it also comes with an incognito mode. 

PhotoMath: Point and click and solve a math problem 

We all have those moments when we need to make a quick calculation, whether it is to work out the discounted price of a product on a sale or simply to split expenses between friends after a meal or a trip. 

Of course, the iPhone has a calculator but using it can be a little complicated as you cannot see the entire equation or problem you have typed on it (you can only see the current number you are typing). What's more, you cannot use the onboard calculator to solve slightly more complex problems or equations. This is where PhotoMath comes in. 

You can actually see the entire problem or equation that you type in and the answer appears below it, so you are sure you have made no typos. It can also handle complex problems if needed. 

And then there is the feature that gives the app its name — just take a picture of a mathematical equation, and the app will solve it, and can also show you the steps taken. A must-have for all those who feel their eyes glaze over when numbers and mathematical symbols appear in front of them. You can also use it to learn math, actually, but we prefer its super calculator "snap it, solve it" side. 

Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets: Your online productivity and storage suite 

Once you get your iPhone, setting up a few office apps is always a good idea. Yes, the iPhone comes with its own office apps like Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, but those are only optimised for the Apple ecosystem. If one is working across different platforms, using Google Drive, Docs and Sheets, just makes the whole process of sharing and editing that much easier, with a number of people having Google accounts. 

Both Google Docs and Google Sheets are extremely powerful and capable apps, with a number of editing and formatting options as well as the ability to create and edit MS Word and MS Excel files. They can even open and generate PDFs. 

With Google Docs and Sheets you also get to seamlessly work and share work with others, even those on Windows and Android. You can grant access to a certain file to a group of people and all of you can work simultaneously on that document or spreadsheet without having to pass it around on emails. 

You can also view the edit history, see who made changes to the document and edit and work together on the same file simultaneously. Google Drive is a great place to park your work and content on the Web. 

While iCloud is the go-to cloud storage option for iPhone users, it only offers 5GB of free storage. Google Drive on the other hand provides you with 15GB of free storage and is comparatively more affordable as well.  

With this trio of Google apps, you can create, edit, share and save documents, videos, images, and different kinds of content on the cloud, and access it from just about anywhere. 

AirDroid: Send and receive files from Android or Windows  

One of the most popular features of the iPhone is AirDrop, which lets users transfer files between Apple devices seamlessly and wirelessly. The catch is that it works only within the Apple eco-system when the transferring has to be done between iOS, iPadOS, and macOS devices.

But what if you need to send or receive a file, a photograph, or a video to or from an Android phone or a Windows notebook? Well, that's where AirDroid comes into play. 

It lets you transfer files from your iPhone to other devices as long as they are on the same Wi-Fi network and have the app installed on them. 

It needs no Internet connectivity and even if Wi-Fi is not working, it can work over Bluetooth. It works swiftly (20 MBps) and is very effective for quick shares, although you have to put up with the odd ad from time to time. 

And (two) more things: Apps for those who went for iPhone 14 Pro and are visiting the Dynamic Island for the first time

Apollo for Reddit: Put a meow or a bow-wow on that Dynamic Island

Apollo is a Reddit client and well, if you have a Reddit account, you can read and post entries on the network. But if you use the app on an iPhone 14 Pro or an iPhone 14 Pro Max, you also get the option of choosing a cat or a dog to give you company from the app's Dynamic Island Zoo. 

The tiny animal (it is really tiny) will walk around the Dynamic Island cutout on top of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Yes, that's all it does, but it is such an awww touch. You can get more animals by paying for the premium version of the app. We are tempted! 

Hit the Island: Paddle for Pong

Did you know you can play Pong with the Dynamic Island on top of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max? 

Hit the Island lets you do exactly so. It converts the Dynamic Island into a paddle at the top of the display and you have to maneuver your own paddle to keep a ball in motion and get it past the Dynamic Island.

In a very neat touch, the shape of the Dynamic Island paddle changes during the game. Simple fun for now, until deeper games come into the picture.