My favorite iOS apps of 2018
This year I've discovered several apps that I wanted to share. Some are new, some have been around for a while but they are new to me. I'm tired of year-end countdowns so here they are in no particular order:
MileIQ is fantastic if you need to track mileage. Download and configure it, then every time you drive it tracks your movement. You'll get periodic reminders to categorize your trips. Just swipe left for personal or swipe right for business. Then you can download a spreadsheet of your trips for easy reporting.
I hate voicemail. But sometimes it's a necessary evil. This service (which has free and paid tiers) will transcribe your voicemail, block spam and scam phone calls, can send different callers to different outgoing messages, and can even let you have multiple outgoing messages and swap between them as needed. It's far more powerful than the voicemail service from your cell phone provider.
Got a bazillion photos? Of course you do. And dozens of nearly the exact same thing. Gemini was already my favorite duplicate finder on Mac but it's really amazing on iPhone. Install it and let it access your Photo Library. It will match similar photos and even make recommendations on which one to keep, then it will toss the rest. It's reduced my photo library drastically. Gemini is free for a few days but then it costs if you want to keep it running.
OverDrive has been around for a while now. It's an app that lets you connect to your library account and download eBooks and audio books. But I've never liked the OverDrive interface. Enter Libby, a completely new redesign that's far more user-friendly. Now if only they added CarPlay support...
Would InDesign be overkill for your simple graphics needs? Canva is a great app (and website) that lets you make quick and easy content for websites and print if your needs are simple. Choose from their own templates or make something of your own. Many templates and clip-art are included for free but they charge small amounts if you want their fancier stuff.
Amazon Prime customers can take advantage of this great service to order from Whole Foods in supported areas. Shop for groceries on your iPhone and a courier will drop it off during your selected two-hour window. Prices are the same as the store and you even get the Prime discounts. There is no delivery charge for orders over $35, but you should include a tip at checkout. You can also build your list with Echo by saying "Alexa, get bananas from Whole Foods."
Hopper is the travel app I always wanted. Input the dates and destinations you are looking to travel, and they will use their algorithms to tell you when to buy tickets, and how much you can expect to save by waiting. Whenever there are big changes you'll get a push notification telling you to buy. I managed to score round-trip tickets to Paris for $300 with this.
SeatGuru has been around for quite some time but I really only recently discovered it personally. Now I never reserve a seat without consulting it first. It will let you know what seats on any plane have less leg room, more leg room, power outlets, good window alignment, etc.