This post is a continuation of my December 2025 post, What’s on My iPhone – Part 1, which can be found here. Part 2 explores some of the apps that I feel are worth mentioning. I’ve sorted the apps into broad categories so it’s easier to navigate: Productivity, Fitness, Finance, Browser, and Travel.

PRODUCTIVITY

Apple Reminders

I’m breaking my rule here by listing a default app, but I had no other choice. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem and can’t live without a to-do list, you should be using Apple Reminders. I’ll gloss over the other features, but the biggest reason is the ability to use Siri to add items to your to-do list.

Whether you’re driving or don’t have access to your phone but have a HomePod or AirPods, you can dictate an item directly into your list, even with associated information such as date and time. This is, hands down, the best thing about Apple Reminders. Honestly, I don’t know if other to-do list apps let you use Siri to add items, but I doubt it’ll be as clean and simple as this app.

Other than that, the app has other standard features too: multiple and shared lists, assigning priority to items, adding descriptions – which deserve a shoutout as well.

FITNESS

AllTrails

My wife and I are trying to get into hiking whenever the weather is nice, and this is the best app for that. This is one of the rare apps where the free version is fully functional. It sorts trails by difficulty, time, activity, accessibility, and attractions such as waterfalls and beaches.

Each trail has stats from previous hikers, comments, and pictures. The best part is that you can filter trails to only show loop hikes, meaning hikes that start and end at the same spot. This makes it super convenient for those of us driving to the hike itself.

The app also has a built-in map that guides you on the trail and connects with your fitness tracker as well. If you’re into hiking, then you’ve probably heard of this app. If you’d like to get into hiking, check this app out. Happy trails!

GymRats

A close friend of mine introduced me to this app, and it’s a great way to “gamify” staying active. You can create a group and it will keep score of how many days each person has done something active. At the end of a week, month, or year, the person with the highest number of active days wins.

It’s encouraged me to be more active just so I can beat my friends, and I think it’ll help you as well. Best of all, it syncs with Apple Health or Fitbit, so you don’t have to manually add any information. Shortly after the activity is complete, it adds that activity to the app.

If you don’t know anyone who’d want to be part of your group, reach out to me. I’d love to be part of the group and be called a “GymRat” as well.

Strong

This is my workout app of choice. I use it to record my workouts and track my progress over time. The best features of this app are the built-in rest timers and custom exercises.

The rest timer is built into the routine so that whenever I mark a set as complete, it automatically starts a 30-second rest timer, which is how long I wait between sets. It then rings a short bell to indicate when I should start the next set.

Custom exercises are a must-have because there are some movements that don’t exist in the catalog. When creating an exercise, I can name it, assign a body part, and select the exercise type such as barbell, dumbbell, machine, or bodyweight. I’m not sure if other apps have every single exercise plus a rest timer, but I’ve been using this app for two years now and I love it.

FINANCE

CardPointers

This isn’t a “finance” app per se, but it was the closest category I could use. The app lets you add all your credit cards, even across different banks, and gives you pointers on which card is best to use for categories such as groceries, travel, and fuel.

It knows the earn rates for each card and recommends the best one to use. If you have a lot of credit cards, this is a great way to make sure you’re maximizing rewards. The layout and card selection are excellent, so you’ll likely find your card in their catalog. They even let you enter custom welcome bonuses to ensure you take full advantage of them. You’re welcome!

BROWSER

Brave

This is my browser of choice and one I recommend to others as well. The ad-blocking system is the best I’ve used, and it works without any add-ons. The ad blocker is built directly into the browser, so you can scroll through websites without those pesky ads and pop-ups.

Not to mention, the default search engine and AI model are both safe and secure to use. This is the browser I recommend for anyone trying to use the internet more safely while minimizing their digital footprint. Once you go Brave, you can’t go back.

TRAVEL

Flighty

Granted, you can’t do much with the free version, but there’s something about this app that I just love. It’s a flight tracker for all your personal flights, and it logs your historical flights as well. At the end of each year, it generates a “passport” with stats about all the flights you’ve taken.

I’ve included my Flighty passport below. Besides being very Instagram-worthy, it shows your shortest and longest flights, how much time you’ve lost due to delays, and the aircraft you’ve flown the most. These stats aren’t a must-have, but since I’m a nerd for data, aesthetic apps, and planes, this app was built for me.

With the paid version, you can track where your plane is, get live updates in case of delays, and access assistant services. Some YouTubers even swear they receive alerts earlier than airline updates. I don’t fly enough to justify the paid version yet, but if I did, I’d definitely pay for it. Safe travels!

Well, that’s it for now. I hope you found some useful apps in this list. I didn’t want to include all my everyday apps, only the ones I find especially useful and unique. Let me know if you have an app suggestion I should be using. Feel free to reach out!