5 Must-Have iPhone Apps

Just one day before leaving on my honeymoon, I upgraded to an iPhone 5S. Woohoo! My previous phone was an iPhone 4, and though it worked fine (if fine = randomly shutting off, the battery icon being stuck at 19 percent, and all the apps wonking out because of the iPhone 6 updates), I was excited to finally get a phone with a nicer camera (8 megapixels vs. 5, if you were wondering) right before my big trip. Anyway, the point is: obviously I had to download some apps the minute I walked out of the store. I have been making a conscious effort not to clog up my phone with unnecessary apps to help preserve its efficiency, but here are five apps I would rather not live without. (And the best part is: They're all free! I don't pay for apps. Pssh....)



Instagram | Duh. I am addicted to Instagram, as my almost-daily posts probably illustrate. And the only reason I don't post more is because I don't want to scare away potential followers (and because I like to think I hold my Instagram photos to a pretty high standard). If you like photos of beautiful books, cozy coffee cups and pretty places, you should definitely follow me! :)

Evernote | Not only do I use this app to track blog post ideas, but it's great for running to-do lists, shopping lists, books I need to get from the library, book challenge category ideas ... basically any list that you might get an idea for while you are on your computer, on your tablet or on your phone. The lists then sync across all platforms, so I never have to worry about forgetting something or losing whatever scrap of paper I happened to have on me at the moment.

Google Maps | Ever since that time the Apple maps app took me to the middle of a cornfield (literally) and told me I was at the Nike outlet, I switched to Google Maps and haven't looked back. Seriously, download it now.

Snapseed | Remember how much I love Instagram? Well, this photo-editing app is awesome for fixing issues (usually brightening dark photos, for me) before uploading. Honestly, sometimes I message myself photos from my computer to edit on my phone because Snapseed is so much easier to use than Photoshop and just as good! (To my untrained eye, at least.)

TripIt | This app pulls flight and other travel itineraries from my email in one easy-to-access spot. I love being able to open just one app to immediately find my confirmation number as I'm printing my boarding pass at the airport, and TripIt offers a nifty travel map to show you where you've been traveling!

Honorable Mentions: Podcasts (to listen to these of course) and Kindle (for those pesky lines and waiting rooms). Oh, and my newest download from this past weekend in San Diego: Uber!

If you got a new phone today, which app(s) would you download first?

Linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha for FIVE on Friday; Clare for Five Things Friday; Karli for Oh Hey, Friday!; Amanda for Friday Favorites; Sarah for Fan Friday; and Ash for Two for Tuesdays.