The Screen Time dashboard on my iPhone tells me I have consistently spent north of 12 hours a day on my phone, a number I find both incredulous and worrying. No one should spend this much time on any device. Factoring in the 8 hours I spend a day looking at the monitors at work, and the hours I might spend watching TV, and the picture turn from concerning to an intervention-worthy situation.

I could go on forever about the dangers of prolonged phone use, the complex issues it presents to social interactions, and the effects on attention and focus, but this post is not about that, it's about my favourite mobile apps, so let's forget about the dark side and focus on what haunts my iPhone nowadays.

📚 Reading & Knowledge

I loved reading since I was a child, and I love it even more now as an adult. Few activities give me as much satisfaction and joy as reading does, so it's not surprise I spend a considerable amount of my spare time doing just that, reading. Over the years, I have tried numerous apps to find the ones that helped me read and retain what I learned with ease and comfort. The following apps are part of what makes reading an enjoyable experience.

Bookfusion

There are countless reading apps for phones and tablets, and most of them suck. I have tried almost every reader I could find through Google Search results and product review lists, and most of them left me rather disappointed. Until I came across Bookfusion [^Bookfusion: https://www.bookfusion.com/]. Bookfusion is a wonderful reading app that's available as a website and on various mobile and desktop platforms. It supports all the book formats that I usually read, offers great reading experience customization, and a cloud-sync function for those who want to keep their libraries synced across devices. It also integrates nicely with Readwise thus allowing me to keep my highlights stored and tracked both on Bookfusion and Readwise.

Bookshelf

A few years ago, I got back my reading mojo and started burning through books with a crazed dedication and enjoyment, and my reading statistics keep growing steadily. After trying multiple apps and methods to help me track what I read and discover new books, I settled on the Bookshelf[^Bookshelf App: https://www.getbookshelf.com/] application as the best reading tracker out there. With a polished UI, splendid performance, and easy to use discovery feature (that incorporates AI), Bookshelf is the last reading tracker you will ever need.

Readwise & Reader

I have been a massive fan of Readwise[^ Readwise: https://readwise.io/] for years, and their Reader[^ Readwise Reader: https://read.readwise.io/] is also growing on me after using it for a while. While Reader doesn't come close to Bookfusion, the original Readwise app is one of my favourites. Having all highlights from books, articles, and webpages in one place where I can revisit them and even create flashcards for further learning is a godsend. The integration between Readwise and Reader means less time spent on my side worrying about syncing the highlights, which is a much welcome benefit.

Headway

I am not a fan of reading book summaries instead of entire books, if I think a book is interesting, I rather read it fully and then decide whether it was worth it or not. That being said, Headway[^Headway: https://makeheadway.com/] is the only app focused on providing quick book summaries that I found myself browsing occasionally, to learn some new insights, or find new books to add to my reading list.

Hacker Feed

I do wish there were more specialized news aggregators out there, or at least ones that haven't been overtaken by news about AI. Until I find such sites, Hacker News is my go to for finding new, captivating technical content. I mainly browse the site through my web browser, but on the odd occasion where I want to check it on my mobile, Hacker Feed[^ Hacker Feed: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hacker-feed/id1451386900] is my go-to app. The browsing experience is superb and the app just works.

NetNewsWire

While I do use Hacker News to discover new content and possibly new blogs to read, RSS remains a core part of my reading setup. Whenever I discover a new blog, or a site that publishes content I find intriguing, the first thing I look for is the RSS feed link so I can add it to my RSS reader. Among the numerous RSS readers, NetNewsWire[^ NetNewsWire: https://netnewswire.com/] remains my favourite. Available on both macOS and iOS, NetNewsWire is a delight to use and makes the activity of catching up on new posts a rather enjoyable one.

Narwhal

I will never forgive Reddit for their atrocious API changes that led to the death of one of the best mobile apps ever created, aka our dear Apollo app. My Reddit browsing took a massive hit once Apollo stopped working, but eventually, I found Narwhal[^ Narwhal: https://narwhal.app/]. A great alternative to the horrible official Reddit app and one that doesn't make me want to throw my phone through the window while trying to browse Reddit or sift through the new posts on r/selfhosted without losing my mind.

🖼️ Media & Photos

Ente Photos

I do like and kind of trust Apple iCloud as a reliable method for keeping my photos and videos safe for the foreseeable future. That being said, having an extra backup doesn't hurt, especially when it is as pleasant to use as Ente Photos[^ Ente Photos: https://ente.io/]. The service backs up photos and videos to an end-to-end encrypted cloud storage while offering handy features like face detection and curated memories. I sleep like a dead man knowing that my photos are safe.

Immich

I do like Ente Photos, and fully support their mission, but the service costs money and my current library is pushing the limit of my current plan, so an upgrade is looming. Immich[^ Immich: https://immich.app/] offers many of the same features (and more) while being open-source and easy to self-host within my home network. For a while, I kept it running as an experiment, but recent improvements to both the server and mobile app convinced me to start using the app more consistently. A well-written, carefully designed, and pleasant service to run and use. Immich will soon replace Ente Photos as my backup service of choice for photos and videos.

Apple Music

Music is the background to my days and a considerable part of what helps me focus, work, read, and even sleep. Unless I am in a meeting or out with friends, there is a great chance music is playing through my headphones, and Apple Music[^ Apple Music: https://www.apple.com/se/apple-music/] is the driver behind it all. From the massive library, to the outstanding audio quality, and the surprising radios and discovery channels, Apple Music is just worth the monthly subscription price. I was pleasantly surprised when they released the Classical app, it became an instant part of my reading sessions and long coding or writing marathons.

Noisli

Every so often we all wish it was raining outside or that we were sitting by the fire on a winter night, sipping on a soda and enjoying the latest book, don't we? Well, I do, and Noisli[^Noisli: https://www.noisli.com/] is a great app for setting up such a vibe, I use it frequently when reading or just zoning out next to my window on a cloud day.

Kino

Kino[^ Kino: https://www.shotwithkino.com/] is a bit of an odd one to add to this list, but in the short time I have been using it, It became my favourite app for capturing high-quality videos using my iPhone. It's more powerful than the default camera, offers more advanced customization, and I love the various styles that can be instantly applied to the videos. If you take countless videos on your iPhone, definitely give Kino a try.

👨‍💻 Productivity & Utilities

Shortcuts

I am not into home automation that much, but I do have a handful of automations for thing like turning lights on and off, or turning on my VPN when I leave the house. Most of the automations I have are created in the Apple Shortcuts[^ Shortcuts App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shortcuts/id915249334] app on my phone/laptop, and I mostly invoke them from my phone. Small automations can make a huge difference in our daily experience (especially when paired with location-based activation) and the shortcuts' app offers endless possibilities to create any automation you can want. Well, not any automation, there are a bunch of limitations, but it is good enough for most of the things I have dreamt up so far.

LanguageTool

I think my English language skills are decent, but I occasionally find myself consulting the Merriam-Webster dictionary on how to spell a handful of words. Combine that with the fact I don't like using LLMs to correct my writing, and an app like LanguageTool[^ LanguageTool: https://languagetool.org/] becomes a necessity. Currently, my blog editor is full of colourful underlines from LanguageTool, alerting me to outright mistakes or possible style improvements. Whether it is writing blog posts, long messages, or authoring documents, LanguageTool is an indispensable tool in my belt, and a key reason why most of my recent writing has less insane mistakes compared to older posts.

LinkThing

There are multiple open-source selfhosted bookmark mangers out there, but Linkding[^Linkding: https://linkding.link/] is my favourite because of its simple interface, reliable features and extendability. It's no surprise then that one of my favourite –and frequently used– apps is LinkThing [^ LinkThing: https://github.com/amoscardino/linkthing], the best iOS app to complement your selfhosted Linkding selfhosted instance.

ntfy

I run numerous services inside my home network, some for daily use, some for fun and experimenting. Most if not all of these services provide notifications for operational updates among other topics, and checking manually through their interfaces or by reading logs is exhausting and possibly a dumb idea. ntfy[^ ntfy: https://ntfy.sh/] is the solution to all of your self-hosted notification needs. ntfy is lightweight, easy to deploy and maintain, and integrates with an endless list of tools and sources. It took me seconds to configure notifications from my Uptime Kuma instance to be delivered to my phone. If you self-host services (or build things on the internet, or just require an easy and reliable notification service) ntfy is for you.

Orion Browser

I am writing this post through the Ghost Web Editor using Brave Browser, my favourite browser and the daily driver behind almost all of my web browsing on both my laptop and phone. That being said, I have been test-driving the new kid on the block from Kagi, and so far, I am impressed. Orion[^ Orion Browser: https://kagi.com/orion/] is a new web browser developed by the folks at Kagi offering native performance, integrated ad blocker, and support for extensions from Chrome or Firefox. I am certainly considering switching to Orion as my daily driver, and so should you. Unless you use Linux, Windows, or Android, then you are out of luck, for now (a Linux version is coming).

GitHub Mobile

As I browse through Hacker News or skim Reddit threads, I frequently come across new and interesting projects that pique my interest. Aside from bookmarking the webpages, I usually also checkout the project repo on GitHub[^ GitHub Mobile: https://github.com/mobile] using their mobile app and more than often, I star said repo for later exploration. The GitHub app is a delight to use for such purposes.

🔐 Privacy & Security

BankID

If you live in Sweden (or know someone who does) then there is a good chance you already know the fact that if you don't have a BankID[^ BankID Homepage: https://www.bankid.com/], you might as well not exist according to service providers and government agencies. BankID is the most popular electronic identification service in Sweden (there are newer products but none of them comes close to BankID's integration into society) and is a requirement for accessing anything from your bank account, to government services, and even your supermarket discount accounts. It's simply an indispensable part of life for everyone who lives in Sweden. Lose your phone without having a hardware token or another phone with BankID installed, well, game over for you.

1Password

So many passwords, so little memory. As a security engineer, I consider it a matter of personal pride to keep my password security hygiene at the highest level possible. After all, having one of my accounts breached would be awkward to explain to friends and coworkers (I can already hear the unhinged jokes my friend Asim would throw my way).

With that in mind, of course using a password manager is a no-brainer and after trying many options, 1Password[^ 1Password: https://1password.com/] won my vote for the foreseeable future. 1Password offer a range of features, loads of customization, and advanced tools for power users – I use the SSH agent integration almost daily– along with solid security controls. I have been testing ProtonPass and VaultWarden as possible alternatives, but so far, 1Password remains my reliable choice for a password manager.

Ente Auth

The moment you tell a security engineer you started using a password manager, they immediately jump into their next time-critical advice: enable two-factor authentication everywhere. It's good advice, and you should follow it like your life depended on it (because in some edge case, it might). Even though 1Password supports addition of two-factor authentication credentials to any login items you create (through OTP codes or Passkeys), I don't use it for such purposes.

In the spirit of “don't put all your eggs in one basket”, I use Ente Auth as my primary two-factor authentication method. The folks at Ente keep delivering world-class products, and Auth is a no-brainer choice. It works, your data is backed up, it supports extra methods for unlocking (e.g. FaceID, TouchID), and unlike some apps that strive to make exporting your codes as much of a hassle as possible –👀 Authy–, Ente makes it as simple as possible.

Signal

Texting is my main form of communication (I hate phone calls and video meetings), and for a select group of friends, it's done through Signal[^ Signal: https://signal.org/]. I am a massive fan of Signal's mission in securing private communication and try as much as possible to encourage friends and family members to use it as their main communication channel (my family remains resistant to such proposition, at some point, I simply have to give up).

Many apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Instagram, etc.) now support end-to-end encrypted messaging, but each app implements it in their own way and so far, Signal implementation is my favourite. Add the fact I don't trust (or like) Facebook as a company, and my choice for secure communication makes a lot of sense.

WireGuard

I mentioned earlier that I host numerous services within my home network, many of which I use daily (e.g. Linkding, Immich, IT-Tools, and AdGuard Home). Accessing local services when I am home is straightforward, but doing so while on the go is a different matter. People have figured alternative solutions to the question of how do I access my local services when I am not home? One of the most popular choices is Tailscale[^ Tailscale: https://tailscale.com/], a wonderful networking service that makes accessing remote services a breeze.

I genuinely like Tailscale, but I wanted something more local that doesn't involve external services, hence the choice to spin up my own WireGuard[^ WireGuard Homepage: https://www.wireguard.com/] server and use it as my VPN when away from home. I was pleasantly surprised when the router I used at home introduced support for WireGuard (they supported OpenVPN and IPSec for a while). After a quick firmware upgrade, and a few minutes of configuration[^ Asus Guide on How to set up WireGuard® VPN server? https://www.asus.com/support/faq/1048280/], the WireGuard app was installed on my phone, and my connection to home was established in an efficient and reliable manner.

The Proton Apps

The trade-off between privacy and user experience/features is a tricky one and a major factor in how some big tech companies maintain a wide user base despite everyone's interest in more private services. Google Workspace services are a delight to use, but they come at a cost, one that not everyone is comfortable paying, I certainly am not. Proton is one of my favourite companies, their mission speaks to me personally, and the fact they managed to provide privacy-focused product that are also usable is beyond impressive.

Following that, there is no surprise that I am (and have been for many years) an avid user of most of their services. My email is hosted on ProtonMail[^ ProtonMail Homepage: https://proton.me/mail] using a bunch of custom domains that I use for different needs and situations. Proton Drive[^ Proton Drive Homepage: https://proton.me/drive] is slowly creeping into my daily file management and storage activities. I use ProtonPass[^ Proton Pass Homepage: https://proton.me/pass] and Proton Authenticator as backups for my primary password manager and two-factor authentication apps. Finally, ProtonVPN[^ ProtonVPN Homepage: https://protonvpn.com/] is a solid part of my web browsing activities (when there is a need for it).

📡 Networking & Hardware

nRF Connect

nRF Connect[^ nRF Connect for Mobile: https://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-tools/nRF-Connect-for-mobile] is a less-known app and I admittedly don't use it often, but it is a great source of fun and inquiry when I do so. nRF Connect is a powerful app that allows you to scan, view, and analyse, and communicate with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices. Start it on a bus ride or on an evening walk, and you would be astounded by the number of BLE devices around you. Occasionally, I use it to view some random devices and just get lost in the interconnected world around me that's invisible yet powering the countless things we take for granted.

Asus Router

For a long time, I managed my router through the web UI, unaware that a mobile app (Asus Router App[^ Asus Router App: https://www.asus.com/content/asus-router-app/])exists for those who want to use it. I don't do a lot of my network management on the phone, but having the app installed and configured is helpful in a pinch or when I am away from home and need to adjust some minor configuration. The fact the app works even with custom firmwares like the Asus-Merlin one is a considerable plus for those of us who love to tinker and mess with our network routers.

💼 Job & Career

JobHunt

I am not currently looking for a new job, but if I did, this would be the only app I would use to find new opportunities. Built by my friend Ayman Alshaikh, JobHunt[^JobHunt: https://jobhunt.work/] is the best job search and application app out there. From near-immediate alerts of new job postings from dozens of job sites, to AI-assisted CV adjustments and cover letter creation, JobHunt is hands-down a powerhouse for those looking for the next job. The fact it's built by Ayman is just the cherry on top, he is seriously remarkable and everything he builds is exceptional.

Epilogue

Currently, there are 382 apps installed on my iPhone, most of which I haven't used in weeks (some have been untouched for months). I am certainly overdue for some clean-up and perhaps a purge. However, our phones have become –for better or worse– extensions of us. We rely on them to stay in touch, learn a new thing, entertain ourselves, conduct business, create new things, and even file taxes. Much like we find ourselves hoarding documents and keepsakes fearing that one day we might need them, we hoard apps too and the more connected the world becomes, the more apps will land on our phones, god help us all.

This is a really long post, probably one of –if not the– longest I have ever written on this blog, and even then, it only showed a minute portion of what I have on my phone. These are the essentials, the daily drives, and for some of them, the apps that help me retain a sense of joy and wonder in a world that's bent on crushing every last bit of us into a giant hamster wheel.

I hope you found these ramblings insightful, funny, or merely intriguing. Maybe you learned about an app you didn't know about before, maybe you are now motivated to self-host some new services. If you get anything out of this post (no matter how big or small, how useful or amusing), then it's well worth the few hours it took me to write it down.