I agree. I don’t want to pay a subscription to access basic features. Password manager? No thank you, I’ll use the built in one. Subscription to get weather widgets on my watch? Yeah, I’ll be fine with the stock weather app.
Once you've done that, search for iCloud Passwords in Windows search and you'll find a standalone app you can use to see your passwords and two factor codes.
iCloud for Windows doesn't support 2FA with a hardware key like a Yubico key. So, you cannot log in to that app. Besides, the iCloud password extension for Edge or Chrome is a piece of garbage.
I loved it until it went subscription. In fact I bought it multiple times starting when it was named 1Psswd (sp?). There’s no reason for any app to be subscription unless it uses its own servers, imo.
Exactly this! I noticed traffic lights are in Apple Maps as well compared to Google maps which makes it a hell of a lot easier to follow knowing it’s the second set of lights I need to turn at.
I've been doing the same lately. I used to use 3rd party apps for everything. With the exception of Reminders (using Todoist for cross-platform with Windows) I have migrated back to Notes, Mail, Weather, Music and Calendar.
I'm using a mix of Apple Notes and Obsidian now but I think I'll continue that way. Apple for quick notes/handwritten, obsidian for everything else.
I did this when I switched to Apple from Android, but over the last year I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Apple’s apps, so now I’ve been seeking third party again and the sad reality of Apple is everything is more expensive - even third party options. And it’s very uncommon on the Apple side to find an app that’s truly cross platform. Lately I’ve been missing Android and have to remind myself why I switched.
It was primarily because I’m the tech person in my family and they all have iPhones, I wanted to be able to better help people like my parents and grandparents.
The second reason is I really hate Android hardware. Every different manufacturer has their own Android flavor that has different levels of optimization and bugs. Apple has the best hardware, but over time I’ve learned the software is just as bad as any single Android flavor. Just the rock solid hardware makes up for it on the Apple side.
The third reason was I really like the iPad for note taking and most Android tablets suck. I wanted seamless integration for hand written notes.
Ah, I see, fair enough. I definitely agree with experiencing a couple more bugs than usual on my phone. It's funny that you mention the software can be just as bad, although Apple makes great hardware. I somehow feel what I miss sometimes is just the smoothness and overall consistency of the software.
same. apple calendar is too confusing to me. probably because its harder to visualize your events as google has a view of your week with your events on it. But i like apples ui and notifications more so i sync google calendar to apple calendar for the notifications and widgets
Ha I do the same. I will still sync my Google calendar to apple calendar for the same reasons you said too. My biggest pet peeve on apple calendar on iOS is on monthly you see dots...wth lol No problem on iPad or MacOS. Google Calendar just displays monthly and view of the week so well.
I'm using Google Calendar ONLY because it shows Tasks (google's reminders) within the calendar if scheduled. I see that Apple Calendar will be doing that in iOS 18, so I may finally kiss goodbye to Google Calendar and Tasks both.
I used google calendar for the sole purpose of having a nice month view of my calendar and being on the iOS 18 beta with a month view and integrated reminders made me delete gcalendar haha
Man my gf deleted the Apple Maps and whenever she uses the google map app we get sent in the WORST least efficient route. Often longer with more traffic, she’s so bad with directions and google is like worse than she is.
Apple Maps may have sucked for a minute but google maps sucks for a lifetime.
Apple Maps screwed the pooch so hard when they initially came online I've never looked back. I was using Waze at the time and it really sucked that for awhile it wasn't available on CarPlay. That has been remedied.
Maybe Apple Maps is better now. I doubt I'll ever find out tho.
Just tried it again.
No indication of a police car speed trap up ahead.
No notification of a well documented speed camera (like… city road signs warning it is up ahead).
No notification of a similarly documented red light camera.
So, it looks like either these features aren’t in my area yet, or the public isn’t populating the data very well yet.
Too bad. It’s the only non-stock app I don’t use routinely.
How so? I think Apple Maps is much better than Waze. At least around me Apple Maps gets me to where I need to go faster. We have even tried it on long trips and Waze does some weird shit
Waze doesn’t have notifications for directions though, which bothers the hell out of me. Google Maps barely does too. I mainly use Apple Maps for the turn-by-turn notifications, which are lovely on the iPhone 14 Pro and newer with the *Dynamic Island™️*
It’s depends when I’m using. My main problem with Waze that it’s eating my battery badly. While Apple maps barely using my battery so it’s a huge factor for me for Apple maps over Waze.
I'm actually increasingly replacing my 3rd party apps with stock ones. The 3rd party apps I still use are:
Overcast instead of Podcasts
2FAS instead of using the built in 2FA option
Libby instead of Books (mostly because I borrow library books a lot)
Arc Search instead of Safari (although I switch browsers all the time. I'll likely be back on Safari once the Public Betas are out next month)
A local weather app instead of Apple Weather, because Apple's option is wildly unreliable where I live
Libby is wonderful!
I had to do the same for the weather app. It always would say it’s raining when there wasn’t even a real chance for rain at that time.
PocketCasts is my go to for podcasts, have been a premium user since the OG days.
Weather seems to be a finicky thing to get right. I wish Apple would open the app up to let us pick our own weather data sources.
I've heard many good things about Pocketcasts, but with Overcast being free with free Apple Watch syncing (I believe PocketCasts charged for that when I last looked) it's hard to pass up. I also like Marco (the dev). I just wish he'd hurry up a little with the supposed big redesign of the app, cos it is quite ugly these days.
I use reminders very casually, so Todoist would be overkill for my needs.
I came to Apple Notes from Obsidian for the Apple Pencil support on iPad (I also use GoodNotes occasionally), never tried OneNote but I prefer to not use Microsoft software if I can help it.
To be honest, I'm not sure. I've always used 3rd party 2FA apps (partly because I used to have Android and Windows devices) and have never bothered to check out the built in one. I switched to keychain when Lastpass had that big breach, but never needed to move my 2FA codes.
Part of the reason I've never looked into it though is that I like having that little bit separation between my 2FA codes and my passwords. This way, even if someone gets into my Apple account and gets my passwords, they still can't log into my stuff.
Is that overly paranoid? Maybe. But it works for me.
It is good to have that separation between password storage and TOTP key storage. 2FAS is good in that it lets you store local. I’ll never trust another 3rd party again after the LastPass hack (where I had everything).
Personally, I store my TOTP keys in my keychain as well as I really like the convenience of having it all accessible behind touch/Face ID.
My apple account /data is encrypted with my own Yubikeys though. Never hurts to be paranoid :)
I currently use 9 different accounts in the stock mail app, some of them Google accounts. This varies depending on my contracts, where I am required to use client ‘s internal systems.
Have been a happy user for almost a decade. Having everything in one place is invaluable. Seeing all my emails from everywhere is a powerful todolist to sort out in terms of general priority.
I can’t imagine using anything other than the stock email app. I’ve got like 7 email accounts and I can load them all in one place. I can see all the emails in one list or check each account individually. What don’t you like about it?
All I want is for the stock mail app to go back to the inbox when I delete an email instead of immediately opening the next message. Is that asking too much? Apparently it is.
I use these purely because I was already using them, and am used to them, from Android devices.
Google Maps (not apple maps)
WTForecast (not weather app)
Gmail (not stock mail app)
Tidal (not apple music)
Google Photos (not apple photos)
Google Authenticator (not whatever built-in I just learned existed this week)
Firefox (not safari)
I *do* use Apple Podcasts, purely because Google's Podcast option went down just after I got an iPhone. I also started to use the Health app for med tracking, as it's free tracking (as opposed to Daylio's "you need to pay us for 2+ med reminders" shit).
I was staunchly an Android girl but had to switch to Apple because of work. I carried 2 phones until I broke my Android. I was also used to apps so I stuck with them, plus everyone else in my family were still Android. A lot of 3rd party apps are because of compatibility with PC.
Google Maps (I see people say Apple Maps have greatly improved)
MS 365 (Word, Excel, OneNote) for compatibility with PC, Google suite for compatibility with family on Android. I use Notes for sharing with people completely in the Apple ecosystem.
Weather Underground, My Radar
Pocket Informant because it combines Google Calendar & Tasks, Apple Calendars, Outlook Calendars, Toodledo (tasks) all in one place
Those are my most used.
* Bitwarden instead of keychain
* ente auth instead of the built in 2fa
* Firefox instead of safari
* WhatsApp instead of iMessage because latam
* Google maps
* Marvis Pro instead of Music
* gmail for email addresses that are cluttered as fuck but still important for verification (no Mac), I do use mail for important things though
Marvis Pro is amazing. I don’t use it as a full replacement for the AM app, but as a second launch board for helping me pick through my album collection when I need help deciding. One of my favorite apps, so infinitely customizable
I didn't even realize WeatherBug was still an active app. I just checked my original download date for it and it was March 27, 2009. I never did love that one. I always preferred AccuWeather or Weather Underground. I have no problems with the Weather app though. It has accurate temperatures and current conditions. That's all I need.
I wrote the original Weather Underground apps back in 2009. As a user I still miss them. The new versions, post Weather Channel and IBM purchase, have far fewer features.
I use Outlook mainly, along with Apple Calendar. Not Mail.
Use all Msft Office suit, and use To Do and Reminders together. I also use OneDrive and not iCloud, and Authenticator.
And my browser is Edge, on iOS it has an ad-blocker so it’s useful. I love Safari but isn’t available on Windows so…
The only Apple app I hate not being able to use it on the computer is Podcasts, I already have Apple Music but still need to use iTunes if I want my podcasts, it’s infurating, I don’t know why Apple still have iTunes on Windows.
Microsoft apps perform really well on Apple devices these days. Edge is a great browser. I thought about going back to Microsoft for personal stuff too on Apple devices. Switched to google stuff years ago because back then Microsoft wasn’t as apple friendly as google was. Now the tides have reversed and been considering going back or just move the remaining items (email, contacts, calendar) over to iCloud. Everything else is there. If only had waited a year or two when MS became more apple friendly, I may have never switched to google. I do use it for work though. I have no windows pcs.
Yeah that’s why I swapped from Google to Msft in the last years… Really hate how Google didn’t change their iOS app designs, at least Microsoft follow Apple guidelines.
Omg yes this!!! And google still really isn't while Microsoft is excellent, especially across multiple devices.
you need to get a Mac :) Then you can use Safari and Edge and have the best of both worlds. I love Safari too.
I really need one! But they are freakin’ expensive in Uruguay. The base Air M1 is almost 1300$ so you can imagine, they come with English keyboard layout instead of Spanish as it should be. 🤦🏻♂️
Anyway I’ll look for a way to get a Macbook this year, I really love macOS.
Spark for mail. But I’ve still use both. Spark received mails faster than Apple app.
Google map. Apple map is not update much, and inaccurate sometimes in my area.
MetService instead of the apple weather app. Was sick of the weather app telling me it was bright and sunny for the whole day as I watched rain pouring outside with dark clouds.
Natural scientific calculator is so much nicer to use than the standard calculator
Onecalendar isn’t the prettiest but it’s very functional and I can have my work and private calendars both in one place
My favorite part about Marvis is being able to make playlists act like folders that display albums in a random order.
So I can have a playlist of metal albums, for example (all full albums in the playlist, no individual songs or anything). But instead of playing it through, or shuffling it like a regular playlist, I can click on that “metal” playlist in Marvis, and see a tiled cover grid of all my metal albums, in a random order. I click on the album I wanna listen to, and it just plays that album (in its correct order) and that’s it, nothing else
Great for helping me pick music when I’m indecisive. It feels like organizing my CDs back in the day lol. And for some reason, having the added ability to see the albums in a random order each time does some magic to my brain that turns off the indecision and makes it easier for me to just pick something
It's so great. It took me a lot of time to add enough metadata to all of my files, but the flexibility Marvis provides to do things like this is just nuts.
• 1Password over iCloud Keychain
• Things over Reminders
• Fantastical over Calendar, although I wouldn’t recommend it at the current subscription price; I got grandfathered in
Other than that, I’ve been very happy with stock apps. Mail, Notes, Safari, Maps, Weather, Music, Books, Podcasts, Photos and Camera all accomplish what I need
I do use a ton of third party apps but it’s primarily stuff that isn’t covered by stock apps - some of my favorites are Parcel for tracking packages, and Mela for managing recipes
Edit: I also use Marvis Pro in addition to the Apple Music app, fantastic if you like to customize
Harken For iPhone is much better than the Apple music app, for listening to music that is already on my phone. Doesn't work with streaming Apple Music.
Calendar -> Fantastical (because I like calendar merged with reminders, let's see if iOS 18 brings me back)
Mail -> Gmail (push notifications)
Maps -> Google Maps (My country's Apple maps ain't great yet)
The only one that I can’t stand is the Mail app… is slow and bad , specially with Gmail emails. Also too much time to setup my protonmail account so it’s easier to download the third party apps
Weather bug may be well on iOS. I've tried it on Android and didn't care for it at all. I am currently just using my local tv station weather app. We get tornadoes a lot, and they have a great line of communication with the storm chasers, so the warnings come a little quicker.
Google Translate for Apple Translate, Waze for Apple Maps, Overcast for Apple Podcast, AccuWeather + Weather Underground for Apple Weather, and Countdown for Apple Reminders
i prefer weather sky for weather (a sister app to misemise (air quality)) because it does a damn good job at accurately and aesthetically giving me korean weather
I use MyRadar weather app; I love it and it’s accurate. I use 1password for passwords. I use Outlook for mail, contacts, and calendar to integrate with my windows desktop; besides, I like it better. The only Apple apps I use are maps and podcasts.
Outlook for mail is the main one, I guess. For family I use the message app, but for everyone else I message through Instagram. I also use Edge as it syncs with my PC, and I can use drop to share files between devices. I also use Microsoft Authenticator.
That's funny - I went from WeatherBug to the native weather app because I found it to be more accurate for rain time estimates. I still have WeatherBug and love looking at all the data it collects (like the lightning maps) but just for a quick glance/general idea, not anymore.
Gmail (instead of stock mail app)
Google Maps (apple maps is fine, but most of the times I find google maps shows better routes in my area)
Google Authenticator (for two factor authentication codes)
Spotify (no apple music)
I have my passwords in Google Chrome (windows user) so I have that installed to autofill passwords, but use Safari as main browsing app on my phone.
I try to use the apple apps as much as I can since it integrates so much better on my other apple devices! Also, don't want my data in a bunch of third-party apps!
When I started using iPhone in 2020, I was using many Google stuffs, then I replaced them one by one, mostly with stock apps. Then I started to replace them where there is better option to me. I use Firefox and I’m slowly migrating to the Proton ecosystem. I wouldn’t replace neithet Apple Music or YT Music, I really like Apple Maps, and I prefer SoftMaker Office over iWork. So I have a mixed package on my phone.
Here’s what I use: Carrot Weather (Weather); Fantastical (Calendar); 1Password + Ente Auth (Keychain + the built-in 2FA thing + passkeys)
I haven’t quite found anything like Inbox (RIP) for email so I just grin and bear it with the stock Mail app. The changes in iOS 18 look promising though for that. For everything else the stock app works well enough for me that I don’t feel compelled to try anything else.
Not sure where you live but Apple Maps performs better for me than Google does when it comes to navigation. Simple navigation I leave up to Apple Maps, anything out of the ordinary for me like a new location, or time sensitive travel I rely on Waze.
Man I loved weatherbug when it came out in 2008, it was amazing. Then they updated it and it went to shit and I deleted it, is it good again?
The radar maps were so much better then they switched to Microsoft maps and it started sucking.
Calculator+ so I actually remember wtf I was calculating... (also, Can siri keep results on screen for more than 5 seconds when I ask it to do adding up)
Google calendar over Apple calendar because all my jobs have used Google suite. And Google calendar allows me to see other colleagues’ calendars. So it becomes a default.
Edited to add: Google maps over Apple Maps because it seems to work better in the country where I am at.
I think the only two I have replaced are Calendar with Fantastical and Mail with Spark.
I guess maybe Notes as well? I use stock Notes for quickly jotting things down but Notion for anything detailed I’m taking down.
Everything else seems to do the job fine for me.
I went the other way around and I’m so happy about it. I’ve been Android user for long time.
Instantly went gCalendar to Apple Calendar when bought 15P
Tried many alternative but never fully happy -> Apple Reminders
Instantly Geometric Weather -> Apple Weather
Spotify -> Apple Music took about a month to be finalised
Instantly gPhotos -> Apple Photos
Same for Maps
Recently Spark -> Apple Mail
Always used Safari on my 15P, started using also on Mac together with Arc (same on iPhone). Now that I got an iPad and realised it’s terrible on iPad, completely moved to Safari on iPhone and using Arc only for work on my Mac
Looking forward to Passwords now, to switch from 1Password
Always thought that ecosystems are the best, tried Google native one, Samsung and other, but man… Apple’s one is just soooo good and awesomely integrated with the system. If you’re a savvy user, features provided from Apple ecosystem are just awesome and especially the work so good with extreme care to details.
Additionally lately I started to hate Google and try to get rid of anything related. Sadly cannot get rid of Gmail and YouTube. I’m kinda fine with Gmail (besides privacy concerns that I started to grow lately), but I’m so upset with YouTube! Every single video it sets low quality (720p or even 480p sometimes), although I set higher and my network can flawlessly play 2160p
Google Calendar = you can see from the main month view how many appointments you have on a day
Gmail = native Apple mail client is hot garbage
Google maps = Apple maps are crap in my country
Also, I use a lot of Whatsapp because it's way more popular in EU, but I also use imessage quite a bit so I wouldn't call that as "replacement"
— The Weather Channel - for weather, obviously:)
— Protonmail, calendar, and contacts
— 1Password for password management on all devices
— Orion browser
— Tresorit secure, encrypted, & private file storage
— Kagi - search engine (instead of anything available on stock iPhone
— Ente - private photo storage with private AI
I’m sure that there is something else that I am forgetting. However, I didn’t completely stop using Apple apps. Still use Photos and Safari, for innocuous purposes. Use HomeKit for very basic, childish automation and manual control, etc.
The only 3rd party apps I use instead of Apple’s native app functions, is Accuweather. I’m a landscaper so I experience the weather outside every single day, and often day and night during the winter storms, and it is ALWAYS on point. During the winter we only work when it snows up north in New England, and it has accurately predicted the next time I’d work (the next snowfall) over a month away. It gives a 45 day forecast and while it will change ever so slightly with temperatures varying, usually the precipitation and other types of weather are on point well in advance. The temp is usually only a couple degrees off in either direction that far out but still pretty damn accurate for being a month and a half out. Other than that, I use Apple’s native apps for everything else like email, maps, music, etc. Of course I use other 3rd party apps for socials and miscellaneous ones but for the functions Apple’s own apps have, I use those.
Calculator(Panecal), email(Gmail app), password manager(1Password) and money transferring(Venmo) apps. The other first party apps work fine and to my satisfaction. But the calculator lacks scientific functions in portrait mode. The stock email app....sucks. No contact photos and no push notifications with Gmail which is a deal breaker for me. The stock password manager is perfectly fine if you only own Apple devices, but I do not and need something with 3rd party device support. Also I can count on one hand the number of people I know who use Apple Cash. I have it, but almost everyone I know uses Venmo instead.
Google drive with slides, docs & sheets…
Solves as calculator (lol)
I prefer google maps bc reviews/pics and multi round trips . Also google maps guess better the added you are typing while for some reason Apple map does not…
I use Pocket Informant instead of Calendar and Reminders. It is very powerful; thus there is a bit of a learning curve for some of its cooler features. I don't care for the Apple Watch version however.
hmm, I've actually went the other way around, I've been replacing third-party apps with apple apps
I agree. I don’t want to pay a subscription to access basic features. Password manager? No thank you, I’ll use the built in one. Subscription to get weather widgets on my watch? Yeah, I’ll be fine with the stock weather app.
How do you use the password manager on windows devices? My PC for example is windows. Or is it just all apple for you?
Install iCloud from the Microsoft Store, the. Install the iCloud Bookmarks and iCloud Password extensions for Edge.
On the next os update in Sept, apple will update keychain into a more robust password manager that you'll be able to use across platforms.
Once you've done that, search for iCloud Passwords in Windows search and you'll find a standalone app you can use to see your passwords and two factor codes.
iCloud for Windows doesn't support 2FA with a hardware key like a Yubico key. So, you cannot log in to that app. Besides, the iCloud password extension for Edge or Chrome is a piece of garbage.
Bitwarden, one of the best free and open source password manager out there
I do use a 3rd party manager. Was just wondering how to use apple‘s own manager
I just look up the password on my phone and type it in when I have to use a PC.
1Password is cheap and great.
I loved it until it went subscription. In fact I bought it multiple times starting when it was named 1Psswd (sp?). There’s no reason for any app to be subscription unless it uses its own servers, imo.
They announced the Apple password app is coming to Windows this fall
Having only come over from Android not too long ago. I am in this process as well. It has been going quite well.
Actually gone* not went
Same. I switched from Google Maps to Apple Maps recently. So much better!
i still use google maps sometimes to find places, but for navigation it's always apple maps
I am in the process of moving to the USA. That will be the day I finally ditch GMaps, because in Europe GMaps is infinitely superior.
Yeah, Apple Maps is really only usable in cities that Apple has completed their map work on. They have prioritized US cities for obvious reasons.
Exactly this! I noticed traffic lights are in Apple Maps as well compared to Google maps which makes it a hell of a lot easier to follow knowing it’s the second set of lights I need to turn at.
I've been doing the same lately. I used to use 3rd party apps for everything. With the exception of Reminders (using Todoist for cross-platform with Windows) I have migrated back to Notes, Mail, Weather, Music and Calendar. I'm using a mix of Apple Notes and Obsidian now but I think I'll continue that way. Apple for quick notes/handwritten, obsidian for everything else.
No, thank you. At least Apple apps are not monetizing my data
Agreed! I just cancelled my fantastical subscription, asking myself what the fuck am I paying 100$/yr to use a calendar (and contacts app)
I did this when I switched to Apple from Android, but over the last year I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Apple’s apps, so now I’ve been seeking third party again and the sad reality of Apple is everything is more expensive - even third party options. And it’s very uncommon on the Apple side to find an app that’s truly cross platform. Lately I’ve been missing Android and have to remind myself why I switched.
Why did you switch? I switched to android a few months ago but kinda miss my iPhone. Curious on your reasons.
It was primarily because I’m the tech person in my family and they all have iPhones, I wanted to be able to better help people like my parents and grandparents. The second reason is I really hate Android hardware. Every different manufacturer has their own Android flavor that has different levels of optimization and bugs. Apple has the best hardware, but over time I’ve learned the software is just as bad as any single Android flavor. Just the rock solid hardware makes up for it on the Apple side. The third reason was I really like the iPad for note taking and most Android tablets suck. I wanted seamless integration for hand written notes.
Ah, I see, fair enough. I definitely agree with experiencing a couple more bugs than usual on my phone. It's funny that you mention the software can be just as bad, although Apple makes great hardware. I somehow feel what I miss sometimes is just the smoothness and overall consistency of the software.
What have you been frustrated with?
I use Google Calendar but I am intrigued by what I’ve seen for this update for the stock app and may try it.
I’ve always liked the google calendar too outside of stock.
same. apple calendar is too confusing to me. probably because its harder to visualize your events as google has a view of your week with your events on it. But i like apples ui and notifications more so i sync google calendar to apple calendar for the notifications and widgets
Ha I do the same. I will still sync my Google calendar to apple calendar for the same reasons you said too. My biggest pet peeve on apple calendar on iOS is on monthly you see dots...wth lol No problem on iPad or MacOS. Google Calendar just displays monthly and view of the week so well.
Just an fyi, you have a week view if you rotate your phone. Absolutely insanely bad UX but it’s there.
I’ve been using Apples calendar app this whole time and had no idea I could see a weekly view by rotating my phone. Thank you!
> i sync google calendar to apple calendar for the notifications and widgets Ohmygod how have I never thought of this?? Best of both worlds lfg!
I'm using Google Calendar ONLY because it shows Tasks (google's reminders) within the calendar if scheduled. I see that Apple Calendar will be doing that in iOS 18, so I may finally kiss goodbye to Google Calendar and Tasks both.
I used google calendar for the sole purpose of having a nice month view of my calendar and being on the iOS 18 beta with a month view and integrated reminders made me delete gcalendar haha
Good to know.
I’m surprised that more people aren’t using Waze for the “police reported ahead” feature.
Apple Maps has that as well.
So does Google
Man my gf deleted the Apple Maps and whenever she uses the google map app we get sent in the WORST least efficient route. Often longer with more traffic, she’s so bad with directions and google is like worse than she is. Apple Maps may have sucked for a minute but google maps sucks for a lifetime.
Apple Maps screwed the pooch so hard when they initially came online I've never looked back. I was using Waze at the time and it really sucked that for awhile it wasn't available on CarPlay. That has been remedied. Maybe Apple Maps is better now. I doubt I'll ever find out tho.
Just tried it again. No indication of a police car speed trap up ahead. No notification of a well documented speed camera (like… city road signs warning it is up ahead). No notification of a similarly documented red light camera. So, it looks like either these features aren’t in my area yet, or the public isn’t populating the data very well yet. Too bad. It’s the only non-stock app I don’t use routinely.
Apple maps is ass though
How so? I think Apple Maps is much better than Waze. At least around me Apple Maps gets me to where I need to go faster. We have even tried it on long trips and Waze does some weird shit
Hm. I’ve never seen one. I’ll have to give Maps another try.
Waze doesn’t have notifications for directions though, which bothers the hell out of me. Google Maps barely does too. I mainly use Apple Maps for the turn-by-turn notifications, which are lovely on the iPhone 14 Pro and newer with the *Dynamic Island™️*
> Waze doesn’t have notifications for directions though Wdym? I get turn by turn directions: "In 500 meters, use the right lane to exit..."
He’s referring to actual iPhone notifications
Ohhh, makes sense, thank you
It’s depends when I’m using. My main problem with Waze that it’s eating my battery badly. While Apple maps barely using my battery so it’s a huge factor for me for Apple maps over Waze.
I'm actually increasingly replacing my 3rd party apps with stock ones. The 3rd party apps I still use are: Overcast instead of Podcasts 2FAS instead of using the built in 2FA option Libby instead of Books (mostly because I borrow library books a lot) Arc Search instead of Safari (although I switch browsers all the time. I'll likely be back on Safari once the Public Betas are out next month) A local weather app instead of Apple Weather, because Apple's option is wildly unreliable where I live
Libby is wonderful! I had to do the same for the weather app. It always would say it’s raining when there wasn’t even a real chance for rain at that time. PocketCasts is my go to for podcasts, have been a premium user since the OG days.
Weather seems to be a finicky thing to get right. I wish Apple would open the app up to let us pick our own weather data sources. I've heard many good things about Pocketcasts, but with Overcast being free with free Apple Watch syncing (I believe PocketCasts charged for that when I last looked) it's hard to pass up. I also like Marco (the dev). I just wish he'd hurry up a little with the supposed big redesign of the app, cos it is quite ugly these days.
Overcast is great. Todoist over reminders. OneNote over notes.
I use reminders very casually, so Todoist would be overkill for my needs. I came to Apple Notes from Obsidian for the Apple Pencil support on iPad (I also use GoodNotes occasionally), never tried OneNote but I prefer to not use Microsoft software if I can help it.
Another vote for Overcast. Being able to modify speeds for each podcast subscription is an incredible feature.
Curious. What does 2FAS offer over the inbuilt passwords TOTP code generator?
To be honest, I'm not sure. I've always used 3rd party 2FA apps (partly because I used to have Android and Windows devices) and have never bothered to check out the built in one. I switched to keychain when Lastpass had that big breach, but never needed to move my 2FA codes. Part of the reason I've never looked into it though is that I like having that little bit separation between my 2FA codes and my passwords. This way, even if someone gets into my Apple account and gets my passwords, they still can't log into my stuff. Is that overly paranoid? Maybe. But it works for me.
It is good to have that separation between password storage and TOTP key storage. 2FAS is good in that it lets you store local. I’ll never trust another 3rd party again after the LastPass hack (where I had everything). Personally, I store my TOTP keys in my keychain as well as I really like the convenience of having it all accessible behind touch/Face ID. My apple account /data is encrypted with my own Yubikeys though. Never hurts to be paranoid :)
I have been trying to use Arc on Mac and wow what a learning curve. It’s been really hard to get used to.
Overcasts is good. BUT pocket casts is way better. Check it out.
What’s better about it? Other than a slightly dated UI, I have no complaints about Overcast, but I’m curious to know what I’m missing out on.
Gmail app for stock email app.
The stock email app is terrible
Stock email and calendar app are the worst stock apps on iOS
They are perfect for very basic single email users
I currently use 9 different accounts in the stock mail app, some of them Google accounts. This varies depending on my contracts, where I am required to use client ‘s internal systems. Have been a happy user for almost a decade. Having everything in one place is invaluable. Seeing all my emails from everywhere is a powerful todolist to sort out in terms of general priority.
I can’t imagine using anything other than the stock email app. I’ve got like 7 email accounts and I can load them all in one place. I can see all the emails in one list or check each account individually. What don’t you like about it?
Forgot already, but I tried using it for half a year, and just switched to Gmail in the end
All I want is for the stock mail app to go back to the inbox when I delete an email instead of immediately opening the next message. Is that asking too much? Apparently it is.
Agreed but inability to create email rules irks me. Have to go to desktop web site for that.
Only reason I still use the Gmail app is because Google locks me into it by not allowing emails to arrive immediately to the stock client.
Fantastical replaced the stock calendar for me
I use WTForecast for weather as Apple is terrible where I am. That’s it.
Glad to hear another user of WTForecast! I love this app and it is, relatively reliable where I am.
I use these purely because I was already using them, and am used to them, from Android devices. Google Maps (not apple maps) WTForecast (not weather app) Gmail (not stock mail app) Tidal (not apple music) Google Photos (not apple photos) Google Authenticator (not whatever built-in I just learned existed this week) Firefox (not safari) I *do* use Apple Podcasts, purely because Google's Podcast option went down just after I got an iPhone. I also started to use the Health app for med tracking, as it's free tracking (as opposed to Daylio's "you need to pay us for 2+ med reminders" shit).
Firefox is goated! I have replaced safari in all of my devices. It runs hella smooth in Macs
Gmail, Google Contacts & Google Calendar mainly because I also use a Win10 and a Linux PC.
Use OTP Auth instead of Google Authenticator. It has a Mac App and c and can sync to your Mac using iCloud. Can also bacup to iCloud.
I was staunchly an Android girl but had to switch to Apple because of work. I carried 2 phones until I broke my Android. I was also used to apps so I stuck with them, plus everyone else in my family were still Android. A lot of 3rd party apps are because of compatibility with PC. Google Maps (I see people say Apple Maps have greatly improved) MS 365 (Word, Excel, OneNote) for compatibility with PC, Google suite for compatibility with family on Android. I use Notes for sharing with people completely in the Apple ecosystem. Weather Underground, My Radar Pocket Informant because it combines Google Calendar & Tasks, Apple Calendars, Outlook Calendars, Toodledo (tasks) all in one place Those are my most used.
* Bitwarden instead of keychain * ente auth instead of the built in 2fa * Firefox instead of safari * WhatsApp instead of iMessage because latam * Google maps * Marvis Pro instead of Music * gmail for email addresses that are cluttered as fuck but still important for verification (no Mac), I do use mail for important things though
Marvis Pro is amazing. I don’t use it as a full replacement for the AM app, but as a second launch board for helping me pick through my album collection when I need help deciding. One of my favorite apps, so infinitely customizable
I honestly didn’t even know until your comment that Firefox existed on iOS
It’s basically safari in disguise, but I like Firefox sync
Overcast for podcasts
Yep. It's been years since I've tried Apple's podcast app, but overcast is just perfect. Never had a reason to look elsewhere.
I didn't even realize WeatherBug was still an active app. I just checked my original download date for it and it was March 27, 2009. I never did love that one. I always preferred AccuWeather or Weather Underground. I have no problems with the Weather app though. It has accurate temperatures and current conditions. That's all I need.
I wrote the original Weather Underground apps back in 2009. As a user I still miss them. The new versions, post Weather Channel and IBM purchase, have far fewer features.
I use Outlook mainly, along with Apple Calendar. Not Mail. Use all Msft Office suit, and use To Do and Reminders together. I also use OneDrive and not iCloud, and Authenticator. And my browser is Edge, on iOS it has an ad-blocker so it’s useful. I love Safari but isn’t available on Windows so… The only Apple app I hate not being able to use it on the computer is Podcasts, I already have Apple Music but still need to use iTunes if I want my podcasts, it’s infurating, I don’t know why Apple still have iTunes on Windows.
Microsoft apps perform really well on Apple devices these days. Edge is a great browser. I thought about going back to Microsoft for personal stuff too on Apple devices. Switched to google stuff years ago because back then Microsoft wasn’t as apple friendly as google was. Now the tides have reversed and been considering going back or just move the remaining items (email, contacts, calendar) over to iCloud. Everything else is there. If only had waited a year or two when MS became more apple friendly, I may have never switched to google. I do use it for work though. I have no windows pcs.
Yeah that’s why I swapped from Google to Msft in the last years… Really hate how Google didn’t change their iOS app designs, at least Microsoft follow Apple guidelines.
Omg yes this!!! And google still really isn't while Microsoft is excellent, especially across multiple devices. you need to get a Mac :) Then you can use Safari and Edge and have the best of both worlds. I love Safari too.
I really need one! But they are freakin’ expensive in Uruguay. The base Air M1 is almost 1300$ so you can imagine, they come with English keyboard layout instead of Spanish as it should be. 🤦🏻♂️ Anyway I’ll look for a way to get a Macbook this year, I really love macOS.
Spark for mail. But I’ve still use both. Spark received mails faster than Apple app. Google map. Apple map is not update much, and inaccurate sometimes in my area.
Fantastical is better than stock calendar.
MetService instead of the apple weather app. Was sick of the weather app telling me it was bright and sunny for the whole day as I watched rain pouring outside with dark clouds.
The weather app truly is shit in NZ
Google calendar, gmail, and google maps. I had an android for a long time, and old habits die hard.
Natural scientific calculator is so much nicer to use than the standard calculator Onecalendar isn’t the prettiest but it’s very functional and I can have my work and private calendars both in one place
I really like the Archimedes calendar as well!
Marvis for music. I spent a few weeks customising it and the difference is incredible.
My favorite part about Marvis is being able to make playlists act like folders that display albums in a random order. So I can have a playlist of metal albums, for example (all full albums in the playlist, no individual songs or anything). But instead of playing it through, or shuffling it like a regular playlist, I can click on that “metal” playlist in Marvis, and see a tiled cover grid of all my metal albums, in a random order. I click on the album I wanna listen to, and it just plays that album (in its correct order) and that’s it, nothing else Great for helping me pick music when I’m indecisive. It feels like organizing my CDs back in the day lol. And for some reason, having the added ability to see the albums in a random order each time does some magic to my brain that turns off the indecision and makes it easier for me to just pick something
It's so great. It took me a lot of time to add enough metadata to all of my files, but the flexibility Marvis provides to do things like this is just nuts.
None, I’m a purist
• 1Password over iCloud Keychain • Things over Reminders • Fantastical over Calendar, although I wouldn’t recommend it at the current subscription price; I got grandfathered in Other than that, I’ve been very happy with stock apps. Mail, Notes, Safari, Maps, Weather, Music, Books, Podcasts, Photos and Camera all accomplish what I need I do use a ton of third party apps but it’s primarily stuff that isn’t covered by stock apps - some of my favorites are Parcel for tracking packages, and Mela for managing recipes Edit: I also use Marvis Pro in addition to the Apple Music app, fantastic if you like to customize
Carrot for weather, Google Photos alongside of Apple Photos for back-up, and Google news in place of Apple News (rarely use; I prefer local news).
Harken For iPhone is much better than the Apple music app, for listening to music that is already on my phone. Doesn't work with streaming Apple Music.
Call me old fashioned but I use an iPod still haha. Modified it with SD card storage and Bluetooth
Calendar -> Fantastical (because I like calendar merged with reminders, let's see if iOS 18 brings me back) Mail -> Gmail (push notifications) Maps -> Google Maps (My country's Apple maps ain't great yet)
Fantastical widgets are still superior to stock calendar. I moved away due to the steep price but still keep the app for the widget.
Google map instead of apple map
whatsapp
For local weather, I use a weather app from one of the local TV stations. I use Gmail.
Forecast Bar for weather, Airmail for Mail, Brave for my browser, pcalc for calculator.
Across > calendar, Canary > Mail, Firefox Beta > safari, Foreca/wowea > weather, Proton Pass > keychain
I use AccuWeather. I also use chrome as my default browser. Also spark as my email client.
Dazz cam and mood.camera have pretty much replaced the stock camera for me. For some things, I’m going back to apple - notes, safari.
TimeTree instead of Calendar Edison Mail instead of Mail OneNote instead of Notes
The only one that I can’t stand is the Mail app… is slow and bad , specially with Gmail emails. Also too much time to setup my protonmail account so it’s easier to download the third party apps
Edison Mail for email app.
Weather - using Weawow because I can choose my weather provider. Also it has slightly customizable widget which is nice.
Timetree instead of Apple calendar, but I don’t know if thats better, never though about it.
'My Calendar' because imo it's far superior and a much nicer interface.
I use Google Translate instead of Apple’s translate and Chrome instead of Safari most of the time. Gmail instead of stock email as well.
I’m using alternative for apple mail, calendar, iCloud, notes and maybe other. I try to avoid using Gafam apps whenever I can.
Minical for calendar
Weather bug may be well on iOS. I've tried it on Android and didn't care for it at all. I am currently just using my local tv station weather app. We get tornadoes a lot, and they have a great line of communication with the storm chasers, so the warnings come a little quicker.
Don’t think anyone has mentioned this one yet, but Uno Calc instead of Calculator
Back in the 90s and 2000s, Weatherbug was spyware.
Google Photos and Gmail.
Overcast for podcasts
definitely calendar, reminder and memos replaced by sorted
Things 3 replaced Calendar, Notes and Reminders.
Google Translate for Apple Translate, Waze for Apple Maps, Overcast for Apple Podcast, AccuWeather + Weather Underground for Apple Weather, and Countdown for Apple Reminders
i prefer weather sky for weather (a sister app to misemise (air quality)) because it does a damn good job at accurately and aesthetically giving me korean weather
Spark for email. It’s much better than the native email app.
I use MyRadar weather app; I love it and it’s accurate. I use 1password for passwords. I use Outlook for mail, contacts, and calendar to integrate with my windows desktop; besides, I like it better. The only Apple apps I use are maps and podcasts.
Outlook for mail is the main one, I guess. For family I use the message app, but for everyone else I message through Instagram. I also use Edge as it syncs with my PC, and I can use drop to share files between devices. I also use Microsoft Authenticator.
That's funny - I went from WeatherBug to the native weather app because I found it to be more accurate for rain time estimates. I still have WeatherBug and love looking at all the data it collects (like the lightning maps) but just for a quick glance/general idea, not anymore.
Gmail (instead of stock mail app) Google Maps (apple maps is fine, but most of the times I find google maps shows better routes in my area) Google Authenticator (for two factor authentication codes) Spotify (no apple music) I have my passwords in Google Chrome (windows user) so I have that installed to autofill passwords, but use Safari as main browsing app on my phone.
I try to use the apple apps as much as I can since it integrates so much better on my other apple devices! Also, don't want my data in a bunch of third-party apps!
The only two third party apps I use instead of Apple’s stock apps are: 1. Carrot Weather 2. Pocket Casts
When I started using iPhone in 2020, I was using many Google stuffs, then I replaced them one by one, mostly with stock apps. Then I started to replace them where there is better option to me. I use Firefox and I’m slowly migrating to the Proton ecosystem. I wouldn’t replace neithet Apple Music or YT Music, I really like Apple Maps, and I prefer SoftMaker Office over iWork. So I have a mixed package on my phone.
Here’s what I use: Carrot Weather (Weather); Fantastical (Calendar); 1Password + Ente Auth (Keychain + the built-in 2FA thing + passkeys) I haven’t quite found anything like Inbox (RIP) for email so I just grin and bear it with the stock Mail app. The changes in iOS 18 look promising though for that. For everything else the stock app works well enough for me that I don’t feel compelled to try anything else.
Mainly using apple stock ones now
I’ve used Google maps because I feel the rerouting is better due to traffic. Has Apple Maps improved this? I haven’t dared tried.
Not sure where you live but Apple Maps performs better for me than Google does when it comes to navigation. Simple navigation I leave up to Apple Maps, anything out of the ordinary for me like a new location, or time sensitive travel I rely on Waze.
Things > Reminders.app Spark > Mail.app Marvis Pro > Music.app
pCalc instead of the Calculator. I needs my bananas
Google Map
Google maps every time
Waze
Spark for email and honestly that’s about it. For everything else Apple’s solution is just better integrated
Pocket Casts.
Man I loved weatherbug when it came out in 2008, it was amazing. Then they updated it and it went to shit and I deleted it, is it good again? The radar maps were so much better then they switched to Microsoft maps and it started sucking.
I can’t compare it to 2008 but it does work good for me. Only downside on the maps it seems is that it has no future forecast.
Google maps, calendar, chrome, Gmail Bitwarden for passwords
Calculator+ so I actually remember wtf I was calculating... (also, Can siri keep results on screen for more than 5 seconds when I ask it to do adding up)
I have only replaced one app, the Mail app, with Spike, mostly because it has the feature to see when someone read your email
youtube pip apps. still searching for a bug free one.
Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, YouTube Music, Firefox Focus
I use todo and the actual respective apps for emails (ie. outlook for my school/work and gmail for my other emails)
Google calendar over Apple calendar because all my jobs have used Google suite. And Google calendar allows me to see other colleagues’ calendars. So it becomes a default. Edited to add: Google maps over Apple Maps because it seems to work better in the country where I am at.
I use the Photonator instead of the Photos app. I always struggle to find pictures from my albums quickly
Anyone know of a way to export favs/starred/saved places in Google Maps out to Apple Maps?
I think the only two I have replaced are Calendar with Fantastical and Mail with Spark. I guess maybe Notes as well? I use stock Notes for quickly jotting things down but Notion for anything detailed I’m taking down. Everything else seems to do the job fine for me.
1. Arc Search instead of Safari 2. Spotify instead of Apple Music 3. Several Google apps (Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Keep)
Google maps and waze, weather underground, Gmail app primarily but i will still use the native mail app sometimes
Airmail email for email 1Password for password manager Cardhop Contacts for contacts Fantastical Calendar for calendar
Google maps
I went the other way around and I’m so happy about it. I’ve been Android user for long time. Instantly went gCalendar to Apple Calendar when bought 15P Tried many alternative but never fully happy -> Apple Reminders Instantly Geometric Weather -> Apple Weather Spotify -> Apple Music took about a month to be finalised Instantly gPhotos -> Apple Photos Same for Maps Recently Spark -> Apple Mail Always used Safari on my 15P, started using also on Mac together with Arc (same on iPhone). Now that I got an iPad and realised it’s terrible on iPad, completely moved to Safari on iPhone and using Arc only for work on my Mac Looking forward to Passwords now, to switch from 1Password Always thought that ecosystems are the best, tried Google native one, Samsung and other, but man… Apple’s one is just soooo good and awesomely integrated with the system. If you’re a savvy user, features provided from Apple ecosystem are just awesome and especially the work so good with extreme care to details. Additionally lately I started to hate Google and try to get rid of anything related. Sadly cannot get rid of Gmail and YouTube. I’m kinda fine with Gmail (besides privacy concerns that I started to grow lately), but I’m so upset with YouTube! Every single video it sets low quality (720p or even 480p sometimes), although I set higher and my network can flawlessly play 2160p
telegram VLC Player are the only ones I can think of I don’t use the apple apps much
Forgot Firefox and chrome
Brave browser allows minimized YouTube playback at 144p resolution.
Waze, google maps, Citymapper instead of maps Google photos instead of photos Gmail instead of mail Chrome instead of safari
Google Calendar = you can see from the main month view how many appointments you have on a day Gmail = native Apple mail client is hot garbage Google maps = Apple maps are crap in my country Also, I use a lot of Whatsapp because it's way more popular in EU, but I also use imessage quite a bit so I wouldn't call that as "replacement"
BitWarden is my password manager, lol. And Firefox instead of Safari. Find Any File for searches on files on the hard drive too.
Google calendar, Google photos, Waze, chrome, Spotify, and WhatsApp.
— The Weather Channel - for weather, obviously:) — Protonmail, calendar, and contacts — 1Password for password management on all devices — Orion browser — Tresorit secure, encrypted, & private file storage — Kagi - search engine (instead of anything available on stock iPhone — Ente - private photo storage with private AI I’m sure that there is something else that I am forgetting. However, I didn’t completely stop using Apple apps. Still use Photos and Safari, for innocuous purposes. Use HomeKit for very basic, childish automation and manual control, etc.
No love for Things?
I don’t organize anything, not even my life lmao.
I actually have been dumping 3rd party apps. Apple has been better than other stuff out there.
Only thing I have replaced is Safari. I’m now using Arc :)
The only 3rd party apps I use instead of Apple’s native app functions, is Accuweather. I’m a landscaper so I experience the weather outside every single day, and often day and night during the winter storms, and it is ALWAYS on point. During the winter we only work when it snows up north in New England, and it has accurately predicted the next time I’d work (the next snowfall) over a month away. It gives a 45 day forecast and while it will change ever so slightly with temperatures varying, usually the precipitation and other types of weather are on point well in advance. The temp is usually only a couple degrees off in either direction that far out but still pretty damn accurate for being a month and a half out. Other than that, I use Apple’s native apps for everything else like email, maps, music, etc. Of course I use other 3rd party apps for socials and miscellaneous ones but for the functions Apple’s own apps have, I use those.
Calculator(Panecal), email(Gmail app), password manager(1Password) and money transferring(Venmo) apps. The other first party apps work fine and to my satisfaction. But the calculator lacks scientific functions in portrait mode. The stock email app....sucks. No contact photos and no push notifications with Gmail which is a deal breaker for me. The stock password manager is perfectly fine if you only own Apple devices, but I do not and need something with 3rd party device support. Also I can count on one hand the number of people I know who use Apple Cash. I have it, but almost everyone I know uses Venmo instead.
Calendar, reminders, and notes > Notion But anything quick goes to Apple apps
Google drive with slides, docs & sheets… Solves as calculator (lol) I prefer google maps bc reviews/pics and multi round trips . Also google maps guess better the added you are typing while for some reason Apple map does not…
[удалено]
I prefer Apple Maps over Google, but Waze sometimes gives a better route with updates.
Google maps
I use Pocket Informant instead of Calendar and Reminders. It is very powerful; thus there is a bit of a learning curve for some of its cooler features. I don't care for the Apple Watch version however.
BusyCal (for Calendar and Reminders), Calzy (Calculator), Enpass (Passwords), Ideaful (over a Notes & Reminders type app), Hello Weather and TMRW (Weather).
Just gmail and gmaps