12 Essential iPhone Apps You Should Be Using By Now

If you've recently picked up the new iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or even if you're just looking to get more out of the iPhone you already own, the App Store is home to millions of apps designed to boost productivity, spark creativity, and keep you entertained. The challenge, of course, is that finding the right apps isn't always easy, even when you already have a clear idea of what you're looking for.

That's because the way each of us uses our iPhones is different. With that in mind, BGR has rounded up a collection of iPhone apps that can transform the way you use your device. These picks are meant to make your iPhone more useful, more personal, and better aligned with your everyday needs.

From wellbeing and productivity to games and photography, these essential apps are worth trying. Best of all, they're either free or available at a reasonable price, making them easy to test and potentially game-changing in how you experience your iPhone.

If you want to combine great wellbeing apps together, these are the ones you should consider:

Gentler Streak: This award-winning app helps you explore your fitness goals with kindness. Unlike other apps that focus on closing rings and always doing more, Gentler Streak uses information from your Apple Watch, including your sleep cycle and period, to suggest the ideal activity and rest for your day. The app is available for free on the App Store but a subscription is required to unlock all the functions.

Foodllama: This new food tracker app is the latest addition from the developers of the Waterllama app. This AI-powered app helps you count calories and scan your food to make it easier to balance your daily life with the amount of food you eat throughout the day. The app is free to download but you may require a subscription to unlock all the functions.

Journal app: Apple's own Journal app has been available for a few years now. With iOS 26, the company added more AI suggestions based on your activities on your phone to help you express your thoughts and feelings. The app is free and also available for iPad and Mac, making it a great way to take care of your mental health.

If you want to concentrate or get more done with your iPhone, you should try these apps:

ChatGPT: This app became synonymous with AI. With the latest GPT-5 model, users have endless options to use this software. They can ask for help to summarize information, discover something new, practice a language, and so much more. BGR has a few tips for you to get started with ChatGPT.

Fantastical: If you're always in a meeting or need to organize your day very carefully, Fantastical continues to be the best calendar app available for Apple users. It can sync with all your devices, help you book meetings and reschedule appointments intelligently, and has a beautiful interface. The app is free but a subscription is required to unlock all the functions.

Notes: Apple's own Notes app is probably the most complete note-taking app available. It's free, straightforward, and available everywhere (including on your Apple Watch with watchOS 26). You can create several folders, link notes, and use Writing Tools to improve your everyday writing from groceries to inner thoughts, sketches, or paperwork.

Photomator: Last year, Apple bought Pixelmator. While we don't know what new features is Apple going to add to these apps, you should checkout Photomator for iPhone. It's one of the best editing apps, as it uses machine learning to clean up photos, make the images pop, and it even lets you edit HDR photos.

Halide: This pro camera app turns your iPhone into a classic camera, but the Process Zero update, which removes Apple's computational photography and delivers a true-to-life image, is the actual game changer. It's something you need to try if you're tired of Apple's algorithms.

Dazz Cam: Add fun filters to your photos. This trendy app has been available for years, and it lets you simulate photos taken from analog cameras. You can combine two images, change the ratio of the photo, and add a bit of dust, light, and other tweaks to your shots.

Bonus tip: If you have an iPhone 16 or newer, you should learn more about the new Photographic Styles feature available on your device.

Apple Arcade is Apple's gaming subscription. It costs $6.99/month or you can have it under the Apple One subscription. Apple Arcade is great for gaming on the go as it offers high-quality options without ads or in-app purchases. These are some of the apps you should consider playing:

Mini Motorways: Draw the roads in dynamic cities that grow and change. This feel-good game offers a classic, stress-free, and endless mode, so you can play it in whatever way you want.

Alto's Adventure: Embark on an endless snowboarding odyssey. The developers have already made a few versions of this app, and the remastered one available on Apple Arcade adds new playable characters, new goals, and incredible visuals for you to enjoy hours of gameplay.

Grindstone: This sword-slashing puzzle battle takes you through several dungeons in this ever-growing mountain. Not only do you need to step up your game through the levels, but you need to get better swords and other materials to defeat these vicious Creeps.