The iPhone has been a huge success since Steve Jobs introduced it to the world over a decade ago. The device shows no signs of slowing down, as the recently-released iPhone 14 proving as popular as its forbearers. With each new phone comes a new base of people waiting to use it.
With the phone's popularity, it's no surprise how massive the App Store has gotten (Apple's website claims that there are currently almost 2 million apps available). While some have become incredibly famous and well known, there have been some gems that are far less known to the public.
Sleep Cycle
Very few things are as important to the human body as a good night's sleep. However, for many, a normal sleep schedule can be very hard to attain. Luckily, there is Sleep Cycle, an app designed specifically around the user's sleeping patterns in order to give them the perfect amount of sleep.
There have been many alarm-based apps for the iPhone; however, this one takes real-life data and helps the user actually improve their sleep. With a good night's sleep, users can burst into the day fully rested, doing more than they ever could on a short night's rest.
Drunk Mode
People that enjoy going out on the town have likely experienced either making a call or text they shouldn't have or leaving something valuable at one of many stops. With Drunk Mode, users can block incoming and outgoing communication to specific numbers while drinking, and the app also helps users trace their steps via GPS.
Having a phone when drinking is important for staying in touch with friends and accessing transportation apps like Uber or Lyft, but some people may appreciate the option to limit what goes in and out of the device. No one likes waking up with regret over a call or text or living out one of the worst episodes of Drunk History.
Streaks
Everyone is trying to improve daily; it is human nature to want to improve. With an app like Streaks, it is much easier to do that. Users can set up times to do objectives, like going to the gym or reading a book. It helps build new habits.
If the streak is broken, the app simply resets to the beginning. This can help convince people to truly commit to a new activity and build the good habits they want to build. It also connects to the health app, which is great for people looking to establish a more healthy lifestyle.
Brainfood
People can spend a lot of time mindlessly scrolling through their phones, doing absolutely nothing. If someone is going to do that, however, they might as well get some use out of it. In comes Brainfood, an app dedicated to helping mindless scrolling become more educational.
Rather than just looking through Instagram and looking at pictures, people can look at historical facts and other things that may interest them for a little. Catching up on the history of some of cinema's most sympathetic villains and other things can be a lot of fun. While it may not be the most immersive app, Brainfood does have entertainment value and helps the user learn in the process.
SmartFriends
An app that can be useful for helping keep the brain active is Smartfriends. Here, users a brand-new "IQ Challenge" every day. The format of these small challenges vary, but the result and an accompanying explanation are published the following day. Users can compete against friends or a global leaderboard.
Humans are a learning species, constantly wanting to know more. Apps like this help humans feed into that desire by giving them fun games. As a result, Smartfriends is a rare game that can help the user's intelligence as time goes on.
Zombie's, Run
There are hundreds of fitness apps available on the App Store, but few of them combine working out with horror. Zombie's, Run turns the user into a scavenger that must run around a gps-generated map to find supplies for a fiction zombie survival community. Furthermore, users wear headphones while they run to get updates from their fictional partner as to where the zombies are and what they're running to. Zombies get louder and seemingly closer when the user needs to move more quickly.
A lot of people just need some inspiration to get themselves on their feet and running. People who find the goriest zombies of all time too hard to watch may appreciate this audio-only zombie experience. While the app is from the old days of iOS, it is still getting updates and is still a fun way to exercise.
Radio Garden
Streaming music is great, but sometimes it is nice to be able to listen to a good radio station. With Radio Garden, listeners can listen to stations being played all around the globe. Doing this can bring back old memories of stations of yesteryear or introduce people to stations from other countries.
Music can bring nations together, so an app like this is incredibly cool. Now someone in the United States can listen to stations from all across the world, helping them become more connected to what other nations are currently listening to and maybe introducing a whole new genre of music to them together.
Daylio
This Critically acclaimed app gives users the ability to track how they are feeling throughout the day. It gives them the ability to also check what activities they are going to get done on that day and charts data on the mood of the user.
This app is especially useful for children who are beginning to understand their emotions but can also be useful for adults. Learning to express oneself is an incredibly important part of maturing, and this app gives people a new modern way to understand the feelings that they are having.
Libby
This app is used via the user's library card. That gives them free usage of e-books and audiobooks. Books that would usually have to be paid for to read are now in the palm of the user's hand if they have a library card. Everything from books for people who love reality tv to books for history buffs is here.
Knowledge is key to improving as a human. Reading is especially important to give insight into the world around us and what was here before us. Doing this also helps local libraries as getting a card helps them get more funding, helping a very important part of local governments that should be preserved.
TraffickCam
TraffickCam is an incredibly important app for human rights. With this app, users take photos of the place they are staying, such as hotel rooms. The photos are put into a database where they can be used with comparisons of photos of human trafficking victims. This helps find leads in these cases.
Human trafficking is an issue that should be getting more attention. It destroys lives and families while lining the pockets of some very bad people. This app gives people the opportunity to help out the many victims of these crimes in a way that would have been impossible to think of in previous years.