Magazine

Social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic is necessary to save lives, but it can be hard to adapt to an at-home lifestyle. We've already gone over some COVID-19 tips, like how to clean and sanitize your phone and other devices. We've also shared articles about yoga and meditation apps, as well as mental health apps that may come in handy during voluntary social distancing or quarantine. What about working from home, exercise, and shopping, though? Here's a roundup of the best fitness apps, shopping apps, food delivery apps, and more to keep you stocked up and in touch, and stave off cabin fever.  

There are thousands of apps available that you can use to reach out and let someone know you care. Whether you'd like to share a laugh with a meme app, send a poem via a poetry app, create personalized cards to mail to friends, or share an interesting recipe or article, there's an app for that. If you want to send tangible help in addition to your good wishes, use the Grubhub app to order meal delivery from a local participating restaurant. If your friend or loved one needs groceries or other household supplies, check out our social distancing app roundup for more great ways to help. You’ll rest well knowing your loved one is taken care of, and they’ll appreciate the gesture!

iOS 13 has a whole slew of new editing tools for you to explore—from auto editing, to vibrance, to color saturation, to photo cropping. And with the new features of the dual camera on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, including the Ultra Wide camera, Night Mode, an upgraded Portrait Mode, Smart HDR, Quick Take videos, and slow-motion selfies (a.k.a. slofies), you will never want to stop taking photos and videos! If you want to take your photo editing skills to the next level, check out these photo apps that will enhance your shots.

In every issue of iPhone Life magazine, we feature the iPhone Home screens of people from different walks of life, so our readers can see how they use iPhone apps to meet a variety of needs. In our Spring 2020 issue, we featured photographer and blogger Amber Faust, who uses her iPhone for social media, photo editing, games, weather, and more. If you have a story and apps you'd like to suggest, email Tamlin Day, and we may feature you in an upcoming issue of the magazine!

Getting out of town is great, but what if you don’t know what to do once you get there? Whether you’re planning a solo outing, have some free time during a business trip, or are planning your annual family vacation, these travel apps can make your trip memorable and avoid having “sitting in the hotel room” be the most-used description when you’re back home. Our list of the best travel apps for 2020 includes familiar favorites like Groupon and Lime, as well as some you may not have used before, including a coupons app, parking app, a concert tickets app, and of course, a restaurant app. These travel apps will help you create an itinerary of concerts, historical sites, and unique restaurants for your best trip yet.

Whether you’re kissing someone at midnight in Times Square with your 2020 hat pushed back on your head or lounging on the couch in PJs reminiscing over years past while listening to “Auld Lang Syne,” there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to cross your mind that evening: the time-honored tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. There is something truly magical about a new beginning, a fresh start, or a chance to better yourself. New Year’s is the perfect time of year to reevaluate your life choices and prioritize the change you want to achieve. Don’t wait for the ball to drop to make your resolutions. It’s time for you to take your self improvement into your own hands, because this is your year! Since the majority of people fail to stick to their resolutions, I have gathered the best apps possible to help you on your journey toward your goals. These functional apps will help you to get motivated and make some big life changes and tackle all your resolutions. Whether you're looking for fitness apps, job search apps, diet apps, or apps to organize your finances, and even your inbox, we have you covered. 

If you love hiking in the mountains, camping and fishing at a favorite lake, or just going for a walk in the woods, you likely already know that time in nature does a world of good for both physical and mental health. Researchers at the University of East Anglia performed a meta-analysis of more than 140 studies completed in 20 countries that objectively confirms these subjective impressions. Exposure to wild spaces reduces the production of stress hormones, lowers pulse rate and blood pressure, decreases sleep disturbances, and increases happiness, well-being, and even creativity. For many people, spending time in the great outdoors, whether for an afternoon or weeks at a time, means a break from technology. But there are so many practical benefits of having your phone with you! So before you escape to the woods to eat roots and berries and forget human speech, think about adding some of this essential camping gear and equipment to your packing list. While you're at it, check out our collection of travel, hiking, plant identification, and bird apps.

So, you've decided to buy a smart home hub but don't know which is the best one? We'll compare the Apple HomePod and the Amazon Echo Show based on their qualities as smart speaker, smart assistant, and smart home hub. Which smart home hub will meet your needs the best? Read on to find out.

The Rocketbook Everlast notebook is a smart notebook that's conventional in look and feel, but is built for the digital age. The Everlast makes it easy to digitize and organize all your notes in an instant. Writing is the same as with any other notebook—with one main exception. Adding a bit of water erases all your notes so you can start from scratch, making it 100 percent reusable (yay for the environment).

Apple has been pushing the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement for the last few years, yet its interface hasn’t allowed the levels of productivity afforded by traditional desktop operating systems like macOS and Windows. So when Apple announced its bold intent to fork the iOS platform by creating a separate version for the iPad, most enthusiasts, including myself, applauded the strategy. Let’s take a look at the most impressive features iPadOS has to offer.

Shortly before he passed away, Steve Jobs told his biographer, Walter Isaacson, that he had finally “cracked” how to make television smarter and easier. Eight years later, Apple has finally released Apple TV Plus. So, did Apple make good on Steve's prediction? In this article, I will assess the quality of the user interface, original content, pricing, and hardware compatibility of Apple TV Plus, but, as is true with most Apple products, the sum is greater than the parts. Apple’s ecosystem is what makes Apple TV Plus so appealing compared to the competition.

A really fun feature of the iPhone Life quarterly magazine is our Around the Office feature. In this roundup, we tell our readers about the hobbies, books, films, and products that have been engaging our attention recently. Let us know in the comments if you have recommendations for our team members! 

In every issue of iPhone Life magazine, we feature the iPhone Home screens of people from different walks of life, so our readers can see how they use iPhone apps to meet a variety of needs. In our Winter 2019 issue, we featured public relations specialist Lauren Mims, who uses her iPhone for editing photos, social media marketing, and staying on top of her email accounts. If you have a story and apps you'd like to share, email me and we may feature you in an upcoming issue of the magazine!

Taking on a home project can be a challenging and rewarding experience. If you have tackled this type of task before, it can be downright daunting. Fortunately, a variety of applications are available to help alleviate anxiety and move your renovation toward a fun and satisfying conclusion. The tools and materials you’ll need will depend on the scope of your endeavor. Finding the right app for the job is equivalent to finding the right tool in the physical world; there are so many that identifying the right one can be a challenge. Fortunately, I’ve tested a diversity of apps and will share a handful here that can help make your next home-improvement effort a success.