Other gems to discover

Go further with eight hidden essentials that every iOS device needs

Calorie counter and diet tracker Free Platform iPhone, iPad

Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to lose track of the fine details of the food we consume. This app from MyFitnessPal helps to keep you motivated to pay attention: when you scan the barcode on some food’s packaging, it looks up nutritional information for that product in its database. (You can add info about foods it doesn’t know about.) You tell it the portion size you’re about to eat, and it adds the calories, carbs, fats, and other details to your food diary, which displays the total calories you have left for the day, based on your goal weight, helping to keep you on track.

AppCooker $29.99 Platform iPad

Got a great idea for an iOS or Apple Watch app? This prototyping tool enables you to wireframe its main functions, even including genuine controls. The tool also enables you to test your mock-up on your iOS device, so you can get a feel for user journeys through it.

1Passw ord Free Platform iPhone, iPad

1Password can store secure notes, a driver’s license, reward card details, and more. On iOS, it’s free (the developer mostly makes its money on the desktop), but a monthly sub or one-off $9.99 in-app purchase gives you multiple vaults, Apple Watch support, and tagging.

WinZip Free Platform iPhone, iPad

By extension of Safari being unable to download files, there’s no built-in method for looking inside archives, which is a pain when a site decides that’s how it should package up a document, or if you want to read release notes for a zipped-up app. Add WinZip to your iOS device to overcome that.

Streets 3 $1.99 Platform iPhone, iPad

Buying an app for Street View might seem bizarre, given it’s free in Google Maps, but this one’s compelling. Accessing Street View in it is simpler and faster than in Google Maps, as is changing your position on the map. Moving in 3D is a bit jerkier, but niggles are countered by the app’s overall genuine usefulness – not least that it identifies as a navigation app, and so can work as a kind of surrogate Street View for Apple’s Maps.

VNC VIEWER Free Platform iPhone, iPad Transloader $6.99 Platform iPhone, iPad

Transloader is one part iOS app and one part Mac app. When you encounter a file that you want to download while using an iOS device, you simply paste the file’s address into Transloader to have it communicate with its companion app on your Mac, which then downloads the file (both must be signed in to the same iCloud account). This saves you adding the file to Reminders or using some other easily forgotten workaround.

Deliveries $4.99 Platform iPhone, iPad

Deliveries is a package tracker that supports a wide range of services. It keeps watch on their locations and delivery dates. Its map shows an item’s path to your door, which is a special kind of geeky fun for stuff that ships from halfway around the globe. It also includes a widget for the Today view, and the means to send info to the app from messages in Mail. It might seem strange that Apple doesn’t provide a screen sharing feature to connect to and control a Mac from iOS devices. This free app from RealVNC does a good job of it, though. It allows you to move the Mac’s pointer using gestures, and type on it remotely, too – the keyboard has Mac modifier keys in its top row. You can add shortcuts to computers you connect to regularly, or make use of Apple’s Bonjour tech to detect Macs on the same network.