Alternatives to Apple apps

Apple may soon let you switch the default apps to alternatives…

There has been talk recently of Apple enabling you to switch default apps on the iphone, and the EU may force this user choice issue through as it has done on other devices running Windows and Android. If or when it happens, would you switch to alternative apps for browsing the web, email, reminders, contacts, messaging, music, calendars and more?

Everyone has an opinion on this, but here are our favourite alternatives to Apple’s default offerings. Would you consider any of these apps? Our choices include several Microsoft products, but these days the company makes great software for the iphone and ipad. We have also suggested a few alternatives in case you aren’t a Microsoft fan. However, you might find Microsoft apps useful for work where Office dominates.

1 Firefox: Safari alternative

Chrome has a huge share of the browser market but Firefox is more privacy-oriented. It has Standard and Strict tracking protection and there is a super private version called Firefox Focus. It syncs passwords and bookmarks with other devices.

2 Outlook: Mail alternative

Spark is a popular mail app but Microsoft dominates businesses and Outlook might fit better. It has clever features like the Focused and Other mail tabs to show important/ unimportant emails. Filters show unread, flagged, attachments and @ mentions.

3 Outlook: Calendar alternative

Outlook is a multifunction app and has a calendar that shows your agenda, today, three days or a whole month. It is businessoriented and has options to invite people to events, locations, repeats and alerts, show times as busy, free, out of office and so on.

7 Google Maps: Maps alternative 4 Outlook: Contacts alternative

Outlook is not just for mail and calendar – use it for contacts too. Tap the search icon and Contacts. It is similar to Apple Contacts; you can sync them, add people and set favourites. View a contact and it shows all their emails.

Google Maps sets the standard in mapping and Apple Maps has been trying to catch up ever since it launched. The latest Maps even has an incognito mode so Google cannot track you. You probably have this app anyway, so set it as the default.

9 Whatsapp: Messages alternative

Messages excels with iphone-to-iphone messages. However, Whatsapp does most of what Messages does and works across operating systems and devices. Send text, photos, videos, GIFS and more to friends and create Whatsapp chat groups.

5 To Do: Reminders alternative

There are many great alternatives to Reminders, like Todoist, but if you want to stick with Microsoft, To Do has plenty of features. Use it to create lists and set one-off or recurring reminders for tasks. Create lists, invite others and more.

6 Onenote: Notes alternative

The open source Standard Notes is worth considering, but Microsoft Onenote has even more great features. You can create sections and notes within sections. Notes can contain text, images, links and audio, plus you can draw on notes, create bullet lists and more.

8 Spotify: Music alternative

Youtube Music is a great app but if you are not a Google fan, Spotify is the app to replace Apple Music and you can sign in with Apple too. It has the latest artists, playlists, popular albums, editor’s picks and more. A useful free mode, even better paid, and recommended.

10 Google Photos: Photos alternative

Google Photos would be high on our list of alternatives for Photos. Google offers unlimited online storage for free and the built-in AI automatically surfaces memories, auto-fixes photos, creates albums and has a brilliant search facility.