2013 was a year that saw the focus of app developers shift quite a lot to UI. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any innovation in terms of functionality, but still, the apps that were released during the course of 2013 had markedly cleaner looks as compared to their predecessors. iOS 7 might have had a large role to play in that, as it inspired many apps to revamp their looks to stay in tune with Apple’s new policy of shunning skeuomorphism. A lot of activity in the App Store during 2013 had to do with developers updating existing apps, but the Store was still far from leveling off, and we saw many great new releases gain popularity among the masses. Here is our pick of the best iPhone and iPad apps that were covered at AddictiveTips in the past year.
Starting with the earliest, the following list is ordered by the date of coverage of apps, and does not reflect any ranking.
1. PicsArt (The photo editor gained a lot of popularity on Android, and did not disappoint when it was released on iOS. PicsArt can be used to create collages, add effects to photos, and make freehand sketches.)
2. Anything After (The app might be really simple, but you can’t deny that moviegoers are sure to find themselves returning to it with increasing frequency once they learn how useful it could be to know in advance if there are any post-credit scenes in a movie.)
3. Cute CUT (Offers an easy way of editing videos using adjustable timelines. Includes filters, drawing tools and audio editing options.)
4. TimeShutter (Create a photographic journal of any event.)
5. NewsWhip (Harnesses the power of social media to bring you the stories that really matter.)
6. Coast (Opera’s gesture-based, minimalistic web browser for the iPad.)
7. TinPlayer (This music player doubles as a file management suite. Both the file-related and playback options are quite comprehensive.)
8. Chaos Control (A to-do app designed specifically for project management, with separate modules for tasks, reminders, and collaborative endeavors.)
9. GrouPlay (Allows multiple users in your vicinity to vote on songs in a playlist to determine the playing order in gatherings.)
10. Xbox Music (Microsoft’s music streaming service caused quite a stir when it was first unveiled. It can be used to listen to unlimited songs online, and also allows users to manage their playlists with ease.)
11. AVG PrivacyFix (Scans your privacy level on social media and makes suggestions for improvements.)
12. Vine (Twitter’s Vine lets users create short videos that are 6 seconds in duration. These animations can then be shared with your social circle.)
13. TLDR Reader (Summarizes article from across the web.)
14. EQuala (Listen to radio stations curated by other users, and discover songs that match your taste.)
15. doctape Viewer (Link all popular file services to this app and view your files in one place.)
16. Chronos (Automatically creates a record of your daily activities by tracking location changes.)
17. Edit & Share (Scan notes, edit them, and keep them saved for later use.)
18. THX tune-up (Guides you to get the most out of home theaters and sound systems by letting you configure them optimally.)
19. OneContact (Weeds out repeating entries from your iPhone address book. Also useful for keeping the Contacts app neat and tidy.)
20. BBC Sport (There is no shortage of sports-related apps on iOS, but a reputed name like BBC can always add some more to any user’s app collection.)
21. Mailbox (Get the satisfaction of going through your entire email inbox by using this neat app. Every mail you get is treated like a task by Mailbox, and the app won’t let you breathe easy until some action has been taken for all mails.)
22. Basecamp (This project management service has been popular on the web and desktop for quite some time, and the Basecamp iPhone app is pretty good as well.)
23. Player of the Match (Collaborate with thousands of soccer fans to rate the performance of players from your favorite teams during live matches.)
24. Event Book (A supercharged calendar, which can ensure you never have to check multiple apps while planning your day.)
25. Meow (Previously named Minus, this app focuses on image sharing during private chats. You can also edit photos before sending them to your friends.)
26. Kickstarter (The popular crowd funding service finally released an iOS app this year, allowing users to start supporting their favorite projects on the go.)
27. Beauty Box Photo (Apply makeup to your face, and transform any person’s looks in a photo with a few taps.)
28. Split Lens 2 Pro (The best camera for anyone who is in to creating cloned or mirror effects in photos.)
29. myMail (A flat UI with some really handy options make this email app a pretty good fit for iOS 7.)
30. Cloze (Get all your social media updates in one place. Also allows users to post to multiple networks simultaneously.)
31. ProxToMe (Easy Dropbox sharing, complete with the capability to chat with nearby users.)
32. Mokriya (Craigslist app with an excellent UI and the ability to let users purchase / sell items.)
33. Wave Cam (Automatically snaps photos by scanning your face or movements.)
34. FIFA (The official app of football’s governing body. The app provides the latest news and inside stories related to the sport.)
35. Field Trip (Suggests the best places to visit near your current location. The app is from Google, so you can always rely on the accuracy of these suggestions.)
36. Blux Lens (Control the camera of a nearby iOS device. The app can help when you want to remotely capture a photo without actually holding the phone in your hand.)
37. Reebok Fitness (The app automatically works out the most suitable fitness routine for you, based on your preferences and targets.)
38. Instructables (The best place to find easy, step-by-step guides on a variety of topics. This Autodesk offering also facilitates users in creating new DIY guides.)
39. Repix (Repix allows users to manually paint image filters over specific areas of photos, rather than applying them on the whole.)
40. Webnote (If you are looking for a browser that lets you share items with ease, Webnote is your best bet. The app lets you share selective texts via simple gestures.)
41. Reuters (The news service was a bit late in releasing its official iPhone app. Reuters for iOS has a watchlist for stocks, as well as special news reports and exclusive stories.)
42. Path Input (Just slide your finger across the keyboard to type quickly. Of course, it is not possible to replace the stock keyboard with Path Input, but you can type anything within the app and then export it with ease.)
43. Karma (This Reddit client supports video, subreddits, voting and animations.)
44. mosaic.io (Use multiple iOS devices to create a bigger display for media files.)
45. Text Camera (Offers real-time overlaying of doodles and text effects on camera viewfinder.)
46. KeWe (A social network that focuses on private messaging.)
47. LookAway Player (Inspired by Galaxy S4, this app pauses videos as soon as the user takes his eye off the phone’s screen.)
48. Twitter #music (Twitter’s much-anticipated music service was released earlier this year, alongside its iOS app.)
49. Crossfader (Mash-up songs by wiggling your phone around, with this gyroscope-based app.)
50. Yahoo! Weather (Yahoo! Weather took a lot of people’s breath away due to its Flickr integration and glossy graphics.)
51. Osito (Provides intelligent search results related to weather, stock market, travel information, etc.)
52. OpenSignal (Test your internet connection’s speed, and find out nearby WiFi hotspots that are open to public use.)
53. External Flash (Simultaneously control the flash of multiple iDevices whenever taking a photo.)
54. VisiTouch (An unofficial MS Visio client for iOS. Offers annotations, freehand drawings, and rafting tools.)
55. AppShopper Social (App discovery through social media and collaboration with friends.)
56. Socl (You might have heard of Socl as it is Microsoft’s very own social network, with a Modern UI and all the necessary sharing aspects.)
57. Onavo Protect (A free VPN app designed to ensure that users never access unsafe content from their iPhone.)
58. Splitr (Simultaneously play different songs on each end of your device’s earphones.)
59. App.net Passport (Find your favorite apps to browse through App.net, as Passport gives you a zero-cost account of the service to play with.)
60. Everplay (Browse through video game recordings and trailers.)
61. YACReader (Find online comics, and maintain your existing collection of comic books with this visually appealing app.)
62. Tilt Racer (Use your iPhone as a controller for racing games installed on your computer.)
63. groopic (Inserts the photographer flawlessly in group photos.)
64. Hangouts (Google streamlined its multiple messenger services into one app named Hangouts. The iOS app comes with group chat, media sharing, and notification muting.)
65. Hipstamatic Oggl (Create and use your own photo effects, and share image filters with others.)
66. Apps Notifier (The app keeps an eye on the App Store pages of your favorite apps even if they are not installed, and notifies whenever there is a change in important aspects like price, rating, and supported languages.)
67. myQuests (A to-do list app that is perfect for fans of elaborate tagging systems and simplistic looks.)
68. Legato (Legato scans and plays your personal music collection, and on the basis of that collection recommends tracks you must listen to.)
69. Drive Awake (Just run this app and place your mobile on your car’s dashboard. Whenever you start dozing off, Drive Awake will sound an alarm to keep you alert.)
70. Glide (Send video messages to your contacts, or create complete broadcasts that are shareable with anyone via links.)
71. SntapCamera (Button-less camera, which operates completely through gestures.)
72. Mentor (Motivates users to start doing non-urgent stuff that has been pending for too long. The app is great for people looking to adopt new habits.)
73. Recordium (A recorder that comes with the option to choose sound quality level, snip clips, or add notes in conjunction with your voice.)
74. MixBit (A simple platform to create and share short video clips.)
75. ThingLink (Tag anything you want with links from social networks and clips from your favorite videos.)
76. Snaptee (Create T-shirts using photos present in your iPhone. You can then get these shirts actually manufactured and delivered to you with ease.)
77. Adobe Kuler (Scan colors present in real life around you to come up with themes of your own.)
78. Musyc (Musyc brings a touch of gaming to the rather complicated process of creating music. The end results can prove to be quite lovely.)
79. Boxer (Rather than automatically treating all your messages as tasks, Boxer is different from Mailbox because it allows users to differentiate between simple mails and ones that demand some action.)
80. Filedrop (Send files to nearby devices over WiFi.)
81. VSCO Cam (VSCO Cam was released with a flat UI before the look was popularized by iOS 7 a few months later. In addition to that, the app has a plethora of really great filters.)
82. Office Mobile (After a long wait, the official Office app for iOS was finally released in 2013, but it only allows Office 365 subscribers to use it.)
83. Minutely (Get extremely thorough weather updates and forecasts.)
84. Sleep Genius (The app puts users to sleep using music snippets that fluctuate in intensity to match your sleep cycle.)
85. Eventiles (If you want to organize your iPhone photos into neat albums with zero effort, go for Eventiles. The app scans the metadata associated with your pictures and arranges them into albums based on that.)
86. TuneMob (Yet another app inspired by Samsung’s Galaxy S4. With TuneMob you can sync your playback with other devices around you to use their combined speaker volume.)
87. Narrato (The app keeps an eye on your social media accounts and camera roll to let you maintain a daily journal with ease.)
88. DuckDuckGo (DuckDuckGo is known for its privacy-oriented search capabilities, so with iOS surrounded by privacy concerns, the official client of the service was a welcome addition to the App Store.)
89. Wibbitz (Quickly catch up with the day’s news by watching short video clips containing all the necessary information.)
90. TouchCast (Uses notes, links, images, and short video clips to create presentations on any topic you want.)
91. IFTTT (Triggers certain actions when a particular app is launched or when you perform a specific task.)
92. Cal (This calendar app is worth a download just for its looks, but apart from that the functionality is pretty good too.)
93. Secret.li (Post photos to Facebook that are destroyed automatically after a set period of time.)
94. Grid (Grid combines project management and presentation-making.)
95. VLC (The media player was removed from the App Store for a few months, but made a return in 2013. Now users can control video aspects like brightness, contrast, hue and saturation during playback.)
96. layrs (Some truly awesome image effects and filters are on offer, and that too complete with layered editing.)
97. rithm (Send messages to your friends in the form of song snippets accompanied by stickers.)
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