The apps that are on my iPhone first and second screens
I’m always interested in what apps people are using on their phones. Every time I share the apps I’m using, people alert me to many more that I hadn’t heard of. Just last night at dinner a friend told me about an app that sounded cool and I quickly added it to my second screen.
Regarding that, I have a “second screen” strategy where I basically stick all the apps I’m testing onto the second screen of both my iPhone and my iPad. This does a few things. It stops all the apps that might not make the cut from creeping all over my phone, plus it helps me focus on actually testing and trying those apps. And it also stops me from allowing more than 16 apps to be tested at any given time. When I want to add a new one, I have to delete one.
One of three things eventually happens. Either an app proves to be amazing so it moves to the coveted home screen (or first screen). Just this morning, I moved Path to my home screen because its freaking beautiful. I’ll also likely find a way to move Flipboard there soon as they just came out with their iPhone app. Correction – I just moved it to the home screen…couldn’t wait.
Or an app proves it is something I’ll be interested in long-term but not something I want to see every day, so I put it somewhere beyond the second screen. Or eventually I delete the app altogether.
So here are screenshots of my first and second screens (you can do a screenshot on the iPhone by holding down the home button and the power button for a second – the screen will flash and a pic will be in your Photos folder). Let me know if you have any questions and please, share yours as well!
The apps on my iPhone home screen
The apps on my iPhone second screen (or test screen)
I moved Weather off the home screen since I can get weather in the notification center or ask Siri. Every once in a while I want the weather deep dive, but that is only like once a month if it is hurricane’n or snowin’ or something like that. Do you use it enough to take up the valuable real-estate, or is it just there out of habit?
You may have blogged about this elsewhere, but curious as to your folder strategy since I’m not seeing any. You feel like it takes as much time as a swipe so not worth it?
And camera… I still have mine in that same spot, but now that it is built in to the lock screen I have contemplated freeing up that space. Ever considered that?
[…] out the lists that are provided by other bloggers. In fact, Nate Riggs just published a list today. Jeff Hilimire also frequently blogs about apps that you might never have heard about […]