My 2016 Phone Homescreen

About once a year I share my phone’s homescreen (here are many from years past) partly to reflect on the apps I’m using the most and how that’s changed over time, and also in the hopes of my friends sharing the apps that they are using the most. This is a screenshot of my homescreen at the end of 2016.

Some notables:

Two folders – The second screen on my phone (I try to only have two screens) has many folders, but on my homescreen I have a folder for the apps and games that my company, Dragon Army, has built, and a folder for quick access to my analytics apps and websites.

Podcasts and Audible – I listen to a LOT of books, mostly while driving or running, and podcasts usually when something interesting is happening in the world and I want to learn more about it. I’ve tried the various podcast apps but have settled on Apple’s stock one. I hope to be changing to the Samsung S8 when it comes out, in which case I’ll have to find a new podcast app.

Reddit and Flipboard – I check Reddit at least once a day when I have a few minutes to kill. Reddit is a new homescreen-worthy app for me, whereas Flipboard has been a staple for many years. More on how I get the news via apps.

Google Maps over Waze – I have fully converted to using Google Maps instead of Waze. The #1 reason is the option that Google Maps gives you for alternate routes. While driving, you can see that if you take a different path it will add a minute, or it will be a similar time, etc. I couldn’t care less about getting points by sharing accidents and stuff, and frankly, I don’t love that people do that while driving their car anyway. Google Maps also has a simpler user interface, and I dig that.

Paper (by Dropbox) – This app and website has become my favorite short-term note app. If, for example, I’m working with a colleague to craft a plan, or brainstorm a big decision, I’m going to use Dropbox Paper. It’s simple and does the job, and its easy to share with others for collaboration (easier, in my opinion, than Google Docs.) I of course use Google Docs/Sheets for many things, but for short-term notes that don’t warrant saving forever in Evernote, I prefer Paper.

Runkeeper – This has become my run tracking app of choice. It’s simple and does the basic things I need it to without any problems.

Blinkist – A friend gave me a subscription to this over the holiday (thanks EL!) and I love it. It’s like a sophisticated Cliffs Notes, allowing you to read (or listen) to books in 10-15 minutes. (referral code)

Google Calendar and Gmail App – I switched a few months ago from Apple’s stock calendar and email apps in favor of Google’s iOS equivalents. Since almost everything I do is via Google software now (which is why I think I’m going to switch to the S8 when it comes out,) it didn’t make sense to keep using Apple’s stock apps any longer. Main reason Google Calendar is better for me is that when I click on an address, it opens Google Maps (instead of Apple Maps.)

Oh, and the 5 notifications on my Phone app? Yeah, that’s because I don’t believe in voicemail ;)