iOS and iPadOS Apps Worth Checking Out - February 2021

Over on our YouTube channel, we have an ongoing video series that's meant to highlight new, interesting, and useful apps for the iPhone and the iPad that we think are worth downloading and checking out.


There are so many apps in the App Store that it can be difficult to find new high-quality apps to download, plus it's easy to overlook awesome apps that are a bit older. Our February picks include apps for customizing your Apple Watch and ‌iPhone‌, finding and managing Apple Music, keeping track of TV shows, taking notes, and more.

  • Soor ($4.99) - Soor is a music player that integrates with ‌Apple Music‌ and aims to make it easier to find new music. There are multiple themes, along with full ‌Apple Music‌ controls for searching for content, liking songs, sharing content, and adding songs to playlists. It comes with a set of widgets that can be added to either the Home screen or the Today center, and it has an attractive Now Playing interface.
  • TV Forecast (Free) - TV Forecast lets you keep track of the TV shows that you're watching, providing an easy way to mark which episode you're on. There are notifications when a new episode is about to air, and you can share progress with friends and family. There's information on actors in TV shows, and you can get recommendations for new shows to watch. TV Forecast is free for five shows, but costs $0.99 per month for more.
  • Moloko (Free) - Moloko is a theme app that makes it easier to customize your iOS Home screen by swapping out the icons. It offers up a range of themes that have customized icons for both built-in and third-party apps, and they're simple to install so you don't need to use the Shortcuts app and replace icons manually. Note that you will need to install a profile to use the quick icon swapping.
  • Aviary ($3.99) - Available on all Apple devices, Aviary is a third-party Twitter client that can be used in lieu of the default Twitter apps. It has a simple, clean interface that can be customized the way you like it, plus it supports modern features like polls, hashflags, trends, and more.
  • Craft (Free) - Craft is a document creation and management tool that you can use for taking notes and organizing your thoughts. It supports Markdown, backlinks, code snippets, images, and videos, and anything you create can be shared via a weblink. Craft is free, but there is a $4.99 per month "Pro" subscription option. The Pro version supports larger file options, offers more storage, and has a version history feature.
  • BuddyWatch (Free) - BuddyWatch is an app that makes it easier to create new watch faces for your Apple Watch. You can share watch faces, see watch faces designed by other people, and get watch face suggestions based on your preferences.
  • Kitty Letter (Free) - Designed by The Oatmeal's Matthew Inman, who also created popular game Exploding Kittens, Kitty Letter is a word game where you create words from a jumble of letters to form an exploding cat army to attack your neighbor and defend your home. You can play the single player campaign or go head to head against your friends.

Have a favorite iOS app? Let us know in the comments. We're always looking for new iOS app ideas, and we always check out suggestions from MacRumors readers. You can see our recommendations from previous months, and don't miss our Mac app series featuring great Mac apps worth taking a look at.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

yellow8 Avatar
49 months ago
I'd recommend QuickScan - a camera Scanner with professional-quality OCR (image to text) and text integration into the generated PDF (wow!)

* no ads
* no data collection (everything happens on device)
* 100% free with optional tip to support the project

Note: I'm the author of the app. AMA.
➡️ QuickScan v3.6 on the App Store ('https://apps.apple.com/app/id1513790291') :apple:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tev11 Avatar
49 months ago
The Files app. I love having all my different cloud storage accounts in one convenient app.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Just sayin... Avatar
49 months ago

I'd recommend QuickScan - a camera Scanner with professional-quality OCR (image to text) and text integration into the generated PDF (wow!)

* no ads
* no data collection (everything happens on device)
* possible tip to support the project

Note: I'm the author of the app. AMA.
➡️ QuickScan v3.6 on the App Store ('https://apps.apple.com/app/id1513790291') :apple:
And last, but not least, NO SUBSCRIPTION! I’ve just downloaded QuickScan for a try - thanks.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joshwenke Avatar
49 months ago

I'd recommend QuickScan - a camera Scanner with professional-quality OCR (image to text) and text integration into the generated PDF (wow!)

* no ads
* no data collection (everything happens on device)
* possible tip to support the project

Note: I'm the author of the app. AMA.
➡️ QuickScan v3.6 on the App Store ('https://apps.apple.com/app/id1513790291') :apple:
I would highly recommend this app!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
notabadname Avatar
49 months ago
BuddyWatch seems like a great App. Never would’ve know were it not for this. There are just so many Apps, it is hard to stay on top of what’s really good.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
David11 Avatar
49 months ago

With App analytics analyzing your app interactions at all times i’m always really avoiding apps. Its just a matter of privacy. Ie:Shopping on a browser is better imho
And you really think they don’t track you there?!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)