I always end up deleting these 5 default iPhone apps

Over the years, Apple has steadily increased the number of pre-installed apps that ship with the iPhone by default. For the most part, I find these apps to be of good quality — predictably, they follow all the company’s user interface guidelines, they offer a decent set of functionalities, and they aren’t littered with unnecessary fluff.

Nevertheless, I find myself always deleting a number of these default iPhone apps, in an effort to save space and to reduce overall digital clutter. Thankfully, modern versions of iOS make it easy and accessible to delete (and later redownload) most system apps at will. Here are five out-of-box apps in particular that I always kick to the curb when setting up a new iPhone.

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1 Calculator

Apple’s default number cruncher has improved, but better options are out there

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Calculator

Apple’s default calculator app that ships on both the iPhone and the iPad.

Prior to the release of iOS 18, Apple’s default calculator app was a mess. It lacked basic functionalities such as unit conversions, a dual-column view, or even a dedicated back button. Even after its latest overhaul, I find the app leaves something to be desired: there’s no haptic feedback, there’s no light mode, and there’s next to no animations present.

Thankfully, there are a number of excellent third-party calculator apps available on the App Store to choose from. Some of my personal favorites include Acute Calculator, Solves, PCalc, and Desmos Scientific Calculator.

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2 Translate

Google’s translation service simply offers more language choices

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Translate

Apple’s default language translation app for both the iPhone and the iPad.

I want to love Apple’s default translation app, but it unfortunately lacks support for the language I need it for: Greek. As such, I’ve always made it a practice of deleting the default offering and replacing it with Google’s tried and true service.

Apple’s translator fits in better with the overall iPhone aesthetic (and makes excellent use of the Dynamic Island), but nothing beats Google’s vast knowledge database. When I type in the ‘Lorem ipsum’ placeholder text, for example, Google Translate successfully detects Latin. The equivalent translation apps from both Apple and Microsoft, on the other hand, are unable to pick up on this.

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3 Watch

To put it bluntly, I don’t use an Apple Watch

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Watch

Apple’s inbox iOS app that interfaces with the company’s Watch line of products.

Smartwatches have grown tremendously in popularity, and much of this success can be attributed to the ever-popular Apple Watch line. Personally, I haven’t yet taken the wrist computer plunge, and this comes down to two reasons in particular.

Firstly, I’m dissuaded by the idea of having to keep track of yet another device’s battery status. Secondly, smartwatches are largely ecosystem-dependent, and I’m always swapping between various operating systems and smartphones. In any case, I always end up deleting the Watch app outright, as it serves little purpose without access to its corresponding hardware accessory.

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4 Apple Music

What ever happened to Cover Flow, Apple?

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Apple Music

Apple’s default music playback app for the iPhone and the iPad, which taps into the company’s subscription music streaming service.

Back in the day, Apple’s default music app was excellent in my eyes. It perfectly grafted the traditional iPod user experience onto a touchscreen screen-first interface. With the launch of Apple Music — the company’s subscription-based streaming service — Music became cluttered with algorithmic content and a clunkier interface.

The modern Apple Music app is great for both convenience and for discoverability of new artists and albums. However, when it comes to local music playback, it simply doesn’t provide a great experience. When Apple unceremoniously axed the stellar Cover Flow album art interface, I switched to Spotify and never looked back.

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5 Tips

The iPhone’s Tips app is useful for iOS newcomers, but I personally have little need for it

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Tips

Apple’s default tips and tricks application that comes preinstalled on both the iPhone and the iPad.

To be fair to Apple, the default Tips app that ships with the iPhone is a well-crafted app. It’s filled with useful information, and it even provides quick access to your hardware’s user manual. For iOS newcomers, Tips is a great tool to have at your disposal.

Even as iOS has grown in complexity over the years, the system’s user interface has remained fairly clutter-free and easy to get the hang of. As someone who’s grown up alongside Apple’s flagship mobile OS, the Tips app has become a redundant piece of software that I always go ahead and delete right away.

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