Description: You can create your verified, reusable digital identity that opens up seamless experiences in travel. Your digital ID is in your hands and it’s the fastest and most private way to prove who you are, every time.

Why Airside? Having a safe and secure place to store your identities digitally is a game changer. Sure, you can take a picture of the documents and put them in your phone, but that isn’t a particularly secure way to store these documents.

Airside is clearly convenient for travel, it’s intended use, but it has uses beyond the airport. Consider how many times you just need your Driver’s License number handy. For instance: the other day, I was transferring a water bill into my name, and the application required my Driver’s License number. Instead of having to go find my Driver’s License, it was safely stored right in my phone.

Talk about efficiency.

Description: Browse, view product details, read reviews, and purchase millions of products.

Why Amazon? Okay, nothing groundbreaking here, but hear me out. We’re talking efficiency in this post, and there’s nothing more efficient that Amazon, the world’s largest online marketplace, after all. With it, you can pretty much get anything you want or need without leaving the comfort of your couch. Think about it: Thanks to Amazon, you could never brick-and-mortar shop again.

That’s pretty dang handy, convenient, and efficient if you ask me.

Description: Explore, connect and share your interests with real people. 

Why Facebook? Of all the social networking apps, Facebook is the only one to make the list. (Believe me: I thought long and hard about it.) But at the end of the day, Meta’s signature behemoth of an app ultimately makes the list.

Facebook requires no introduction. With nearly 40% of every human being on the planet using Facebook, I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with it.

Plus, you can embed all other social networks directly within Facebook, so if I can only pick one social media to keep on my phone — duh — it’s Facebook.

Description: View the location of your Apple devices, locate items you’ve attached AirTag to, keep track of Find My network accessories, and share your location with friends and family in a single, easy-to-use app.

Why Find My? If you are an Apple user, and you are not using the Find My app, you are seriously missing out. Whether you’ve misplaced your phone, Watch, AirPods, etc., Find My can help you easily locate these devices.

Additionally, Find My enables you to track other Apple users (with their permission, of course). I take great joy in tracking my friends’ day-to-day movements, and it’s quite entertaining to text them when they’re out to eat, for example, to ask them what they’re ordering.

Description: You can play millions of songs, albums, and original podcasts for free.

Why Spotify? I’m not even a Spotify user (I primarily use Amazon Music), and Spotify still made the list.

Compared to its many competitors, Spotify is the best when it comes to music streaming apps. This is thanks to its expansive library, affordability, and — honestly — lack of general glitchiness. If I could only choose to use one app, it would hands-down be Spotify.

Description: With Uber, your destination is at your fingertips. Just open the app and enter where you want to go, and a nearby driver will help you get there reliably.

Why Uber? Everyone should have a ride-share app on their phone because ride-sharing comes in clutch when you least expect it. (*cough* When you’ve had more to drink than intended. *cough*)

When compared to its competitors, namely Lyft, Uber is the far superior app. With more coverage and drivers available, finding a ride with Uber is so much more reliable than finding a ride with any other provider.

Description: The fast, safe, social way to pay and get paid.

Why Venmo? Whether you are the collector or collectee of money, Venmo takes all the challenge out of “paying people back.” Honestly, I don’t know how we 30-somethings survived so many years without it.

Description: A community driven navigation app that helps millions of users get to where they’re going through real-time road alerts and an up-to-the-moment map.

Why Waze? I know most people are familiar with Waze. However, I feel like Waze is under-appreciated. You might not need to use it every single time you drive — but Waze comes in big time when you actually need it. Whether you’re using Waze for its live traffic updates or it’s “speed trap ahead!” notifications, everyone should have this app on their phone.

Description: A mobile app reporting live and forecast data on hyperlocal weather to consumer users

Why this app? There are dozens of weather forecasting apps available, but no app provides more accurate predictions than Weatherbug. (For years, I worked in aquatics, we swore by Weatherbug.)

In addition to providing live radar, Weatherbug also gives users access to a storm tracker, future-dar, pollen forecast, air quality analysis, and even more!

With Weatherbug, you’re sure to be prepared for whatever conditions are coming your way.

Description: Work from anywhere with a single app that combines team chat, phone, whiteboard, meetings, and more.

Why Zoom? Especially for those of us who work remotely, having Zoom on your phone can be a total lifesaver. Have you ever notice how your laptop’s Wi-Fi seems to crash at the most inopportune times? Never worry about your Wi-Fi dying on you minutes before a work call when you have Zoom on your phone. Simply fire up meetings from your mobile device while you troubleshoot the PC.

On more than a few occasions, this app has saved my butt. So save yours, too, and put this on your phone, now!