Mr. Default

Recently, in episode 097 of Hemispheric Views, which was titled ‘Duel of the Defaults’, I had the pleasure of battling it out against my co-host, Jason, to see who had the most default apps installed on their phone. I thought that it would be a fun idea before we recorded the episode, but I had no idea just how hilarious it would be and how many people would get in the spirit online. I think that Andrew’s unexpected, less-than-logical scoring system certainly helped things. 😂

I’ve been truly humbled by the wonderful feedback that we’ve received from listeners, along with blog posts that record their own default app lists. We’ve even seen involvement from people who’ve never heard our podcast before, which is fantastic.

After having trouble keeping up, I’d thought about publishing my own list, then held off because it was already in the episode… but I’ve since been nudged in our Discord group by über-supportive Hemispherean, Robb, who has taken on the mammoth task of maintaining a post of everyone’s default app lists. What a champion!

Thanks, Robb! You’re right that my list should be there. Here’s my list for everyone to enjoy, in all of its ‘defaultness’!

Mail client: Apple Mail
Mail server: iCloud
Notes: iA Writer (long-form) and Notes (quick stuff)
To-do: Reminders
iPhone photo shooting: Photos (swipe left)
Photo management: Photos
Calendar: Calendar
Cloud file storage: iCloud Drive
RSS: NetNewsWire
Contacts: Contacts (backed by iCloud)
Browser: Safari
Chat (not messages): Discord
Bookmarks: Safari
Read It Later: Safari (Reading List)
Word processing: Pages
Spreadsheets: Numbers
Presentations: Keynote
Shopping lists: Notes
Meal planning: Notes
Budgeting and personal finance: my banking app
News: mainly ABC News through Safari, plus RSS in NetNewsWire
Music: Apple Music
Podcasts: Overcast
Password management: Safari (iCloud Keychain)

Thanks again to everyone who listens to Hemispheric Views. It’s a pleasure to have you along for the ride every fortnight in our ridiculous and dorky conversations.