App defaults 2023

Some background on this post: I saw Manuel Moreale’s list earlier today and thought it was a neat little idea. After a bit of digging, it’s actually a neat big idea with over 120 others sharing their own. So, here’s mine, with a couple adjustments.

• Mail client: Apple Mail
• Mail provider: iCloud
• Notes: Apple Notes
• To-Do, shopping lists: Apple Reminders
• Photo management: Apple Photos
• Calendar: Apple Calendar
• Cloud storage: iCloud
• RSS: Reeder (with Feedbin)
• Contacts: Apple Contacts
• Browser: Safari (personal), Chrome (work)
• Chat: iMessage, Discord
• Bookmarks: Safari
• Read later: Instapaper
• Word processing: iA Writer
• Subscription tracking: Outgoings
• Music: Apple Music
• Podcasts: Apple Podcasts
• Password management: 1Password
• Design: Figma
• Code editor: Nova

I rely heavily on Apple’s services but switch to alternatives (and back) often. For example, I recently switched back to Apple Music and Podcasts from Spotify, to Apple Reminders from Todoist, and to Apple Notes from Obsidian.

Other notable, recent switches include going from Raindrop and Pocket (don’t ask) to Instapaper for reading later, and Notion to Outgoings for tracking my subscriptions.