8 Essential Google Apps for the Cross-Platform iPhone User

If you mostly think of Google as what’s behind your browser’s default search bar, it’s easy to forget that the company makes far more than just a search engine and Gmail.

Google has a collection of iPhone apps that cover a much wider range than many people realize. Maps, notes, cloud storage, photo editing, translation, smart-home control, document editing, and AI tools are all part of the lineup, and several of these things are genuinely excellent on Apple devices. But most importantly, they’re also free to use.

That’s part of what makes them useful for iPhone users in particular. A lot of iPhone fans still use other operating systems. Maybe you use an iPhone and a Mac at home, but your work machine is Windows. 

Or maybe you want your photos, notes, and files to follow you between your phone, tablet, browser, and laptop without feeling like you’re trapped in the Apple ecosystem. Whatever the reason, Google’s apps can help you with that. They tend to sync quickly, work almost everywhere, and make cross-platform life feel less annoying.

So if you use an iPhone but still don’t want to ignore some of the best software Google makes, read on for 8 apps worth trying.