Google’s Top 5 Apps for iPhone

The words “Google” and “Android” are practically curse words to many iPhone users, and the opposite is often true for fans of Android smartphones. That said, even if you aren't a fan of Google's hardware, there should also be no denying that they have put together an incredible suite of software and services for nearly every platform out there. Here are five of Google's apps that even the most die-hard Apple fan should download.

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5. Chrome

It should go without saying that default browsers aren't necessarily the best ones – that certainly holds true on some devices more than others (some people are still using Internet Explorer). Safari, the default browser on your iPhone and iPad, is truly a solid browser. It features a beautiful design, solid speed and performance, and pretty much any feature you'll find on competing browsers. Google Chrome, however, features a huge library of extensions, and more importantly, syncs between devices no matter the platform. Sign in to your Google account and all of your bookmarks, saved data, preferences, passwords, etc. are immediately available to you, whether you're on your iPhone, iPad, office desktop, or grandparent's laptop. Download it here.

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4. Gmail

While Apple's Mail app has a nice-looking and clean interface, it's lacking pretty far behind in features, and sometimes it doesn't always work well with Gmail's push feature. With over 900 million users, odds are you and almost everyone you know has a Gmail account – and no third-party email app handles Gmail accounts better than the official Gmail app does. The Gmail app for iOS supports multiple Gmail accounts, receives instant push notifications, threaded conversations, and incredible search features. If you use a Gmail account for most of your email, this one is a no-brainer. Download it here.

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3. Google Maps

When Apple released Apple Maps alongside iOS 6, it was plagued by lack of detail, distorted images, inaccurate mapping directions, and misplaced landmarks – not to mention the fact that it was sorely lacking in features when compared to the competition. Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue and senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federeghi both readily admitted that the company “completely underestimated” the scope of the product for the initial launch of the app. Although Apple has worked hard on Apple Maps, with huge improvements in iOS 9 and iOS 10, Google Maps still provides extra features not found on Apple Maps (like the ability to add multiple pit stops), and still provides the most efficient and accurate directions. Many users still find that Apple Maps has the tendency to send them on a wild goose chase – that just doesn't happen with Google Maps. Download it here.

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2. Google Photos

Google Photos is an incredible app with a ton of features. A suite of editing tools allows users to perform basic editing functions for photos and videos, automatically adjust settings such as exposure, white balance, saturation, contrast, etc. as well as apply filters and more. The app will automatically generate smart albums that showcase your best photos from an event or trip (even inviting your friends to add photos into the album), and it features automatically created collages, movies, GIFs, panoramas, and more from your photos. A powerful search engine allows users to search for photos throughout their entire library by the people included in the photos, the places they are taken, or even the things showcased in them, such as a snowstorm, fireworks, etc. Sounds great, doesn't it? Well, on top of all that, Google Photos provides every user with free unlimited cloud storage of all of your photos and videos (up to 16MP for photos and 1080p quality for videos), easily shareable and accessible from any device. Yes, you read that right, free. There's a good reason that TheVerge called Google Photos “the best photo product on Earth.” Even if you're a fan of the default iOS Photos app (which, once again, is a solid app), the free cloud storage should lead you to download this app immediately. Download it here.

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1. Google Translate

Google Translate is an incredible app that can instantly translate text, speech, images, sites, or even live conversations from one language to another. The app supports translation between 103 languages via real-time text translation, the camera in 30 languages, and even instant speech translation in 32 languages. Whether you're a traveler looking to translate street signs or restaurant menus, or you'd like to have a real time conversation with someone who doesn't speak your language, Google Translate really is one amazing piece of technology. Download it here.