The most downloaded apps today include TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Netflix. Left off the most popular lists are a few staples that every smartphone needs. Here are my top three:

1. A password manager. The rule of thumb is that each password you use should be unique and complex. But it’s impossible to do that and remember them all.

Password-management apps like 1Password and LastPass solve this problem. They let you store all your passwords in a digital vault that can be unlocked with one master password. In other words, you only need to memorize one password. The apps also include tools to automatically generate complex passwords for you.

2. An ad blocker. Many online ads are loaded with scripts that collect your personal information and s*** up your phone battery; some even contain links to malware. Until the ad industry comes up with a better way, our best bet is using an ad blocking app like 1Blocker to prevent ads from loading in the web browser.

Some see ad blockers as problematic because they can drain revenue from websites. But many of the apps let people select their favorite sites and unblock those ads. (For Android users: Google doesn’t allow ad blockers to be downloaded through its app store. To install the apps you will need to use a method known as sideloading.)

3. An encrypted messaging app. Our online conversations should be no one else’s business. That makes encrypted messaging crucial.

Here’s how it works: When you send a message, it becomes scrambled so that it is indecipherable to anyone but the intended recipient.

If anyone else, including a government agency, wants to see your messages, no one — including the app provider itself — can get access to the unscrambled messages. For years, my favorite encrypted messaging app has been Signal because of its excellent privacy safeguards.
The New York Times