List of iPhone Native Apps

By Dan Ketchum

Apps put the "smart" in Apple's signature smartphone.
i Hannah Johnston/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

From social networking to gaming to vintage-hued photography, the iPhone and apps go hand in hand. Although iPhone fans constantly seek the latest and greatest of these compact programs, the iPhone comes out of the box with more than 20 built-in, or "native," applications. For the iPhone 5, Apple updated many of the iPhone's native apps to accommodate the phone's larger screen size and iOS 6 operating system.

Communication

In addition to the device's core Phone and text-based Messages applications, the iPhone features FaceTime, a built-in video calling program for face-to-face chats, and Mail, an app that works with numerous email providers to allow email access from your smartphone. For Web surfing, Apple's Safari browser comes with the iPhone 5, optimized for the phone's 4-inch retina display. Both Mail and Safari work with the iCloud system, syncing your email and browser with other Apple devices. The Contacts app keeps tracks of the names, email addresses, phone numbers and social networking information of people in your social circle.

Multimedia

The iPhone 5's Camera app works in conjunction with the phone's 8-megapixel iSight camera to shoot, edit and share photos and HD video. The Music, Videos and Photos apps let you store, organize, view and share your multimedia on your iPhone. Apple's iOS 6 version of iTunes works like its bigger siblings, allowing you to download music, HD movies and TV shows. This app syncs with home versions via iCloud. The native Game Center keeps track of your scores and achievements across numerous iPhone games.

Utilities

Maps, one of the iPhone's most prominent apps, offers GPS-powered, turn-by-turn navigation with a combination of 3-D and 2-D street views, including real-time traffic updates. Simpler apps such as Calendar and Reminders allow you to create a digital planner and set time-based alerts, respectively, while Notes works as an all-purpose virtual scratchpad. The iPhone 5 also includes a calculator, a voice memo recorder and apps that provide weather and stock market information.

Other

Siri, Apple's “intelligent assistant,” works across numerous apps to provide information and perform tasks that include sending text messages and looking up sports scores and movie showtimes via user voice commands. For those who deal with an unwieldy collection of coupons, tickets, gift cards and passes, Passbook keeps all these items organized in a consolidated digital format -- each card or pass is able to be scanned from the device. The simple-but-useful Find My iPhone app uses GPS data to remotely locate your misplaced iPhone from your iCloud-enabled computer. If you find the phone's native apps lacking, the native App Store lets you browse and purchase more than 700,000 third-party apps.

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