At the end of 2023, I shared the software and services I frequently used throughout the yearโMy App Defaults 2023. Now that a year has passed, I will review what has changed, which services and software have been discontinued, and what new ones have been tried.
My App Defaults 2024 - Image 1
My App Defaults 2024 ๐จ Mail Client: Use Gmail and QQ Mail web pages on the computer, and on mobile, iPhone uses the built-in mail app
๐ฎ Mail Server: Gmail, QQmail, Foxmail.
๐ Notes: This year, because of starting work, I have taken fewer notes in Obsidian
โ To-Do: None
iPhone Photo Shooting: Apple Camera on iPhone 15 Pro Max
๐ฆ Photo Management: Most of the photos are stored on the old phone, fewer photos on the new phone, and some are also synced to Alibaba Cloud Drive
๐ Calendar: iPhone built-in calendar
๐ Cloud File Storage: iCloud, Alibaba Cloud Disk
๐ RSS: FreshRSS(self-hosted) on my VPS, Reeder 5 on iPad 2021, NetNewsWire on iPhone, Follow
๐๐ปโโ๏ธ Contacts: iPhone built-in address book
๐ Browser: Microsoft Edge, Safari
๐ฌ Chat: WeChat, Telegram, Feishu
๐ Bookmarks: Rarely used, rarely saved
๐ Read It Later: None
๐ Word Processing: Obsidian with Markdown
๐ Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel
Presentations: Microsoft PowerPoint
๐ Shopping Lists: Apple Notes
๐ด Meal Planning: None
๐ฐ Budgeting and Personal Finance: Money trail, havenโt kept accounts for three months, the habit of keeping accounts is more important than the accounts themselves
๐ฐ News: Twitter, RSS feeds, Buzzing
๐ต Music: NetEase Cloud MusicโApple MusicโSpotify
๐ค Podcasts: None, I currently donโt have the habit of listening to podcasts.
๐ Password Management: Bitwarden(self-hosted) on my VPS
And some extra categories not mentioned in the project:
โ๏ธ VPN: Clash Meta, Stash, Mihomo Party
๐ Blog Platform: WordPress on my VPS
Weasel with rime-ice
๐ Translation app: Immersive Translate
๐ Reading app: WeRead with Z-Library
๐ง Screenshot app: WeChat Screenshot
๐ Image Hosting: Cloudflare R2, Colorful Cloud
โ๏ธ VPS Hosting: CloudCone and RackNerd
๐ค AI API: UniAPI
The biggest change this year is starting to like using the built-in system apps, from Apple Notes, to Apple Music, to Apple Maps. Thanks to the lightness, cleanliness, and simplicity of Appleโs system apps, they also make me think about what we most need when using a software, which is the core, main functionality.
I uninstalled Baidu Maps, Meituan, NetEase Cloud Music, and Didi Chuxing. These apps either try every possible way to make me borrow money or spend money, often on flashy features. Instead, I use Apple Maps, Spotify, and WeChat mini-programs.
The last sentence summarizes: do not add unnecessary demands, appropriately subtract, do not add.