With app choice across all mobile platforms nearing the 2 million mark, picking out those worth downloading is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Digital Spy has been posting a weekly app round-up for a good while now, but we wanted to make things easier for device owners out there.
Just grabbed yourself a new iPhone? Or perhaps you are taking your first steps into the iPad fraternity? Below is the cream of the application crop for 2014.
We will update this article regularly as new apps hit the App Store, and have an Android apps guide for your consumption right here.
Photo and Video
Productivity
News
Weather
Social and Communication
Entertainment
Health and Fitness
Miscellaneous
What to Read Next
Photoshop Mix
Price: Free
Publisher: Free
Adobe has been active in the apps sector of late, and a universal iOS edition of Photoshop Mix is among the cream of its most recent crop.
Photoshop Mix is a scaled-down version of the desktop edition, but it contains all of editing tools mobile users could possibly need.
The software was previously excusive to iPad, but with the iPhone display real estate now having increased, it's now more versatile.
Download Photo from the App Store
Stream
Price: Free
Publisher: Getty Images
Photo agency Getty Images has launched a new app that enables iOS users to browse through its extensive picture library and share images with their friends.
The photographs, which can be embedded in blogs and social media, are divided into news, sports, entertainment and archival categories, curated by Getty editors.
A slideshow function lets users show pictures on their television screen through Apple TV via AirPlay.
Download Stream from the App Store
Hyperlapse
Price: Free
Publisher: Instagram
Shooting time-lapse video previously required a camera mounted on a tripod, but with this app from Instagram, no specialist equipment is required.
Hyperlapse lets users capture this kind of footage while moving their iPhone around. The speed of the clip can then be adjusted before the results are uploaded to Instagram.
The software is more of a standalone video app than a social network, and does not require an account to use.
app from Instagram
Adobe Lightroom
Price: Free (subscription required)
Publisher: Adobe
Adobe has launched a mobile edition of its Lightroom photo-editing application for iPad, allowing camera enthusiasts to get creative on the move.
The software works in conjunction with its desktop counterpart, includes many of the same tools and supports cross-device syncing.
Subscriptions to both Creative Cloud and Lightroom 5 are required to use this app, but those who meet these requirements won't want to be without it.
Download Adobe Lightroom from the App Store
Ultrakam
Price: £5
Publisher: VFX Warrior
iPhone 5S users can now shoot video in 2K thanks to VFX Warrior's latest app Ultrakam, which pushes the device's camera beyond its 1920 x 1080 capabilities through clever use of codecs.
The software makes use of either the H.264 or M-JPEG codec to make blacks and whites appear denser, and video more crisp and defined.
Other features include support for CD-quality audio, slow-motion video recording at 1280 x 720, a time-lapse mode and in-app editing tools. The app is compatible with iPhone 5 and 5C, as well as iPad mini and third-generation iPads, but the iPhone 5S is the only device that reaches 2K resolution.
Download Ultrakam from the App Store
SwiftKey Keyboard
Price: Free
Publisher: SwiftKey
Perhaps the biggest opening of doors is Apple allowing custom keyboards into iOS 8. SwiftKey has been tearing up the smartphone screens of Android users for quite a while, and has now finally made its way onto iOS.
The whole idea of SwiftKey is that it learns from what you are typing. Any repeat phrases or commonly used words will become part of its prediction algorithm, helping you speed up typing.
After a while, it becomes uncannily good at knowing what you want to say. If you haven't already, we seriously advise installing this - and it's free, too.
Download SwiftKey Keyboard from the App Store
Hanx Writer
Price: Free
Publisher: Hitcents.com
Tom Hanks may be better known as an actor than a typewriter enthusiast, but the Captain Phillips star's latest venture is based around his love for the archaic word processing machines.
Created by Hanks, Hanx Writer is an app that recreates the experience of a manual typewriter on your iPad, minus the speed limitations associated with the real thing.
While it looks great and is faster than the real thing, you could always use a standard computer keyboard if speed is what you are after.
Download Hanx Writer from the App Store
Word Lens
Price: Free
Publisher: Quest Visual
Language barriers can make travel daunting, but Word Lens for iOS and Android devices ensures that they are no longer the obstacles they once were.
The software, which was acquired by Google this year, translates printed words from one tongue to another using a smartphone's camera - and it does this without the need for an internet connection.
Also available for Google Glass, Word Lens isn't a new app, but was made free to download when Google acquired platform holder Quest Visual.
Download Word Lens from the App Store
Dropbox Carousel
Price: Free
Publisher: Dropbox
Cloud storage firm Dropbox unveiled several new apps this year, one of them being Carousel, a service for iOS and Android that lets users back up and showcase their photos and videos.
Carousel combines the media in the user's Dropbox account with those stored on their device, and automatically backs up new pictures and videos the moment they are taken.
Users can sort photos and videos by time, date and event, and even share them with family and friends.
Download Dropbox Carousel from the App Store
Microsoft Office
Price: Free (subscription £79.99 a year)
Publisher: Microsoft
Microsoft took further steps into rival territory in April when it launched an iPad-optimised version of its Office productivity suite.
The package includes versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint fully optimised for Apple tablets, with users able to read and present content for free.
A paid Office 365 subscription costing £79.99 a year is required to create content, but existing subscribers to the service can access the apps in full at no extra cost.
Download Microsoft Office from the App Store
MyScript Calculator
Price: Free
Publisher: Vision Objects
There's little wrong with Apple's default iOS calculator application, but it pales in comparison to Vision Objects' MyScript Calculator.
MyScript Calculator responds to the user's handwriting, performing mathematical operations based on hand-drawn sums. It feels perfectly natural, and is actually quicker than manually keying out calculations in many cases.
The latest version of the app has introduced an iOS 7-friendly redesign, the option to disable automatic calculation, and new operators such as n-root and hyperbolic functions (which we're sure are handy if you happen to be a mathematician).
Download MyScript Calculator from the App Store
SwiftKey Note
Price: Free
Publisher: SwiftKey
Android fans will be familiar with SwiftKey, a smart keyboard that lives up to its name by learning a user's writing style over time and serving up predictive text suggestions based on it.
Apple isn't a fan of third-party keyboard solutions, but the company behind SwiftKey has brought its predictive text technology over to iOS in the form of a note-taking app called SwiftKey Note.
SwiftKey Note comes with close Evernote integration, and is a must for those who regularly find themselves using their iOS device to jot down digital memos.
Download SwiftKey Note from the App Store
Snipp3t
Price: Free
Publisher: Microsoft
Microsoft is no longer just about productivity software, cloud services and Xbox, as the computing giant has taken its first steps into the world of virtual celebrity stalking.
Powered by the firm's Bing search engine, Snipp3t is a free celebrity news app for iPhone that brings together all of the information available online about your favourite stars.
Microsoft's latest app comes with a database of more than 100,000 famous people, including popstars, Hollywood actors and worryingly, Charles Manson.
Download Snipp3t from the App Store
Instapaper
Price: £2.49
Publisher: Instapaper Holdings
Instapaper is a handy app for storing articles offline to read when you might not have access to a reliable WiFi or data connection.
The service received a substantial update in May, introducing the ability to save highlighted text, multi-device synchronisation, and improved social media sharing.
The latest version of Instapaper comes optimised for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, but is also compatible with earlier versions of the handset, as well as iPad and iPod Touch.
Download Instapaper from the App Store
Yahoo! Weather
Price: Free
Publisher: Yahoo!
Widgets are now a part of iOS, which means you can have a properly customised notification centre that shows all sorts of different information.
First up is Yahoo's Weather app, which is able to deliver custom results to your notification centre at the drop of a hat.
It looks cool, but does clash with Apple's own temperature and weather listing, which also sits at the top of the drop-down menu.
Still though, it's the beginning of widgets in iOS - and the inevitable clutter that will decorate the notifications centre in the coming months.
Download the Yahoo! Weather from the App Store
Climendo
Price: 69p
Publisher: Climendo AB
Much like real-life weathermen, weather apps can be hit and miss when it comes to delivering an accurate forecast, so it's difficult to know which ones to trust.
Climendo aims to solve this problem by drawing data from the five most popular weather services in your country and displaying them side-by-side to give users a clearer idea of what to expect.
The app also delivers an aggregated forecast based on information from all services combined, with a probability rate derived from the level of agreement across the board.
Download Climendo from the App Store
Cloak
Price: Free
Publisher: Cloak
Some analysts would have you believe that the social networking craze is past its peak, and that's easy enough to believe when the growing trend of so-called "anti-social" apps is taken into account.
Cloak is the latest application to take user privacy to new heights, helping iOS device owners avoid the awkwardness of running into "unwanted friends", such as exes and bothersome work colleagues.
The app monitors data from social networks such as Foursquare and Instagram to map out the location of undesirable contacts and give the user the power of stealth.
Download Cloak from the App Store
Hang w/
Price: Free
Publisher: Hang With, Inc
Hang w/ is a social platform that aims to do for live video what Twitter has done for 140-character statements.
Available for iOS and Android, the service lets users broadcast live footage to friends, fans, follows and anyone else who happens to join this ever-growing network.
Hang w/ has already begun to catch on with celebrities, with famous users including 50 Cent, Timbaland, Lily Allen and Jamie Kennedy.
Download Hang w/ from the App Store
Viber
Price: Free
Publisher: Viber
Voice over IP service Viber launched a shiny new iPhone app in April, complete with iOS 7 optimisation and a range of additional features.
Users can now record longer video messages and send multiple photo attachments simultaneously, as well as take advantage of the block list feature that has been present on Android for a while.
Viber has also been given a visual overhaul, introducing a flat, clean layout that ties in nicely with Apple's latest mobile operating system.
Download Viber from the App Store
Confide
Price: Free
Publisher: Confide.inc
Confide has been touted as Snapchat for businesses, allowing professionals to send sensitive information to clients without the risk of it falling into the wrong hands.
The service enables users to send out fleeting messages that appear one line at a time to safeguard the application against screenshot saving.
Available as a free download, Confide pledges to put security first, which may help give victims of this year's Snapchat data breach some peace of mind.
Download Confide from the App Store
Genius by Rap Genius
Price: Free
Publisher: Genius Media Group
Genius is a new mobile app aimed at users who have ever found themselves struggling to grasp the meaning behind cryptic song lyrics, poetry, literature or news articles.
The application taps into an extensive database of annotations for all of the above, providing insight into the underlying meaning behind the artist or author's work.
Once Genius is installed on your device, it will automatically pull together annotation sheets for the music stored on the handset, and even includes Shazam-like identification features for analysing any songs you might hear when out and about.
Download Genius from the App Store
Google Play Movies and TV
Price: Free
Publisher: Google
Despite the fierce rivalry between Google and Apple, the Android firm has been proactive when it comes to making its apps and services available for iOS devices.
Google Play Movies and TV made the jump to the App Store early this year, allowing users to access their Android video collection on an iOS device.
Ideal for users who own both and iOS and Android hardware, Google Play Movies and TV does not support in-app purchases, meaning that all content must be bought via an Android device or PC.
However, it is fully compatible with Chromecast dongles, allowing users to stream video footage onto a larger screen.
Download Google Play Movies and TV from the App Store
Audibly
Price: Free
Publisher: Nick Frey
Audibly is a new app developed by three 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference student scholarship winners that lets iOS users share music across nearby devices wirelessly.
The software creates the illusion of surround sound by syncing multiple devices with one another and playing music from them in unison.
There are already numerous mobile apps out there that will help you get your tunes heard, but this one comes with the added bonus of being free.
Download Audibly from the App Store
Fitbit
Price: Free
Publisher: Fitbit Inc
Fitbit rolled out an iPhone 5S-optimised version of its popular fitness-tracking software in January to help users get in shape for the New Year.
This version of the application makes use of the handset's M7 coprocessor through a feature called MobileTrack, which delivers more accurate data to the user post-workout.
Other features introduced with the latest update include a redesigned profile editor, overhauled tracker settings, and new ways to interact with friends in-app.
Download Fitbit from the App Store
Sleepio
Price: Free (with subscription costs)
Publisher: Big Health
Insomnia can be a scourge on your life, often forcing sufferers to resort to pills and other treatments in an attempt to get a handle on it.
Sleepio is a clinically-proven programme for improving your sleep, based around cognitive-behavioural techniques devised by Oxford University Professor Colin Espie.
The system is designed to help you nod off up to 50% faster, wake during the night 60% less, and double your daytime energy. After a free seven-week trial, it costs £3 per month or £92 for the full 12-week course.
Download Sleepio from the App Store
Timera
Price: Free
Publisher: First Line Software
Using Timera for iPhone is like gazing through a window into the past, showing users what their current location looked like in bygone eras.
History enthusiasts and nostalgia buffs often go to great lengths to track down photographs of old streets and buildings, but First Line Software's latest offering does all of the leg work.
There's even a creative aspect to the application, which lets users combine historic imagery with photos they have captured themselves.
Download Timera from the App Store
Halftone 2 Comic Book Creator
Price: £1.49
Publisher: Juicy Bits
A new feature in iOS 8 is the ability for apps to communicate with each other. In this case, Halftone has included a new photo editing extension that means you can apply effects directly within the photos app.
As for the application itself, it allows you to create comic books using photos stored on your device. Speech bubbles, a variety of typefaces and a massive number of different layouts allow you to get very creative.
Also worth mentioning is that the app is already prepped for the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with optimised resolution for the bigger screens.
Download Halftone 2 from the App Store
