5 Free Apple Apps Missing From Your iPhone

Apple pre-installs a lot of apps on every iPhone, but some of the most useful ones are oddly left out. I'm talking about free, first-party apps made by Apple that most people have never heard of — apps that I use regularly for everything from shooting YouTube videos to checking football scores and diagnosing Wi-Fi problems.

Here are five free Apple apps that have earned a permanent spot on my iPhone, and why you should consider installing them too.

Final Cut Camera: Pro Video Controls for Free

If you record any video on your iPhone that goes beyond casual clips, the Final Cut Camera app is a must-have. The default Camera app is designed to be simple — swap your resolution, frame rate, and exposure, and that's about it. It's perfect for filming your dog, less so for anything creative.

Final Cut Camera opens up far greater control. You get options for video codec, HDR settings, resolution and frame rate adjustments, manual white balance, exposure, and focus. You can even switch between focal lengths without leaving the app. In the settings, you'll find useful overlays like grid lines, a level guide, and focus peaking to help you nail every shot.

For those shooting in log or ProRes, there's a handy preview LUT feature that shows what your footage will look like once graded — so you're not squinting at flat, washed-out images while filming. And if you edit on Final Cut Pro for iPad, you can live stream your iPhone's camera feed directly to your iPad as a wireless camera source.

One quirk worth knowing: videos recorded in Final Cut Camera are saved to their own internal camera roll, not your regular Photos library. It's a bit odd, but easy enough to work around once you know.

If you're looking to get the most out of your iPhone for video, check out the iPhone Creator Pack — it includes the LUTs I use on all my videos.

Apple Support: Your Repair Shop in an App

If you've been in the Apple ecosystem for any length of time, chances are you've needed to contact Apple Support. Whether it was a cracked screen or a mysteriously lost AirPod (just the one), the Apple Support app makes the whole process far less painful.

The app shows every device linked to your Apple account, along with its AppleCare status and available support options. Select a device and a support topic, and you'll see relevant help articles plus options to chat with or call Apple directly. It tries to replicate the experience of walking into an Apple Store — minus the queue.

I've used it multiple times, most recently to replace a single lost AirPod without having to buy an entirely new pair. It's the kind of app you hope you'll never need, but you'll be glad it's there when you do.

Apple Store: More Than Just a Shopping App

Not to be confused with the App Store, the Apple Store app is Apple's dedicated shopping app for physical products and accessories. Think of it as apple.com in your pocket, but with a few exclusive perks.

The app is split into three sections: "For You" with personalised recommendations and order tracking, "Products" for browsing the full hardware lineup, and "Go Further" for tips and Today at Apple session bookings. You'll find every customisation option available on the website — storage, RAM, even free engraving. There's also an exclusive feature only available within this app: you can add a Memoji engraving to your AirPods case.

Beyond shopping, the app includes Apple's trade-in valuation tool so you can check what your current device is worth before upgrading. You get all the payment options including Apple Pay and finance plans, plus real-time order tracking from purchase to delivery. And if you're a keen Apple follower, you'll notice it mirrors the apple.com "store down" screen whenever a keynote or WWDC event is live.

Apple Sports: Clean Scores With Zero Adverts

Apple Sports launched fairly quietly, but it's quickly become my go-to for checking live scores and fixtures. It covers most major leagues worldwide — NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, Premier League, Champions League, and for me personally, the Championship.

The interface is brilliantly simple. You get yesterday's results, today's live games, and upcoming fixtures in one clean view. Tap into any game and you'll see league standings and venue details. There are also lock screen and home screen widgets showing live activity, so you can keep an eye on scores without opening the app.

I suspect Apple built this partly to feed into their broader ecosystem — they now show baseball and MLS on Apple TV — but the result is a genuinely useful sports app. Being first-party means it's fast, well-designed, and most importantly, completely free of adverts. That alone puts it ahead of most third-party sports apps.

Airport Utility: Apple's Hidden Wi-Fi Scanner

The name is a throwback to Apple's old networking hardware (if you remember the AirPort Express or Time Capsule, you're showing your age). The app's original purpose is managing those legacy Apple networking devices — I still use an AirPort Time Capsule as a network storage drive.

But the real reason to download this app is its hidden Wi-Fi scanning feature. Once enabled, it lets you scan nearby Wi-Fi networks and see detailed information like channel density and signal strength measured in decibel-milliwatts. To activate it, go to Settings, scroll to Apps, tap Airport Utility, and toggle on Wi-Fi Scanner.

Here's why this matters: Apple restricts Wi-Fi antenna APIs on iOS, meaning no third-party app on the App Store can access this level of network detail. Airport Utility is the only app that can do it. If you've ever struggled with slow Wi-Fi, interference from neighbours, or setting up a mesh network, being able to see which channels are congested is incredibly valuable.

If you want more tips on getting the best out of your Apple setup, take a look at my other Apple-focused posts on lewislovelock.com.

Which Free Apple Apps Should You Download First?

If you only download one app from this list, make it Final Cut Camera if you create any kind of video content, or Airport Utility if you've ever had Wi-Fi issues. Apple Sports is worth it for anyone who follows live sport, and the Support app is one of those things you'll want already installed the moment something goes wrong.

All five are free, all are made by Apple, and none of them come on your iPhone by default. They're worth the few seconds it takes to search for them.

FAQ

What free apps does Apple make that aren't pre-installed?

Apple offers several free apps that don't come on your iPhone by default, including Final Cut Camera, Apple Support, Apple Store, Apple Sports, and Airport Utility. All are available on the App Store at no cost.

Can you scan Wi-Fi networks on iPhone?

Yes, but only using Apple's own Airport Utility app. You need to enable the Wi-Fi Scanner toggle in the iPhone Settings app first. No third-party apps can access this feature due to Apple's restrictions on Wi-Fi antenna APIs.

Is Final Cut Camera better than the default iPhone camera app?

For video, yes. Final Cut Camera offers far more control including codec selection, manual white balance, focus peaking, and LUT previews. The default Camera app is better suited to quick, casual recording.