About this archive
The story of First & 20
First & 20 was a website that asked one simple question: what is on your iPhone home screen? Between 2009 and 2015 it collected the answers of more than 60 of the best-known designers, developers and tech writers of the golden App Store era - complete with their own commentary on every app they chose.
The original site (2009-2015)
First & 20 was created and run by Tory Hobson as a non-commercial side project, launched in the late summer of 2009. The name is a double play: a football nod, and the literal first twenty apps that fit on an iPhone home screen before folders existed. In its own words, it existed because "who doesn't have Flight Control on their iPhone? But how many love it enough to have it on their Home screen, one of the first twenty apps?"
The site was linked by Daring Fireball, Engadget, MetaFilter and The New York Times, grew to more than 60 profiles and 141 catalogued apps, froze after an unfinished 2011 redesign, and quietly went offline around 2015-2016. The domain later lapsed.
This restoration (2026)
This site is an independent restoration of the First & 20 archive, rebuilt from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine snapshots. It is not affiliated with Tory Hobson, with any of the people featured, or with Apple. Profiles, commentary and screenshots are preserved as they were originally published, with attribution; the original footer said it best - "All home screens © their respective contributors" - and that remains true here.
Why restore it? Because this collection became an accidental time capsule: a document of how the people who built the App Store era actually used their phones, one screen at a time, before folders, widgets and push notifications changed everything.
Editorial policy
- Archived content is presented as published, credited to its original authors, and never rewritten.
- New editorial additions (app status notes, era context) are clearly separate from archived material.
- No advertising, no affiliate links, no tracking - see the privacy policy.
- Corrections and takedown requests: email curator@firstand20.com. If you are featured in this archive and want your profile amended or removed, it will be done promptly.
Frequently asked questions
What was First & 20?
First & 20 (2009-2015) was a website by designer Tory Hobson that collected the iPhone home screens of well-known designers, developers and tech writers, with their own commentary on the first twenty apps they chose. It grew to more than 60 profiles and 141 catalogued apps before freezing in 2011 and going offline around 2015-2016.
Is this the official First & 20 site?
No. This is an independent restoration of the archive, rebuilt from Wayback Machine snapshots. It is not affiliated with Tory Hobson, the people featured, or Apple. All home screens remain copyright of their respective contributors.
Why do the numbers differ from the original scoreboard?
The original footer scoreboard reflected the site at a moment in time (August 2010: 60 screens, Tweetie at 40). This restoration indexes every archived screen across the site's whole life, so counts differ slightly.
I am featured here - how do I update or remove my profile?
Email curator@firstand20.com. Corrections, added full-resolution screenshots, and removal requests are all handled promptly.
Contribute
Have a missing screenshot, a correction, or a story about the original site? Were you featured on First & 20? Email curator@firstand20.com.