You don't need to use the official Mastodon apps, they're not the best way to use Mastodon. The official apps only arrived last year, and they were intended as "Fisher Price My First Mastodon" things with a restricted set of features.
Third party apps have been around longer than official ones, and include way more features. You can sign in with the same account on all apps.
On Android try Tusky, Fedilab, Megalodon, Tooot
On iPhone/iPad, try Toot!, Ice Cubes, Ivory, Mona
@feditips any alternatives on desktop to the default web interface?
Yes, lots:
-The official website interface has an alternative Tweetdeck-style multicoloumn interface (more info: https://fedi.tips/how-to-activate-mastodons-tweetdeck-style-advanced-web-interface/)
-Elk is a third party web interface (more info: https://elk.zone/)
-Sengi is a popular third party desktop app (more info: https://nicolasconstant.github.io/sengi/)
-Buffer is a commercial service that lets you crosspost between social media including Mastodon (more info: https://buffer.com/)
@feditips awesome. thank you. will give those a try.