Here they are: Our top 5 Android and iOS apps of the week
Like every weekend, we meet at NextPit for my selection of 5 free or paid mobile applications and games that caught my eye on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Every week I try to bring you the best possible apps that are not data traps or microtransaction nests. In addition to my own finds, I also add the apps found by the NextPit community and shared on our forum.
From mobile games to productivity apps, here are the 5 free and paid Android/iOS apps from NextPit this week. We publish this selection every week, you can check my 5 apps of last week.
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Pikadex (iOS)
Never had a real Pokédex as a kid and want to make up for that part of your childhood? Or maybe you're a Pokémon card dealer but, as a good speculator without any passion who ruins a universe for his fans just to make money, you don't know anything about Pokémon and want to put some names on the spot to be more credible when you unbox booster packs?
Pikadex will allow you to learn more about the vast Pokémon bestiary, from the 1st generation that many players knew on Gameboy at the time to the 8th that is still present in the Pokémon Legends game: Arceus released on Nintendo Switch recently. You can search for a Pokémon by name or number and get a complete record with its description, its statistics and even its reproduction mode. You can also create your Pokémon teams.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required
- Download the Pikadex app from the Apple App Store
Bingeit (Android)
Bingeit is an app for finding movies to watch based on user ratings and recommendations. Like many other apps that offer exactly the same thing, Bingeit has a social dimension and allows you to interact with other users and add friends to aggregate recommendations in your news feed.
It's clearly not the most original application on this list, and you have to create an account to use it. But if you like this kind of platform or you want to lobby, like me, for your favorite underrated movie, then why not?
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Required
- Download the Bingeit app from the Google Play Store
LoWeather (Android)
I came across a Reddit post from the developer of this weather app asking people to test and rate his app. I'm not going to rate it but as I know the interest of the NextPit community for weather apps, I present it to you.
The interface is nice, airy and easy to read. The features are very basic, as well as the information displayed, so don't expect radar functions or satellite images etc. I also noticed two visual "bugs", one when I was looking for my city and the text areas shifted erratically on the screen, the other being the button to switch to dark mode which is almost invisible in light mode.
But the developer seems motivated and committed to his project. He explained that he is working on other features like adding more widgets, pinned notifications for future updates. The app is free, without ads or in-app purchases and does not require an account.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required
- Download the LoWeather application from the Google Play Store
rDrop (Android & iOS)
rDrop allows you to send files peer-to-peer directly between two devices, without any data going through a server. It's an interesting alternative if you want to share files in complete confidentiality.
rDrop is a PWA, so it's not (yet) a native application. But you just have to create a shortcut to your home screen to access it directly via your web browser. You drop your files without size limit and rDrop generates an alphanumeric and QR code to copy or scan on the receiving device.
However, both devices must be on the same network. The transfer is done directly between the two devices, with the WebRTC technology. It's pure p2p, no servers, no intermediary. I tested the transfer between a OnePlus Nord 2 (transmitter) under Android 11 and an iPhone 13 (receiver) under iOS 15.3 on my Wi-Fi network and it worked without any problem.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required
Encodya (Android & iOS)
Encodya is a 3D point and click game set in a cyberpunk universe in Neo Berlin in 2062, where you play as Tina, a 9 year old orphan accompanied by her protective robot SAM-53. You must continue the work of your deceased father and save the world (how original).
I have only played a few minutes of the game so far. But I'm already a fan of the universe even though it only uses the classic codes of the genre. As for the gameplay, the world is sequenced in several panels, in each panel, there are "clickable" elements you can interact with to progress.
So it's not an open world game where you can walk around everywhere. The game is in isometric 3D, so you can move around in a non-linear way but honestly, it's not very intuitive, especially without a gamepad. The game costs $9,99 and there are not many reviews on it yet. But for now, I don't regret my purchase.
- Price: $9,99 / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required
- Download the mobile game Encodya from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store
NextPit's app central
What do you think of this selection? Have you already tested some of the apps on this list? What would be your Android and/or iOS apps of the week?
