Top 5 Android & iOS Apps of the Week: Ready Set Golf, Deliciously Ella, and More!

Check out this week's list of apps on offer. Hermit transforms webpages into standalone apps, offering quick and easy access, while Whispp is a revolutionary app that can help recreate your voice albeit with one caveat, you will need to have an audio recording of it beforehand. Of course, we throw in at least one game with Ready Set Golf.

We are mindful that some apps do come with in-app purchases and ads, which is why we have installed each of these apps and tested them out ourselves to make sure you won't find yourself surprised by a microtransaction hell or an endless flurry of ads. Most importantly, we do hope these apps will add value to your smartphone experience.

However, those who want something more casual can always check out our free apps of the week article, which is published twice-weekly. Let's see what we have in store for you this week.

Ready Set Golf (Android & iOS)

Do you think you have what it takes to hit a golf ball straight and true into the hole? Well, real-life golfing physics and the physics in video games are two very different things. While your partner might hate being a (virtual) golf widow, how about letting him/her into the game in Ready Set Golf? This is a cute little multiplayer golf game that lets you play with friends elsewhere without having to fork out green fees or run the risk of getting sunburned.   

• Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes

You will be able to play with up to eight different players simultaneously, making this quite the unique game to try out, especially on those boring weekends with nothing else to do. It would have been nice to see a global leaderboard in action for those with a highly competitive spirit, but otherwise, the cute graphics and unique courses will leave you pandering for more. No two games will be the same, and I am quite sure you will spend hours on it.

However, it would be nice to see more courses added in the future. During the day, wait times have to be matched, and this might cause the adrenaline to drop a level. There is some degree of network delay on occasion, but it is not too big a deal. After all, it is not as though there is $10,000 prize money waiting for the winner at the end of the round!  

• Download Ready Set Golf from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Deliciously Ella: Feel Better (Android & iOS)

The modern-day lifestyle can be very hectic and stressful. You might be fit, but are you healthy? I found Deliciously Ella to be quite a unique app as it offers something slightly different from the standard recipe apps out there.

It basically offers delicious and nutritious recipes for you to try out, stuff that can be whipped within a short time and yet be tasty and healthy. In fact, it does more than just offer lovely plant-based recipes, but also includes inspiration for wellness and exercise.

• Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes

Basically, there are four different categories to choose from in this app: Recipes, Exercise, Mindfulness, and Sleep. The recipes offer a breakdown of ingredients, cooking time, method, and even a place for you to jot down notes.

If you were to choose Sleep, you can select from different soundtracks that will hopefully send you off to Snoozeland in the shortest time possible. Want to sweat it out? The Exercise tab provides you with yoga sessions, short energizing sessions, de-stressing options, and many others. 

You can even choose different plans to help you on your journey to being a better, healthier you. The app will require a monthly or annual subscription of $3.49 and $25.99, respectively. However, you may give the app a go with a 7-day trial to see whether it suits your needs or not.

• Download Deliciously Ella: Feel Better from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Whispp (Android & iOS)

Whispp is quite the game-changer for those with speaking abilities. This app is unique in a sense it helps to recreate your voice, although it would require some samples from you in the first place. How does it work? Rather interestingly, I might add. First, I recorded my voice before being given a choice of enhancing and amplifying it or to let the app select a new preset voice. 

I was not too impressed with the amplification and enhancement bit, since all it did was to boost the volume and reduce background noise, albeit resulting in an audio clip that can be shared without worrying about the audio quality. 

• Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes

Whispp hopes to be able to preserve your speaking style and accent, and if you still have your voice, you might want to make some recordings and store them on the cloud for future use. Just in case, you know, you meet a dashing young prince and strike a deal with a sea witch by exchanging your voice for a pair of legs. 

For those who want to restore their voice, an older voice recording of approximately 5 minutes in length is required, in addition to a 20-second clip of your voice in its current state. Whispers are also accepted, as long as they are at least 20 seconds in length. Once done, email the voice recordings to Whispp and they will share a download link with you after that. 

There is also an in-app calling functionality that lets you keep in touch with others using your improved voice. This is a free download, although the calling feature will require you to pony up $19.99 per month. 

• Download Whispp from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Hermit (Android)

Let's face it—we all have our favorite websites that we visit every single day. They range from news to sports and even wikis. Well, instead of storing them on your default browser's bookmark section, why not give Hermit a go?

This app transforms web pages into standalone apps. In a nutshell, Hermit is a browser that enables individual web pages to run in its very own container, complete with an ad blocker to boot. 

• Price: Free / Advertising: None / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No

Creating lite apps is a snap, and there is even a preset list of apps, an easy system to create lite apps and a preset list of apps for you to select from, including Google, Reddit, Amazon, Google Maps, CNN, TikTok, Twitch, and many others. Each app that you create will end up as an icon on your phone's home screen, letting you access that web page with a single tap without having to launch your browser.

While the base experience is free, you will need to fork out money to unlock the rest of the app’s features. Among these features include having multiple profiles (ideal for a family device), user scripts, tracking protection, content blocker, a backup option, and printing capability. 

• Download Hermit from the Google Play Store.

Downdetector (Android & iOS)

No, it is not the end of the world if your favorite online service is unavailable. After all, humanity has survived far worse fates than not having an Internet connection. However, there are times when you are left scratching your head, wondering whether it is because the internet service provider who dropped the ball or the online service/webpage itself that is down.

Downdetector gets the job done, quick and simple. Of course, you do not even need to download this app and use their website directly if you desire, but there is something fun about launching an app and seeing it at work.  

• Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: None / Account required: No

Downdetector offers real-time status and uptime monitoring for numerous services, where over 45 different countries are supported. You can even curate a list of your favorite services so that they remain on top of the list every time the app is launched. Should a service outage happen, feel free to file a report as well as refer to problem reports from other users. 

Downdetector will even display the support contact information for each service, ranging from the phone number to online contact for you to get in touch with them as and when available. Social media channels might be the faster method, but there is nothing quite like an old-fashioned, traditional email correspondence when dealing with more serious matters like downtime.

• Download Downdetector from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Stumbled upon anything interesting in our list this week? Do you have an app that you think the nextpit community can benefit from? If so, do leave your recommendation in the comments.