Here they are: Our top 5 Android and iOS apps of the week
Every weekend, we meet on NextPit for a selection of 5 free or paid mobile applications and games that caught our attention on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.
Just like my colleague Antoine Engels does every week, I offer you the best possible apps that are not data mining traps or microtransaction hells. In addition to our own finds, I also included apps that were recommended 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, and you can check out Antoine's recommendations for last week's 5 apps list on this link.
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Mimo (Android & iOS)
Suggested by my colleague Casten Drees, Mimo is an interesting app designed to teach the basics of coding. It is very similar to the language teaching app Duolingo, with step-by-step lessons that try to simulate simplified real-world scenarios.
Besides the basic lessons, the app offers challenges, projects, and some paid content that can give you a certificate. All with a gamified experience similar to Duolingo, including comparing your results with friends on Facebook. Mimo currently offers lessons in HTML, CSS, JavaScript (JS), Python, and SQL (database).
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Required.
- Download Mimo from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Pure Wallpaper Generator (Android)
The second suggestion this week comes from the French forums, Pure Wallpaper Generator does what it says in the name. Choose between four options: single color, gradient, four colors, or blurry image. Then select and adjust the options to have a quick textured wallpaper for your smartphone.
After finding the perfect combination for your mood, simply save the image or set it as a background image straight from the app's interface. Quick and easy.
- Price: Free / Ads: No (Yes, according to the Play Store) / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required.
- Download Pure Wallpaper Generator from the Google Play Store.
Emojimix (Android & web)
The next app was found after installing a scamming copycat with the same name. Emojimix by studio Tikolu is a web app that displays different combinations of emoji, working similarly to a "cookbook" for Google's Emoji Kitchen feature.
Mix and match emojis, use the search tool to quickly find the desired image — yeah, we know which one you will combine first — copy the new emoji to the phone's clipboard to paste on messaging apps, and even save your favorite ones.
- Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required.
- Download Emojimix from the Google Play Store.
NewPipe (Android)
This suggestion comes hot on the heels of popular app Vanced — Advance without "ad", get it? — being discontinued. While that app was a modification of the official YouTube app for Android, NewPipe is a free (as in speech and beet), open-source alternative client for YouTube. More than simply a third-party app for Google's streaming behemoth, NewPipe also works with other platforms like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, PeetTube and media.ccc.de.
NewPipe is lighter than the official app, has options to download videos, doesn't require a user profile, collects just the least amount of information as necessary, can play videos in the background, offers a pop-up player, ignores Stories Shorts, and doesn't force the algorithm down your throat. The only downside — for some people, at least — is having to install the APK from outside the Google Play Store.
- Price: Free / Ads: No / In-app purchases: No / Account: Not required.
- Download NewPipe from F-Droid or Newpipe.net.
Foundation, The Morning Show and more!
Astral Light (Android & iOS)
Since a recent recommendation for a free app was reasonably successful, especially with the French readers, I will return to the topic by suggesting Astral Light as a game tip this week.
With a soothing soundtrack, Astral Light challenges you to rotate the night sky (actually a cluster of shiny dots) until you form a constellation on the screen - real or fictitious. Even though it seems easy at first glance, the game can be quite tricky, especially if you are impatient or doesn't know how to deal with simulated 3D spaces.
- Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Not required.
- Download Astral Light from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
NextPit's app central
What do you think of this selection? Have you already tried some apps on this list? What would be your Android and/or iOS apps of the week?
