Here they are: Our top 5 Android and iOS apps of the week
Every weekend, we meet on 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.
Each week, I try to bring you the best possible apps that are not data sniffers or endless microtransaction hells. In addition to my own discoveries, I have also included gems unearthed by the NextPit community, which were shared with us on the 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 top 5 apps of last week.
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1Widget - Home Screen Widgets (iOS)
As the name suggests, this app offers custom widgets for your iPhone's iOS home screen. There is a free option but the one we are interested in is, unfortunately, a paid app.
So, for $2.99 a pop (don't judge me), you can unlock the Memories Widget. These allow you to display a series of three photos from your image gallery with a Polaroid-inspired design and other Instax formats with the date when the photo was taken printed just below. It will take you back to that particular vacation memory or any other moment that you choose to highlight.
The app doesn't require an account to run and doesn't contain ads or other in-app purchases apart from the one required to unlock the Memories Widget. On its App Store page, the developer says it does not collect any data but the app obviously requires access to your gallery.
- Price: $2.99 / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($2.99) / Account: Not required.
- Download the 1Widget application from the Apple App Store.
Combapu (Android)
This application was, unsurprisingly, created by a German developer that I would trade for one of my roommates. Combapu is a productivity app that is supposed to help you divide the various chores in a household so that everyone gets a fair shot at cleaning up regularly.
You can create your virtual house and add rooms to it. For each room, you can define a list of tasks that need to be done, indicating their frequency and the level of difficulty or frustration they represent. As with any to-do list, you can keep track of which chores have been completed and which ones still need to be done.
The only downside is that the application does not yet allow you to share your home with one or more people. But the developer says he is working on this feature that would prove to be very useful for me personally. The application does not contain any ads and does not require an account. It's free, but you can unlock unlimited rooms and tasks as well as a statistics panel for a one-time purchase of $5.49.
- Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: Yes ($5.49) / Account: Not required.
- Download the Combapu application from the Google Play Store.
Tenderize It (iOS)
Okay, I know. I can already hear Apple fanboys grumbling that I only select useless applications that are totally trollish. But there are weeks like this and, frankly, Tenderize It is one of those apps that are so absurd and stupid that they are almost nice.
The graphics look like they were hand-drawn by a 10-year-old who is tripping on acid. And the gameplay consists of simply tapping the iPhone screen to tenderize a big virtual steak. But I really like the totally non-chalant feel of the application.
You can, for example, "buy" cosmetic items not with your money but with the number of times you hit your meat, which acts as a virtual currency (the application rides on the English expression "beat your meat" which refers to masturbation). You can also launch a "challenge" mode to beat your meat as many times as possible within the time span of one minute.
The only drawback of the app is that it contains ads in the form of pamphlets. In short, don't take yourself too seriously. It's the weekend, we're here to relax. I promise, I'll offer you a productivity app next week that will change your life .
- Price: Free / Ads: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account: Not necessary.
- Download the Tenderize It app from the Apple App Store.
Podify for Spotify (Android)
Another app that is surely made in Germany. This app can be considered as a Spotify add-on and offers a very clean and light interface that is dedicated to just podcasts.
You can browse your podcasts or the episodes directly in any order (it does not have to be chronological) and filter them (listened/not yet listened, less than 30/60 minutes). You also have a dedicated player, in addition to notifications for each new episode or a bookmark system.
The application is free, contains no ads or in-app purchases, and does not collect any data. However, your data is still collected by Spotify when you listen to your podcasts, obviously. If you use Spotify mainly to listen to podcasts, this is a great find that I highly recommend it.
- Price: Free / Ads: None / In-app purchases: None / Account: Not required.
- Download the Podify for Spotify app from the Google Play Store.
El Hijo - A Wild West Tale (Android & iOS)
This game is a mobile port of an adventure game that is based on infiltration and set in the world of westerns. The game is played in a third-person format from a top-down view, where you play the role of Hijo. Hijo is a young 6-year old boy who was evicted from his farm along with his mother by bandits.
You might be short in stature and weak, which means you will have to use your cunning and sneak around to progress through the levels and beat your enemies. I really like the art direction and the game mechanics look like they have a lot more depth than their simplistic basics would suggest.
The game is paid and is rather expensive at $9.99. At that price, you get the whole shebang without any ads or in-app purchases. I've seen several other sites rate it highly. Personally, I bought it and I'm going to play it more this weekend to see how it goes.
- Price: $9.99 / Ads: None / In-app purchases: None / Account: Not required.
- Download the application from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
What do you think of this week's selection? Have you already tested some apps on this list? What would be your recommended Android and/or iOS apps of the week?
