This top 5 is not like our selections of free applications that we offer you twice a week. Here, we install the applications on our own smartphones and test them. We check if there are not too many in-app purchases, ads and if the applications respect your personal data more or less.
We try to select useful applications, whether for productivity, personalization of your interface or digital well-being. And, our top 5 always includes at least one mobile game. Applications can be free or paid, with or without a subscription. But, it will always be indicated!
We take issues related to in-app purchases and advertisements seriously. This is why we mention them in the descriptions of the affected applications.
Boxes: Lost Fragments (Android and iOS)
Do you like puzzle games and want to give your brain a challenge? If you answered yes, then Boxes: Lost Fragments will definitely please you. The graphics are excellent. I like that the puzzles are all different in nature, even though they share similar mechanics, which will allow you to learn to think outside the box more often.
You know what would be awesome? An engineering marvel of a similar puzzle box, but in a physical format. It would just be a pipe dream, but pressing buttons and seeing the puzzle interact with your actions is always a joy when you’re able to progress. I found myself having to put my smartphone down once I got stuck on a particular puzzle, only to go out for a walk and distract myself before returning to the puzzle and solving it.
The first 10 levels are free, but there are 20 in total so you can use all your problem-solving skills. Each puzzle box is beautiful to look at and one of a kind, making solving it extremely interesting. To play the rest of the game, you will need to checkout.
- Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No
Rumble Club (Android and iOS)
Do you like the carnage of battle royale games? If so, then Rumble Club is your cup of tea. You can face up to 20 players in a 3D environment. You will not only have to strategize how to get rid of other players, but also keep a close eye on the changing environment. Some floors can disappear (with sufficient warning times), there are traps around, which really gets the adrenaline pumping.
While it’s great that there’s no pay-to-win mechanic here (in-game purchases get you better cosmetics), there are some downsides to this if you’re more of a precision player like Me. I tend to like titles that have fewer variables, so Rumble Club gets boring sometimes. There were times where I got killed randomly, like a box thrown in my direction barely hit a pixel of my arm, and I ended up walking out of the arena.
- Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes
Discogs (Android and iOS)
There comes a time in life when we are all going to die. What kind of legacy will we leave? Or rather, what kind of waste? If you’re an avid vinyl record collector or have recently been bitten by the bug, there may be an app that might make you raise an eyebrow and light a glint in your eye.
Discogs, an online record store that has surprisingly been around for over twenty years, has an app. It’s actually a mobile version of its site, but the app has a few options that make cataloging, collecting, and selling vinyl records easier.
This is the perfect app for keeping an inventory of all your vinyl records because the search function works like magic. What works best is the camera function which scans a disc’s barcode, from which the application will search its database to find important details like artist name, the title and all other relevant information regarding the release of the disc. This will tell you how much that record costs on the market, making it easier to determine your net worth.
- Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: No / Account required: Yes
HideU (Android and iOS)
Do you have apps that you wouldn’t like others to know that you have installed on your smartphone? It can be a diary app that contains all your deepest, darkest secrets. And your photo gallery? Here is HideU, a pretty unique way to hide these apps from your smartphone’s home screen by hiding them in another home screen. I felt like I was entering another reality.
Basically, HideU presents itself as a calculator when installed. Even the icon is that of a calculator, and the name of the app itself is a calculator. You can switch from a normal calculator to a scientific calculator, but to really access the app’s functions, you’re first asked to insert a key code followed by an “=”.
Once this is done, you will be transported to an alternate reality where you will choose which apps you want to hide from your phone’s main home screen.
These hidden apps are only accessible when you enter HideU. Yes, it may seem complicated, but it works, and that’s the most important thing.
I found the app’s loading times a little too long for my liking, but if you have secrets to keep away from prying eyes, HideU is a good fit. I don’t like the video ads that I have to watch every time I access HideU, but they can be removed with a subscription.
- Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No
Headway (Android and iOS)
They say that time is of the essence. Bookworms can relate to this phrase, with so many titles to devour and yet not enough time. Why not let an app summarize the books you should read, but don’t have time to read? Headway is an interesting application. I first identified the different areas in which I wish to develop, my current situation, my level of commitment, and now the application asks me other questions to personalize my experience.
With over 1,500 book summaries available, Headway selects the main ideas from all these nonfiction bestsellers before providing the relevant summaries on the topic you want to learn. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it makes sense that big ideas are being presented daily.
The app encourages you if you’re behind and alerts you if you decide to skip a chapter or two. Overall, I think this is a better way to improve rather than slogging through the day without accomplishing anything.
Remember that the app comes with a 7-day free trial. You have to pay $12.99 (and more) to continue using it.
- Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: Yes
What do you think of the list of applications presented this week? Did you like any of our recommendations? Is there another app you’re dying to share with the rest of the world? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments!
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