8 New Apps You Should Know

Instead of wading through the massive amount of new app releases searching for a few diamonds in the rough, just let us be your guide. This is a collection of our favorite new apps for both iOS and Android for your downloading pleasure.

The best feature of Google Allo when it was released was the preview edition of Google Assistant. That app has grown up and also moved off just Pixel phones to now be available across both iOS and eligible Android devices (Marshmallow/Nougat phones, simply touch and hold home button) for all your Google Assistant-ing needs. Schedule reminders. Check flight info. Get quick translation info. Search e-mails. Plan your day. Google stuff. If you’re on the Google ecosystem except for your phone or tablet, Google Assistant will be useful because of the existing integration in your life. If you’re already on Android it’s a no-brainer. iOS

Another Ketchapp game with a simple premise and gameplay that’s as basic as it is infuriating and addictive. You’re a Minecraft-style block guy that has to jump over obstacles while you endlessly run through areas of a house. Oh, and you have to do that while avoiding the floor when it randomly turns to lava. The Floor Is Lava might not be the most impressive game in the graphics department, but the mechanics are easy enough to learn and hard enough to master that it’s a worthwhile throwback to the childhood game your parents always yelled at you for playing. iOS Android

Part digital geocache and part geolocated scrapbook, GoCapture is an app that allows you to create, find and explore local treasures and adventures. You can virtually explore locations within the app for a little bit of digital exploration, but it’s also useful for finding cool new spots, mapping routes and expanding on the existing database of sites and attractions. The newer app has serious potential to evolve into a combination Yelp/Foursquare/Instagram specifically focused on exploration and adventure. iOS Android

If you’re looking for a video creation and editing app that’s easy to use you’re going to want to install Filmr immediately. Filmr allows you to shoot new content, collage and combine it with existing video, add music on top and then share it across pretty much every social platform without having to worry about controls more confusing than a few clicks and sliders. You can trim videos, duplicate parts, crop to different resolutions, reverse clips and even add different songs to different parts of the final product. Editing on the go is easier than ever with Filmr. iOS Android

PhotoPills, the legendary photography planning, assistance and augmented reality app, is finally making its way from iOS only to Android devices as well. If you’ve never played with the app, PhotoPills allows you to take stunning pictures of the Sun, Moon and Milky Way set against your favorite local landscape using a combination of a 2D map-centric planner, alignment guide, photo plan manager, location scouting tool, widgets and calculators that were not only designed in conjunction with highly regarded astronomical photographers, they’re used by them. If you want to capture the perfect picture with all the desired elements of the sky, PhotoPills will help you do it. iOS Android

Whether it’s a late night creative session on a side project or just a long day at the office, we all have problems falling asleep sometimes. Pulse 2 is a relaxation app filled with scientifically proven breathing techniques and a futuristic breath visualization that will reduce stress, improve your sleep cycle and help you fall asleep in just a minute. With an intuitive and innovative interface that helps you improve on every aspect of your breathing, Pulse 2 is an app with a myriad of tangible benefits other than helping you get to sleep in record time. iOS

Sharing photos and videos with friends can already be done natively through messages or a multitude of different apps that you probably already have installed. So why would you download, install and use ClippyCam? Because ClippyCam uses a clever picture-in-picture setup to let you record messages or enable both the forward and rear facing cameras to show your friends and family that you’re actually wherever you say you are, taking in the sights and having a great time… presumably without them. It will absolutely inspire a certain amount of jealousy, but more importantly, it’s a personal memento of all the places you’ve visited by yourself or with that special someone. iOS

Triumph bills itself as “Journaling, Re-imagined.” After a week of using it, we’re inclined to agree. The process is simple enough. Set a time on the weekdays and the weekends when you’ll be alone with some space to yourself and Triumph will send you a reminder to record a days worth of thoughts using your voice and the easy interface. As much as we love using notebooks to get organized, there’s something to be said for being able to record journal entries using only your voice and access that information for years to come. iOS