Skip to main content

Here are 5 apps you need to download this week

LG G4 Phone
Jessica Lee Star/Digital Trends
App stores are crowded places these days, and because storage space on your phone is often at a premium, you’ll want to find and fill it with not only the best, but also the most helpful apps out there. Because they come and go quicker than the latest fashion trends, and digging through Google Play, the iTunes App Store, or any of the others is such a mission; a little nudge in the right direction is often very welcome. Here are the apps we think you need to check out this week.

Pacemaker

Screen Shot 2015-05-09 at 4.45.29 PM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

iOS

There is no shortage of music players available for your device of choice. Since there are more songs out there than you’ll ever have time to listen to and more coming out all the time, it’s less about what you’re listening to and more about how you listen to it. Most services try to differentiate themselves with a little flair you won’t find on another platform. Pacemaker is like your own private DJ built in to your iOS device.

You can pick a song or playlist from your iTunes or Spotify library to kick things off, then Pacemaker takes over on the virtual wheels of steel to give you the perfect mix. The app’s Match Machine picks out tracks for you when you aren’t sure what to listen to, while it’s Autopilot mode makes a mix to give you a new listening experience for your familiar tunes. You can even take back control and add in effects and personal tweaks if you want to play to a party. For the dedicated Apple fan, Pacemaker has an Apple Watch app for wrist control.

Thred

Thred
iOS

Will Wright is known for his innovative games. Hits like SimCity and Spore weren’t just new games, they created new genres. Now the creative, game-centric mind of Wright is tackling something entirely new with his app Thred. Essentially a content remixing app, Thred lets you build stories based using your favorite content. Every time you upload something, you add another page to a graphic novel style story of your life that people can follow.

Newsmeister

Newsmeister
iOS

Have you ever listened to Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the always entertaining topical gameshow on NPR? If you’re a fan, you’ll probably enjoy Newsmiester, a new app that works on the same principle, by gamifying the news. Top stories from around the world are turned into quiz questions that will test just how engaged you are with what’s happening around you. It’s a great, new way to brush up on the day’s headlines and keep yourself informed.

Goat Simulator GoatZ

GoatSimulator
iOS, Android

We’d really love to explain to you what Goat Simulator is. Actually, better yet, we’d like to have someone explain it to us. The inexplicably popular game has made its way to mobile, and it makes the transition with undead eyes. Goat Simulator GoatZ is an off-the-walls zombie game set in the Goat Simulator universe, which means nothing makes sense and everything is insane. There’s a crafting system to build weapons and a huge map to explore. Who knows what you’ll find? Well, you’ll definitely find zombies. And tons of weirdness.

Grim Fandango

GrimFandango
iOS, Android

If you grew up in the era of point-and-click computer games, you’re probably familiar with Grim Fandango. The quirky adventure game from Double Fine Productions was a cult classic during its original run thanks to its unique premise and entertaining dialogue. Now the game has been remastered for today’s mobile devices. While the graphics still aren’t anything special—it’s amazing how far graphics have come that a computer game now looks bad on mobile—everything else holds up flawlessly.

AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
Does your Duolingo app icon look sick? You’re not alone
The Duolingo app icon, showing a sick-looking version of the Duolingo owl.

It's an absolute tragedy: The normally chipper Duolingo owl has fallen ill.

Just kidding. The app icon might have changed, but it doesn't mean any significant changes are coming to the app. It did stir up quite a bit of conversation on both X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, though, as users around the world noticed that the Duo owl looked like he needed a heavy dose of DayQuil.

Read more
One of my favorite iPhone apps is finally coming to Android
The Arc Search app, showing a search result for how to peel an apple.

Good news, Android users! One of the best iOS apps released this year is finally coming soon to Android.

The app in question is Arc Search. Created by the same company behind the Arc Browser web browser for Mac and Windows, Arc Search is a mobile browser that strongly emphasizes straightforward, simple browsing — with a nice pinch of AI on top.

Read more
The App Store is about to become optional on some iPhones
A photo of an Apple screen and a close-up of the App Store icon with three notifications on it.

Apple continues to change iOS to fall in line with directives from the EU, and the latest would have been unthinkable in the past. Apple will make the App Store a deletable app on iPhones and iPads located in the EU. The same applies to a series of other apps that would usually be considered core iOS apps that could not be deleted.

“The App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera, and Safari apps will now be deletable for users in the EU,” Apple wrote in a news update published on its Developer website, confirming which apps will be an option in the near future. At the moment, the App Store and some other Apple preinstalled apps can be removed from the Home Screen in iOS, but are only relegated to the App Library, with no option to delete the apps completely.

Read more