From travel tips and running guides to puzzles and elephant stampedes, it’s a good month for high-quality new Android apps and games. Here are 20 worth trying. Prices are correct at writing, with IAP indicating that in-app purchases are used in an app or game.
If iPhone and iPad are more your things, there’s a separate monthly roundup for that, which you can find here.
Detour (Free + IAP)
Available on iOS for some time, Detour is now on Android, too, and if you love wandering around foreign cities, it’s a treat. The app provides a series of audio-guided walks, initially for San Francisco with New York City, Austin, London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and Marrakech.
Blue Plaques of London (Free)
More on-foot tourism here: this official app from English Heritage is a guide to the blue plaques scattered around London explaining where famous historical figures lived. The app will help you find more than 900 plaques and plan a route to take in the most interesting spots.
RunGo (Free + IAP)
Three’s a trend: another app designed to help you find your way around an unfamiliar city, although in this case, you’re expected to be running, not walking. RunGo is a collection of jogging routes with voice navigation to ensure you don’t get lost and tools to track your times and calorie-burning.
No, nothing to do with piracy if you haven’t been following the evolution of BitTorrent (the company) in recent years. In 2016, it was using its tech to help emerging musicians and filmmakers find an audience, with this streaming app showcasing the pick of the lot – and sharing ad revenues with the creators.
Gideon AI – Smart Home
It’s still early ideas for the idea of a “smart home” to become truly affordable and mainstream, but there are plenty of devices and technologies out there pushing in that direction. Gideon AI is worth a look if you’re ahead of the crowds: an app that aims to make it easier to manage your connected home.
Toca Life: Vacation (£2.49)
The latest app from children’s developer Toca Boca is almost like a virtual doll’s house: a collection of holiday-themed scenes, characters, and items that children can play with at will, making up their own stories and even recording them as videos. An open-ended digital toy box, and delightful with it.
Viridi (Free + IAP)
If the pace of modern digital life is getting you down, turn off your notifications and try Viridi: a virtual plant pot that you water and take care of, dipping in and out whenever you fancy a quiet moment. Admittedly, you could get a plant pot in the real world instead, but Viridi is peaceful and well-crafted fun.
Debut (Free)
These are worrying economic times in the UK even if you’ve been working for decades, let alone if you’re about to graduate. If you’re in the latter group, though, Debut may be worth a look: an app where you build your profile and try to get talent spotted by dozens of graduate employers.
Mobcrush (Free)
Live-streaming games footage has become a big thing on Twitch and other services. Mobcrush is hoping to popularise the idea on smartphones and tablets, too. You can use this app to live-stream your apps or games to the world or simply find interesting streams from other users to watch.
Jiyo (Free + IAP)
Finally, the latest mindfulness app, complete with a famous name: Deepak Chopra. His app wants to “help you be your best self” by analyzing your activity data and providing tips to advice on relationships, finances, and other life areas. No pot plants, sadly, but you can’t have everything.