Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous two weeks or so. Today I have a new release from Microsoft that can solve mathematical expressions, an official Craigslist app, and a reliable WYSIWYG writer for crafting notes. So without further ado, here are the most notable Android apps released in the last two weeks.
Please wait for this page to load in full in order to see the widgets, which include ratings and pricing info.
Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.
Apps
Microsoft Math Solver
Android Police coverage: Microsoft Math Solver does what it says on the tin (APK Download)
Microsoft Math Solver is just that, a new app from Microsoft that can ideally solve mathematical expressions that range from basic equations to more complex integrations and limits. The app is currently in beta, and you can use it to scan handwritten math problems in order to solve them with ease. Just keep in mind that this beta access is limited for the time being, so if you can't the title install from the Play Store, you'll have to sideload the APK.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
craigslist
Android Police coverage: Craigslist now has an Android app, and it's already down to two stars on Google Play
It's been 25-years since the advent of Craigslist, and this week marks the first official mobile app release from the company. So far, reviews aren't positive, with many users pointing to a forced Google sign-in (which means you can't use your Craigslist account to sign in), not to mention an unreliable search feature. Heck, you can't even filter your results, which means duplicate listings will take up the majority of your screen. This app clearly still needs some time in the oven, so hopefully, a few updates will be coming shortly.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Press (markdown writer)
Press is a simple WYSIWYG writer for crafting notes, so if you're the sort of person that writes your notes in markdown, then this is the app for you. Not only can you view the text preview of the markdown you've written, the app sports a dark theme that makes this a release a pleasure to use at night. While there are many markdown apps already available on the Play Store, there's no doubt that Press is one of the better-looking releases to date, and it's completely free to use.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Audible Suno
Audible Suno is a new music app that's currently only available in India, and it comes from Audible. This app is useful for listening to many different audio series while on-the-go, though so far, these shows cater to an Indian audience with Indian-specific stories. Ideally, these stories should cover many different genres of storytelling, so no matter your tastes, there should be something for everyone, as long as you happen to live in India.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
Resso (Beta)
Resso is a social music app that comes from the creators of TikTok, and much like the app above, it just entered into a beta in India, so most people won't be able to install this title just yet. At its core, this music app offers exactly what you would expect, allowing users to share gifs, images, and videos for each song, though I hardly see how this improves upon the action of listening to music, though it's entirely possible I'm just not hip enough to understand the draw.
Monetization: free / contains ads / no IAPs
Ring Master - Increasing Ringtone Volume
Ring Master is a useful tool that can increase the ringtone volume for your phone and messaging apps so that you'll no longer miss important notifications. Of course, there are many different settings in this release, so you can also customize things like when the phone vibrates (before the phone rings, or after), vibration duration, as well as how high the volume can get. All in all, this is a useful notification customization app, and it performs admirably. Just keep in mind that you'll have to pay to unlock some of its more useful features through an in-app purchase.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $0.99 a piece
English Hero - Practice Conversations
English Hero is a conversation app designed to help non-native English speakers learn the language. Unlike most learning apps of this nature, there are no classes or curriculum, and instead, each user will immerse themselves in stories in order to learn how to speak English naturally. All stories are spoken and written by native English speakers, and there's a growing library of content, which should keep users busy for a long while.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $5.00 a piece
Barkio: Dog Monitor
Barkio: Dog Monitor is an interesting tool that can turn your older smartphones and tablets into a watchful eye that can keep tabs on your dog. As someone who works from home, I find that my dog often suffers from separation anxiety the few times a week I venture into the world, and so converting a smartphone into an always-on camera through the Barkio app is a solid solution for those that would like to know what their dog gets up to when away from home, all without having to purchase any new equipment for your house.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $2.99 - $19.99
Bloom : Better You
Bloom : Better You is an early-access wellness app designed to help users experience better sleep, reduce stress levels, and focuses on a more relaxed lifestyle with guided meditations, relaxing music, activities, and mindful experiences. Essentially this is an app designed to relieve stress through many proven methods, so if you're the sort of person that can't let the day melt away when you get home, perchance Bloom : Better You can help you settle down in the evenings.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $9.99 - $59.99
Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps
Sprint Home
Sprint Home is an app that can tie into smart-home products so that you can keep an eye on your house, family, and pets when away from home. The thing is, the Play Store description does not detail which smart-home products actually work with this app, and even stranger still, the "Visit website" link under the developer section points to a dead page. While we know Vivint partnered with Sprint back in 2017 to sell smart-home products at Sprint stores, you'd think at the very least Sprint would mention this in the app's description.
Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs
TeslaCam
TeslaCam is a third-party release that allows users to tap into their Sentry Mode clips for easier viewing. You can watch a total of four cam-views at a time in a single timeline, though since this is an unofficial app, bugs are expected. So far, the only user review wasn't even able to connect the app to their car, which isn't a good sign, though the dev has responded, stating that a fix is incoming.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs $2.49 a piece
TeslaCam / Sentry Reviewer
TeslaCam / Sentry Reviewer is another third-party app designed to connect to a Tesla's Sentry Mode so that you can view videos from each of the car's cameras every minute. So far, reviews for this release are much more positive than the TeslaCam app listed above, so if you're going to choose one of these two, I'd say you're probably better off installing this release.
Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 - $3.99
Live Wallpapers
NANO AQUARIUM Free
It's been a while since I've covered a live wallpaper considering very few devs bother creating them anymore, but once I saw Nano Aquarium Free this week, I just knew I had to include it in my app roundup. This live wallpaper is free to use, though you'll only be able to display a few fish on your screen for free. If you like what you see but would prefer more fish on your screen, you can unlock the ability to add more through an in-app purchase. This way, you can try before you buy, which is always appreciated when it comes to live wallpapers.
Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $1.49 - $1.99
Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!
If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.
Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.
- the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
- it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop
Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.
1 sponsored placement per week is available (your app would be featured at the top and marked as sponsored) - please contact us for details.