Amazon Freevee is a video streaming service that operated through Amazon Prime Video, though it is effectively a different service. Unlike Prime Video, where you have to pay a subscription fee to access its library of movies and TV shows, Freevee offers thousands of TV series and movies completely for free, with some ads dropped in before and during your streaming selection. The free streaming service has a pretty solid library of movies, with new titles added all the time, but what are the best movies on Freevee?

We have 19 movies that we think are worth your time, and they are all currently available on Freevee. You can access the service now at the link below:

Google bought Nest Labs in 2014 to make a major smart home push, and now, everything from thermostats to speakers and displays bears the Nest branding. Some of the company’s offerings are better than others ― and we’re here to play favorites. These are the best Google Nest products you can buy right now.

The best Google Nest products

Editor’s note: We’ll add new Nest products to this list as they launch.

Apple TV Plus is among the best streaming services, and it has emerged as one of the best alternatives to Netflix. While it launched with a small library in 2019, Apple’s offerings have grown enormously, especially with its award-winning TV shows. But what are the best Apple TV Plus movies?

Apple has admittedly not put out as many movies as it has series. The service boasts some truly standout TV and has become a major player in streaming, but its film division is lagging behind a bit. Still, there are some terrific titles on the movie side, including one Academy Award Best Picture winner. Below, we offer our picks of the top 14 among them.

Binging is the new normal for watching TV. Fans can race through entire seasons of their favorite shows as fast as they like. The trend arguably started with DVD boxed sets but really kicked into high gear with the advent of streaming and seasons of Netflix and its competitors‘ original series dropped all at once as opposed to the old weekly rollout. Some shows have really thrived in the binging age, with more new titles launching every week, so it makes sense to ask, which are the best binge shows you can watch?

Read on for our list of the best binging shows to watch all at once.

Getting custom ringtones isn’t as popular as it once was, but that’s likely because it’s easier than ever to find them. Surprisingly, the market for Android apps to find ringtones, notification tones, and alarm tones isn’t as vibrant as one would believe. These days, there are only a few apps with the capabilities, and Zedge pretty much owns the market. Some apps, like Google’s Clock, let you record your own alarm sounds, but it’s not a super common feature. In this short roundup, we’ll take a look at the best Android apps for ringtones and notification tones.

The best Android apps for notification tones and ringtones

1. InShot MP3 Cutter and Ringtone Maker
2. Pi Music Player
3. Ringtone Maker
4. Zedge
5. Z Ringtones

Inshot MP3 Cutter and Ringtone Maker

Price: Free / $3.99

Email is one of the oldest and most important forms of online communication. It’s a service many of us use every single day. There are tons of email services and email apps that accompany them. Some may only have a single account on something like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo. Their individual apps will give you the best experience. However, most people have email apps from multiple providers and want something that can aggregate it all into one spot. If you’re looking for something new, here are the best email apps for Android. The latter half of the decade was rough for email clients, as some of the best (such as Inbox by Gmail and Astro) went down in flames. We will miss them greatly.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Hey (Google Play link). It’s a really interesting and entertaining email app, but it gives you a new email address and is really expensive, so it’s difficult to put it on the list. It has some decent features, though, so check it out if you want another option.

The Pixel Fold is one of Google’s most premium — and expensive — smartphones to date, starting at $1,799. To put that into context, that’s about as much as a Les Paul or a decent used car. That said, the phone is undeniably overflowing with high-end features, and it will receive at least five years of software updates from Google. During those five years, your device will become home to a ton of important accumulated data. To keep all of that safe, you will want to protect your investment with a proper case. Let’s go over the best Google Pixel Fold cases you can buy to make your Pixel Fold stand the test of time.

The best Google Pixel Fold cases 

• Official Pixel Fold case from Google
• Spigen Thin Fit
• Spigen Ultra Hybrid
• Spigen Slim Armor Pro
• Caseology Parallax

Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of Google Pixel Fold cases as new options continue to become available.

Editor’s note: We’ll be updating this list of the best movies on Netflix regularly as new ones make it to the streaming service.

Best action movies on Netflix

There’s a lot to watch on various streaming services — sometimes it almost feels like too much. It’s not always easy to choose among the walls of options, jumping from one app to the other and looking for the perfect TV show or movie night selection, including some great original streaming movies. To simplify things for you, we’ve compiled some of the best new streaming movies to watch this week.

Check out our top picks from major streamers like Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, and more, including free streamers like Plex, Tubi, and Amazon’s Freevee (previously IMDb TV), as well as more niche services like Mubi and Shudder. The titles below were added to these services in the last month, and we aim to include a mix of streaming originals, new releases, older classics, and more.

It’s hard to keep track of which streaming service is premiering which new show or movie from week to week. Netflix used to be king, but the streaming field is full of alternatives, and they’re all regularly pumping out new content. So, what are the best new streaming shows and where can you watch them?

Every week, we answer that question for you, offering some exciting new and returning titles, including streaming originals, from services Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV Plus, Prime Video, and, yes, Netflix. This week’s featured titles include the new seasons of Rick and Morty, Queer Eye, and The Great, as well as some exciting new series premieres from Hulu, Apple TV Plus, and Netflix.

The Google Pixel 7a is fairly sturdy for a mid-range device, but one clear weak point is the screen. The Gorilla Glass 3 material choice is a decade old at this point, so if you want to keep your phone in tip-top condition you’ll want to install a screen protector.

To help, we’ve picked out the best Google Pixel 7a screen protectors you can currently buy. If you want to learn more about screen protectors and more, check out our guide to the best phone accessories you can buy.

The Google Pixel 7a might be the most durable phone the budget Pixel A-series has ever seen, but that doesn’t mean you should put its fate solely in the hands of your… well, hands. To keep your new phone safe (or extra stylish), you’ll want to pick up a Pixel 7a case.

To help you see what’s out there, we’ve tested and selected the best Pixel 7a cases you can buy at launch. If you want to learn more about cases, check out our guides to the best phone cases and the best phone accessories you can buy.

We use smartphones for a lot of things. We listen to music, play games, watch videos, and talk to one another on social media. Another use of smartphones is to make our lives easier. Thankfully, there are plenty of apps that can do just that. You carry this thing on you all the time, so why not let it make your life easier? The tools listed below should make your life easier in a variety of specific ways. This is a hard list for a new app to crack, so it may be a while before any new apps get listed here. Here are the most useful apps for Android!

The most useful Android apps

Adobe apps

Price: Free / Up to $52.99 per month

The Google Pixel 7a is the first Pixel A-series phone to come with wireless charging support. It democratizes wireless charging by bringing it down to a lower price point in the Pixel lineup. While you could buy other phones at this price point that did already support wireless charging, having more options is good for the industry. If you’re as excited about this new feature, here are some recommendations for the best Pixel 7a wireless chargers to buy!

What you need to know about the Pixel 7a’s wireless charging situation

The Google Pixel 7a supports wireless charging at a maximum of 7.5W. Google has not specified any restrictions on the maximum charging speeds to its ecosystem as it had done for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The speed itself is not that high, so you can use any 10W Qi wireless charger and get the maximum possible wireless charging speeds on your Pixel 7a.

The Google Pixel 7a is finally here, bringing some much-needed camera and display upgrades to the budget Pixel lineup. Google gets a lot of things right with the Pixel 7a, but there are obviously going to be some shortcomings in reaching the budget price. One of those shortcomings is the fact that the Google Pixel 7a does not include a charger in the box. You need to either make do with an older charger that you already own or purchase one separately. If you’re looking for recommendations, here are the best Pixel 7a chargers that you can buy to reliably fast-charge your phone.

Google Pixel 7a

• The best sub-$500 camera phone
• Solid performance and plenty of RAM
• Improved 90Hz display

The Pixel 7a delivers more premium features than ever for under $500, such as wireless charging support, a 90Hz refresh rate display, and a 64MP camera.

$499 at Amazon

$499 at T-Mobile

$499 at Google Store

$499 at Best Buy

$519 at AT&T

$549.99 at Verizon

What you need to know about the Pixel 7a’s charging

The Google Pixel 7a supports wired fast charging up to 18W through the USB Power Delivery specification. This number is on the lower side, as we see relatively quicker charging speeds on other Google devices like the Pixel 7 (20W) and Pixel 7 Pro (23W). It will take about two hours to charge the Pixel 7a’s battery from 0% to 100%.

Train simulators are a bit of a niche gaming genre. However, they have a fervent fan base and the games are actually kind of fun. There are a few different types of train sims. You can set up a train company and transport goods, for instance. Another type is just building up your dream train in your dream environment. We’ll admit, there aren’t a ton of great choices on Android. However, there are a few that we would recommend trying. Here are the best train simulator games for Android.

If you’re looking for more games like these, we have a list of the best tycoon games for Android as well.

Disney Plus is a major streaming service in the US and many other countries. We have already listed all the current movies and TV shows you can stream on Disney Plus. Of course, you can expect a lot more to be added to the service in the weeks, months, and years to come. Here’s a look at the Disney Plus upcoming shows and movies. You can sign up for the service at the link below:

Disney Plus upcoming shows — scripted

Clock widgets are some of the most popular widgets on Android. It really puts a home screen together. Plus, it’s easier to see than the tiny time placement on the status bar. The most popular include a clock widget with weather because it adds another level to its functionality. There are plenty of excellent options to choose from. Of course, there are also a ton of old clock widgets that don’t work great anymore, so we filtered those out for the most part. It’s okay, we have your back. Here are the best clock widgets and weather clock widgets for your home screen!

The best clock widgets and weather clock widgets for Android

1Weather

Price: Free / $1.99

Disney Plus is one of the best streaming services in the US and a solid Netflix alternative. It’s a solid international service too, you can stream thousands of TV episodes from the history of Disney and its many acquisitions. But which are the best Disney Plus TV shows?

A lot of the series that are currently available to stream from Disney Plus target kids. Still, the service has been working to include more mature shows to its library. With all that in mind, here are the best Disney Plus TV shows on the service for a variety of viewers. And if you’re not already a member, you can sign up for Disney Plus at the link below.

Roguelike (or rogue-like) dungeon crawlers are some fairly intense games. Players go diving into caves and dungeons in search of adventure and loot. However, in my roguelikes, the dungeons are randomly generated and player deaths are permanent. Thus, there is a twinge of anxiety that gives the game a more intense feeling than most RPGs. It’s a niche genre for sure. However, the fan base is loyal. Roguelikes are unlike most other games we play. Here are the best roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android.

The best roguelike dungeon crawlers for Android

Caves

Price: Free / Up to $4.99

While fitness trackers and smartwatches are the better-known devices in the wearable technology world, there is a third lesser opted-for option. Smart rings are slowly becoming more attractive alternatives. As biometric analysis tech and battery longevity improves, these minimalist devices are now an option for those who want something more discreet. The Oura Ring is arguably the best you can get right now, but plenty of Oura Ring alternatives are worth your time.

How to buy the right smart ring

NBCUniversal’s streamer Peacock is still a relatively new player in the streaming game. But it’s put out some good original content already, with original shows punching above their weight every week. With lots of streaming services to wade through, we thought we’d make it easy for you by pointing you to the best Peacock original series you can watch now.

Original content has become one of the best ways for streaming services to stand out in the pack. Licensed titles come and go, and they might be available in a competitor’s library. But original series and movies are something you can build a brand around, like Netflix’s The Crown, or Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian.

Office apps have been a valuable center of productivity for many years. We use them for a variety of purposes, including drafting documents, creating spreadsheets and presentations, and keeping track of what’s going on. No productivity suite is complete without them, and virtually everybody uses them, even kids.

The office suite atmosphere has changed very little in the last several years. Existing apps have improved in that time, but it takes a monumental release to usurp the champions in the office space. Other than some minor rebranding, most of the stuff here is the same as it was five years ago. Here are the current best office apps for Android. We also have separate lists for spreadsheet apps, word apps, and presentation apps if you want to view your options at a more granular level.

Apple TV Plus shows started immediately with the streaming service’s launch in November 2019, joining the fray among other Netflix alternatives. Since then, we have seen a small but steady trickle of new series debut on the service, and now there’s enough content to dive deep into its selections. So, which are the best Apple TV Plus shows? Good question, and one we aim to explore here.

As you will see, the original Apple TV Plus series already have a variety of content, from children’s shows to more mature series for older members of your household.

As traditional streaming services raise the price, you might find yourself looking for more free streaming content. Luckily there are plenty of sources, including YouTube. YouTube has had free, ad-supported movies on its service for a while now for folks who simply don’t want to pay for premium streaming services like Netflix or Disney Plus. However, recently, Google added some free YouTube TV shows to the mix as well.

While the selection of free YouTube TV shows is pretty bare-bones, there are a few gems in here that you can check out for free. You can also get rid of the ads as one of the features of YouTube Premium.

Android gaming has been steadily getting better. Before, we had simple puzzle games, and we could invite our Facebook contacts to be our friends in games. Multiplayer games used to mean just leaderboards. There are now a ton of games that support actual multiplayer play, including real-time co-op or PvP. In fact, most games these days have some sort of multiplayer element in them. If you’re looking for something to play with your friends, here are the best Android multiplayer games.

The best Android multiplayer games

Among Us

Price: Free to play

Adventure games are among the most unique of any game genre. It doesn’t have any specific mechanics. The game simply needs to take the player on an adventure of some sort. Thus, almost any game can be an adventure game as long as it has a story for the player to interact with. That made this list insanely difficult to write because there are so many games in contention. We encourage our readers to leave a comment with their favorite adventure games because, frankly, there are way more than 15 great ones. Here are some of the best adventure games for Android.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to 80 Days (Google Play). It’s an exceptional game about a race around the world. It hasn’t had an update since 2019, though, and with Google’s crackdown on non-updated games, we try to keep our list a bit fresher than that.

Rick and Morty is one of the Cartoon Network’s biggest hits, with legions of fans. It’s also among the best shows currently streaming on HBO Max — it’s on both HBO Max and Hulu for your convenience. So, if you count yourself among its fans, you may be looking for more shows like RIck and Morty. We’re here to help.

In the animated adult sitcom, mad scientist Rick goes on madcap adventures to other dimensions with his grandson Morty. The two split their time between their interdimal teravls and their domestic homelife with their family.

The Night Agent is one of Netflix‘s biggest hits, rocking to number one on the streaming service almost as soon as it premiered and securing a second season. The thriller joins a huge number of great Netflix shows, and it’s clearly resonating with fans. So, what should you watch next if you’re among its viewers? We’ve got the best shows like The Night Agent to add to your watchlist.

Based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk, The Night Agent follows an FBI agent as he carefully works his way through a massive conspiracy that goes all the way up to the White House. He’ll have to watch his back as he tracks down a mole that threatens national security.

Gaming on mobile has been improving at a far greater rate than any technology that came before it. Android games seem to hit new heights every year. We see more and more premium game releases that challenge what phones can do, and even free-to-play games are getting better and better. To be honest, mobile has some reasonably impressive titles. Console and PC are still the kings of gaming. However, a lot of console and PC games are also on mobile. Parity isn’t there yet, but it’s happening as we speak. Mobile gaming isn’t the casual-only basement platform it was ten years ago.

Without further delay, here are the best Android games available right now. These are the best of the best, so the list won’t change all that often unless something excellent comes along. We also have a list of the best Android games released in 2022 if you want more ideas.

Amazon Freevee is not just the place to watch movies for free you can’t find on its sister paid service Amazon Prime Video. It’s also the place to binge-watch some great television series as well, with new streaming shows added all the time. But what are the best TV shows on Freevee? The free streaming service has a pretty solid library of titles, ranging from classics of the 1960s to more modern shows.

We have picked 20 TV shows currently available on Freevee, and we think you will enjoy all of them. Most are older shows, but there are a few exclusive and original series to check out as well. You can access the service now and start watching.

Disney Plus reality shows have been part of the streaming service since it launched in November 2019. Indeed, the majority of exclusive original shows on Disney Plus are documentary and unscripted programs, with new shows and movies landing on the service every week. So which ones are the best?

Let’s take a look at the best Disney Plus reality shows that are currently available. As you will see, they range from competition shows to behind-the-scenes at Disney to a unique show that brings together former high school students to recreate their school musical.

We all know that free Android games aren’t always free these days, but many of them are very close if you have a little patience. Most free-to-play bottlenecks occur when players get impatient. Waiting for the game out and continuing to play it can usually get around those pitfalls. What we have here are the best free Android games that you should be able to play comfortably without engaging in too many in-app purchases, and we hope you enjoy them. This is a hall-of-fame style list, so the options here will only change if something better comes along. Let’s get started.

We also have a list of the best Android games released in 2022 if you’re looking for more ideas.

Amazon kicked off the smart speaker race with the first Echo in 2014, initially launching it as an invitation-only product. Since then the industry has exploded, joined not just by Apple and Google but a range of competing companies. And no wonder — done correctly, a smart speaker setup is not only useful but futuristic. While privacy concerns remain, prices have reached the point that a few products are almost impulse purchases.

Here then is a look at the best smart speakers — specifically, however, ones within reach of the average person. While something like the Beosound Balance might sound fantastic, most people aren’t prepared to spend thousands of dollars on a single unit.

With impressive durability specs, the Apple Watch Series 8 is built tough, but that doesn’t mean it’s indestructible. Bumps and scrapes can quickly add up to unsightly scratches and dings, not to mention internal damage. Find out the best Apple Watch Series 8 cases to keep your device in working order.

The best Apple Watch Series 8 cases

The Apple Watch is designed to stay on your wrist, which means accidental damage is only a matter of time. Whether your device is brand new or starting to show signs of wear, a protective case may be one of the best Apple Watch accessories to add to your cart. From colorful to relatively clear, these Apple Watch Series 8 cases add an extra layer of protection to your wearable. 

Android gaming is getting bigger and better every month, and there is always a slew of new titles coming to Google Play. Whether you’re a casual gamer or want something with a bit more meat on its bones, there’s usually a game coming out to suit everyone’s taste. Some months are better than others, but there is usually at least one great new game on mobile every month. Let’s look at the best new Android games from the last month! You can also check out our picks for the best new Android games released in all of 2022.

The best NEW Android games from April 2023

Brotato

Price: $4.99

App developers are pushing the envelope on a daily basis, trying to improve and enhance our smartphone and tablet experiences. In fact, so many Android apps come out daily that it’s difficult to track them all, especially when Google provides zero resources to help find new apps.

It’s difficult to usurp the best of the best but if you’re getting bored with what you’ve got and want to try something new, check out the best new Android apps from the last month. You can check out our selections for the best new Android apps released in all of 2022 here.

Are you looking to watch a movie with big crimes, lots of guns, and an unhealthy dose of profanity? Fuhgeddaboutit! We’re here to tell you about the best gangster movies on Netflix right now. If you haven’t ditched the streamer for one of its alternatives, you’ll know there are tons of new shows and movies to check out every week, including plenty of crime titles.

Netflix’s selection of gangster movies is robust, but many of the heavy hitters are missing. For example, the series of Godfather films and Goodfellas are nowhere to be found on the service. However, there are some bonafide classics available, as well as a few off-the-beaten-path gems you should check out. Don’t have Netflix? You can sign up at the link below.

Tablets are excellent devices for mobile games. Their larger screen sizes allow you to enjoy the graphics more. It also lets developers spread out the controls for an easier, better feel. Android tablets aren’t the most popular devices in the world. Many developers are making games that play in portrait mode and make more sense on phones. However, some games are just plain better on tablets. Here are the best Android tablet games.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to emulators. They work great on tablets, especially if you have a controller. You can see our best list of Android emulators here. We’d also like to honorably mention Papers, Please (Google Play). It isn’t all that much better on a tablet than a phone, but it originally came out on PC, so it feels a bit better on a tablet.

No matter your reasons to switch, we’ve researched and listed the best YouTube alternatives currently available. Note that we are not including options that are front-end alternatives showing YouTube-hosted videos or alt-tech platforms filled with potentially harmful content.

Best YouTube alternatives

Vimeo

The Apple Watch Ultra is a brute of a smartwatch. Although it’s enticing for outdoor adventurers, it makes a massive statement for those considering an everyday wear timepiece. Choosing the right Apple Watch Ultra band to suit your style, use case, and budget is essential. Here’s everything you need to know before picking a strap, from the best official and third-party options to the Ultra’s compatibility with older bands.

How to find the right Apple Watch Ultra band

Apple offers three official bands for the Apple Watch Ultra, but plenty of third-party alternatives exist. Whether you go with an aftermarket brand or Apple itself, we recommend factoring in a few considerations before choosing a strap for your Ultra.

Ad-block is an essential experience for many people. Bad advertising can ruin experiences left and right, especially while browsing the web, playing games, and watching video content. Of course, there’s a necessary evil aspect to the whole thing, but people still use ad blockers anyway. There are several ways to get ad-block on your Android device in at least some capacity. It almost exclusively requires root access or installing third-party apps.

There are no system-wide ad blockers in the Google Play Store. You can read here to find out why. Thus, most of the apps on the list require a third-party download and installation. We didn’t have any problems doing so, but you may be a bit apprehensive. Also, more and more sites and services allow for payment in lieu of advertisements. We recommend that instead of ad-blocking because it lets the creators of the content you enjoy continue doing so while also earning a living. Just a thought.

Xiaomi’s newest Mi Band 8 boasts the same core feature set as its predecessor, plus a few upgrades. However, it’s not yet available globally. More importantly, when the fitness tracker does hit shelves near you, it won’t be the only option. We round up the best Xiaomi Mi Band 8 alternatives to consider before you check out.

Buying the right fitness tracker for your needs

Budget devices have come a long way from their stripped-down beginnings. Now you can find a reliable wearable packed with features without breaking the bank. To find the right pick for you, consider your preferred ecosystem as well as your top priorities in terms of training features.

Smartphones are, at their core, tools. Because of this, many developers have created quite a few of tools for them that work really well. Simply put, there are tons of Android tools and utility apps out there. You can do a whole bunch of stuff with an Android phone. It’s actually a rather difficult topic for a best apps list. We’ll give it a shot, though. Here is a list of the best Android tools and utility apps to help you do more things.

The best Androoid tools and utility apps

2FAS

Price: Free

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, is one of the most popular consoles in history. Many people want to continue playing games for it for a variety of reasons. Nostalgia, speedrunning, and playing old classics they were too young to enjoy top the reasons. Luckily, there is a swath of SNES emulators out there for both PC and Mac. Here are the best ones we could find. You can find some great SNES emulators for Android phones as well.

QUICK ANSWER

The PSP was a popular handheld console from Sony. It’s been out of production for many years at this point, but many folks still want to play the games. That is, after all, why you’re here. There are a few decent options for PSP emulators, but the generally accepted recommendation is PPSSPP. Luckily, it’s available for Mac. Still, to get your money’s worth, here are some other great PSP emulators for Mac.

QUICK ANSWER

A lot of Android games depend on a mobile data connection. Whether it’s downloading stuff from the server like Clash of Clans, or using it for DRM protection like most Final Fantasy games, it seems like virtually every game is asking you to be within close proximity of a web connection just to make the game run. Not everyone has that luxury so here are fifteen of the best offline Android games that don’t require Wi-Fi at all. If none of these are floating your boat, Google Play has a list of offline games for your convenience. Those include some modern games like Subway Surfers and classics like Fruit Ninja.

Here are some of the best Android games that don’t require Wi-Fi or a mobile data connection.

Most people are perfectly fine with normal weather apps. You get your forecast, current weather conditions, and a functional but otherwise unimpressive weather radar. As it turns out, you can really upgrade the weather radar functionality with a secondary app. These apps focus primarily on the radar side of weather rather than the basic features like forecasts. Most let you do things like add layers, track storms, and see things in a much higher resolution than a standard weather app. Here are the best weather radar apps to really see what the weather is like.

This list is primarily only for apps with powerful weather radars. Most weather apps have radars, but this is an entirely different genre. Those looking for an all-in-one weather app can check out our best weather apps and weather widget list here.

It’s true that the very best Android games cost money. Unfortunately, not everyone has money to spend. There are many reasons why this can be the case, but suffice it to say that there is a market for games that are totally free. The good news is that those of you who can’t afford games are in luck because there are great options out there that cost nothing. In this roundup, we’ll take a look at the best free Android games with no required in-app purchases. Please note that many of these do have in-game advertising to support the developers. Free games with no in-app purchases aren’t common releases.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (Google Play), an excellent free dungeon crawler that’s only not on the list because we had to cap it at 15 games.

The Dynamic Island feature was big news when iOS 14 launched in 2022. Of course, such a feature is possible on Android with an app. Several developers took the opportunity to do just that throughout 2022. We found a few competent ones, and we’ll talk about them in this article. A couple of them let you do the whole experience with nice animations while others are active 100% of the time. We have a bit of both here. Here are the best Dynamic Island apps for Android.

The best Dynamic Island apps for Android

1. DynamicBar
2. DynamicSpot (recommended)
3. Dynamic Island iOS 16
4. NotiStar

DynamicBar

Price: Free / Optional donation

There are so many apps in the Google Play Store. The last time we checked, there are over an estimated 3.5 million of them. Not every app is meant for popularity. After all, there can only be so many note-taking apps. This list is going to cover stuff that’s a bit more niche. Here are ten excellent fun, niche, and weird apps for Android.

10 fun, niche, and weird apps for Android

BuzzKill

Price: $2.99

AI apps are hitting it off in a big way right now. It started with image generation and has since moved to chat, search, and other areas. Google has its own service, Bard, while many other modern apps use ChatGPT. However, there were AI apps before the ChatGPT craze, and we’ll list some of those as well. This is a swiftly growing category, so we’ll likely update this list regularly until some true champions emerge. Here are the best AI apps for Android and iPhone.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to SuperImage (Google Play). It is an AI image upscaler that does a better job than any other image upscaler we tried. It’s only available for Android right now.

There are an endless number of debates online about the best gaming platform. However, in terms of popularity, mobile gaming sits atop the throne, at least for the time being. The biggest reason is accessibility. People already buy smartphones, and gaming is something you can do on just about any smartphone. In fact, there’s a whole category now for gaming smartphones. It’s not hard to see why it’s so popular. However, the platform has its fair share of iconic mobile games that helped drive the industry forward in its early days.

This list was exceptionally difficult to put together. Early mobile gaming had a smattering of games that definitely helped push the envelope, but we’re currently in a golden era of mobile gaming, so there are a lot of great games in the middle of their run that’ll likely be on this list someday. Here are some of the best and most iconic mobile games of all time.

The Android lock screen has evolved many times over the years. There have been various slide-to-unlock methods and OEMs have always put their own spin on things. As it turns out, there are also a lot of lock screen apps in the Play Store that can do even more. These days, we usually recommend people just use a fingerprint scanner to bypass the lock screen altogether. It’s okay if you don’t want to do that, though. Here are the best lock screen apps for Android.

It’s important to note that lock screen apps are a bit of a dying breed. Most biometric unlock methods bypass the lock screen entirely, and a lot of people don’t even look at it anymore aside from maybe checking a notification or the time. Plus, nearly all Android phones come with always-on displays by default, a feature that used to require an app.

Music on Android Auto is a little bit finicky. There are some obvious music players that don’t work on Android Auto, and we can’t figure out why at this point. Thus, some people are still looking for a decent way to listen to music. You get better luck with music streaming apps such as Pandora, Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music. However, support for local media is still a bit sparse and irregular. We can help! Here are the best music players for Android Auto. You can find more Android Auto apps here as well.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to BlackPlayer (Google Play). It’s an excellent music player and the developer is working on an overhaul. However, in the meantime, the app hasn’t been updated since 2021. We’ll keep an eye on it. 

Chess is one of the oldest board games. You can play relaxing games with friends, or you can engage with a very active competitive chess community. What’s great about chess is that it’s easy to learn and difficult to master. You can learn new things about this game years after first starting out. People are still  If you’re here to find some chess, here are the best chess games for Android.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to FollowChess (Google Play). It’s not a chess game, but it lets you watch chess games from most major tournaments. It’s a great way to learn more advanced chess strategies and interact more with the game.

The Nintendo 3DS was a super popular console. It sold over 75 million units during its run, and housed some iconic titles. Some of the titles include several Pokemon games, the Etrian Odyssey series, Kid Icarus, Radiant Historia, and various Mario, Zelda, and Kirby games. The handheld system is discontinued as of September 2020, and the Nintendo eShop as of March 2023. Thus, emulation is the only way to enjoy some of these old favorites. Here are the best Nintendo 3DS emulators for PC and Mac.

There are a couple of 3DS emulators that we’re not listing for various reasons. 3dmoo, for example, hasn’t been in active development since 2015. Others, like R4 3DS Emulator, aren’t trustworthy, so we don’t recommend them. Some other sites like to pad their numbers by adding regular Nintendo DS emulators like DeSmuME. We are avoiding that practice as well. As of this writing, there are only two competent 3DS emulators. Even then,  RetroArch uses a Citra Emulator core, so there is actually only one competent Nintendo 3DS emulator.

While on the Android side we have plenty of phones with amazing battery life, Apple has never been known for making phones that genuinely stand out in this department. In our iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro reviews, we mention that full-day battery life is common in both instances, but just barely, and not with heavy usage. This is why finding the best portable chargers and power banks for iPhone is so important.

Today we’ll look at the best options available, and help you figure out which is the best choice for your specific needs. Let’s jump right in.

Believe it or not, metal detection is actually possible on Android phones. In fact, the first phone capable of it was the T-Mobile G1. The phone has a magnetometer in it, and that’s what you need to detect metal. Before we go any further, it’s worth noting that a real metal detector is going to be much more effective than your phone. However, this is something you can really do, so it’s worth having an app list for it. Here are the best metal detector apps for Android

The best metal detector apps for Android

1. coreSpecs
2. G-Detect
3. Metal Detector by Town apps786
4. NECO Metal Detector
5. Smart Tools Metal Detector

Do metal detector apps actually work?

In short, yes, they work. Many Android apps come equipped with a magnetometer. It’s mostly used for stuff like GPS or part of the compass functionality. However, it is also capable of detecting metal. The upside is that it does work. You can find YouTube videos all over the Internet or try it yourself.

PlayStation 3 is one powerful console. It had some amazing games, and the industry was just starting to get into things like HD gaming. It can be emulate, but there are a surprisingly small number of emulators capable of doing it compared to something like Sega emulators. Luckily, the ones that do exist do a pretty good job, so we’ll talk about the best PlayStation 3 emulators for PC and Mac.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to PlayStation Now (learn more). You can use the game streaming service to play PlayStation 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 games remotely using your PC. It’s not an emulator, but it still lets you play PlayStation games on PC or Mac.

Mobile gaming has come a long way in recent years, and if you want to make the most of it you’ll want to pick up a gaming phone. These come in all shapes and sizes, but choosing the best gaming phone for you will come down to a few questions:

• How far can you stretch your budget?
• Do you need hardware triggers for first-person shooters, etc.?
• How important are cameras and other features?
• iOS or Android?

Once you know what’s important to you, it isn’t too difficult to find a great phone for gaming. You can learn more in our detailed buyer’s guide, but we’ve done the hard work for you and tested nearly every phone on the market. Keep reading for the best gaming phones you can buy in 2023, starting with a phone that’s easily the cream of the crop.

Unrivaled app support is one of the Apple Watch line’s standout features. From fitness apps and music platforms to games and productivity tools, there is something in the App Store for seemingly every need. We rounded up the best Apple Watch apps to get the most out of your go-to wearable, whether it’s the Apple Watch Series 8 or the oversized Apple Watch Ultra.

The best Apple Watch apps

Apple Watches employ a full toolkit of powerful native apps right out of the box. Apple offers full-featured health and workout platforms plus breakout apps for more detailed wellness support such as Cycle Tracking, Sleep, and Mindfulness apps. Users will also find go-to apps including everything from Calendar and Mail to Apple Pay and Apple Music. These staples are further supplemented with dedicated tools for everyday life including a Handwashing app and Apple’s Noise app for monitoring the volume of your environment.

The Nintendo GameCube is a console that launched in 2001. It had plenty of classic games, including Mario Kart Double Dash, Tales of Symphonia, Super Mario Sunshine, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Of course, most of those games aren’t available on modern consoles, so your only choice to play them today is emulation. Here are the best GameCube emulators for most platforms.

At this time, Dolphin Emulator is the overall best GameCube and Nintendo Wii emulator. It’s available for PC, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. OpenEmu and RetroArch also use Dolphin for their GameCube plug-ins on macOS. Thus, Dolphin is the one we recommend first. We have a guide to installing and using Dolphin Emulator if you need it.

Action games are among the most popular of any platform. They’re exciting, they keep you engaged, and the win conditions are generally pretty simple. Additionally, action games can have elements of any variety of genres. There is no specific set of mechanics that makes an action game what it is. Several of the best Android games have plenty of action elements. The pace of play and difficulty define action games more than anything else.

For the record, there are vastly more than 15 great action games on mobile, so this list can obviously be longer. Tell us about your favorites in the comments if you’d like. Here are some of the best action games for Android.

Are you trying to keep your browsing safe and private? The best way to do this is by using a VPN. And if you happen to use Chrome, as over 65% of us do, you have access to Chrome extensions. This means you can take advantage of the best VPN extension for Chrome.

Aside from hand-picking our favorite option, we’ve compiled a list of other great alternatives. Some of these specialize in particular niche needs, while others focus on other specific users. Let’s find out which is the best for you.

People enjoy crime games. Game franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Mafia Wars helped expand people’s interest in the genre. These days, you can still either play those same games or find similar ones. The gangster game genre hasn’t changed much in a long time, and neither have mafia games. You basically wander a city, commit various crimes, try to grow your empire, and become the next big thing. Games take different approaches, but that’s about how it works. Here are the best gangster games and mafia games for Android.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Hitman Sniper (Google Play). It’s not necessarily a crime game, but it has that same noir feel to it.

Tower defense games were among the first to truly take advantage of mobile phones. The touch controls make it easy to play on screens and the upgrades allowed for the depth you couldn’t find in too many games in the early days of mobile gaming. In other words, they’re just as fun to play on mobile phones as they are on other platforms. The genre has stagnated a bit in recent years, but tower defense titles are still among the best and most entertaining strategy games on mobile. Here are the best tower defense games for Android.

The best tower defense games for Android

2112TD

Price: $1.99

Sega had some hit consoles in the 1980s and 1990s. It lost a bit of steam in the 2000s, but plenty of people still want to play games from Sega consoles. The purpose of this list is obvious. We’re going to talk about the best Sega emulators for PC and Mac. We’ll cover most of the Sega platforms as well. We have a list of the best Sega emulators for Android if you’re interested.

This list covers Sega Genesis mainly. However, RetroArch and OpenEmu can do most of the other Sega consoles as well.

The visual novel is an interesting genre in gaming. It is, in fact, a game, but visual novels don’t play like normal games. The gameplay mechanics are simplified down to the bare essentials, and the game’s narrative takes the front seat for the entire game. Some of them do have some mechanics, but they exist almost solely to push the game forward.

It’s a relaxing genre, and it’s great for people who just want to hang out and watch a story unfold. It is a Japanese invention, so most Android visual novels are Japanese. Still, you have some excellent choices. Here are the best visual novels for Android. We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Kirikiroid2 (Google Play), an emulator for visual novels.

His Dark Materials has concluded its third and final season on HBO, streaming on HBO Max. The BBC co-production based on the novels by Philip Pullman is the second adaptation and by far the more celebrated, with season 3 covering the events of the third novel, The Amber Spyglass. If you’re hooked and looking for more shows like His Dark Materials, we’ve got you covered.

If you haven’t checked out His Dark Materials yet, you can stream the first two seasons and keep up with season 3 on HBO Max now. Just hit the link below.

Home security is getting cheaper, smarter, and easier every year. Thus, the market is dwindling for standalone home security apps. Most of the better ones combine with a smart security camera these days. Still, there are a few options to explore for those who still have old phones lying around and want a little extra security. Here are the best home security apps for Android.

We have a separate list of hardware security cameras if you want to go the whole nine yards.

Driving is a major form of transportation all over the world. You already knew that, though. Cars are equipped with plenty of things to help your commute. You have a radio, an instrument cluster, and many vehicles these days have Bluetooth, smartphone integration, and other niceties like built-in GPS navigation. Still, there are some apps that can help you along the way. Here are the best driving apps for Android

A good driving app should be one that you can set and forget. We do not condone distracted driving, and you should not be using any apps while you are physically driving unless you can use them without looking at your phone.

Billed as the most successfully crowd-funded TV project ever, the Christian streaming series The Chosen has been a massive hit as a free show about the life of Jesus Christ. If you’re a fan, you may be looking for more shows like The Chosen to watch next. We’ve got you covered.

Season three of The Chosen premiered in theaters on November 18, with the first two episodes available on the big screen. The season then had its streaming premiere on December 11. The series is available to watch as it airs on The Chosen’s dedicated app and on the Angel Studios website. The first two seasons are streaming on Prime Video and Peacock. The first season is also available on Netflix, Tubi, and other streaming services.

We’d also like to give honorable mentions to My Boy (Google Play) and My OldBoy (Google Play). They are great emulators but haven’t seen an update since 2017.

The best Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy emulators

ClassicBoy Pro

Price: Free / $5.99

A lot of people really like the moon. People stare it with telescopes, bands write songs and albums about it, and it’s one of the bastions of consistency. As it turns out, there are plenty of moon phase apps and moon calendar apps. They let you know when the moon is waxing or waning, full or new. As it turns out, it’s really difficult to mess up apps like this. Most of them have a 4.5 rating or higher in the Play Store. Still, we like a challenge, so here are the best moon phase apps and moon calendar apps for Android.

The best moon phase apps and moon calendar apps for Android

• 1Weather
• Daff Moon Phase
• Google Search
• My Moon Phase
• Phases of the Moon
• Bonus: Add moon phases to Google Calendar

1Weather

Price: Free / $1.99

Survival games are some of the most popular on mobile. It’s also one of the few where the primary mechanic is in the name. You have to survive. Players usually set up a base, craft various things, create defenses from outside threats, find food, and, sometimes, make friends. There are a lot of different takes on the base gameplay mechanics. Most survival games have a distinctive survival feel but manage to remain reasonably separate from one another. Here are the best survival games for Android.

We also have a full list of the best battle royale games. They aren’t hardcore survival games, but do have survival elements. We also recommend Out There: Ω Edition (Google Play). It’s excellent, but it hasn’t been updated in a few years. This War of Mine (Google Play) is also good, despite its crash bug issues.

The Google Pixel Watch has a lot to offer Android users, including a sleek, minimalist design perfect for pairing with a personalized watch face. From native options to third-party picks, we round up the best Pixel Watch faces to add to your device.

How to change your Google Pixel Watch face

To change your watch face right from your wrist, press and hold your current watch face. Then, swipe all the way left and tap Add new. You can also browse and swap watch faces in the Pixel Watch app on your paired phone.

Solitaire is one of the classic card games. It’s around 300 years old, if not older. The game has changed very little since its inception, but there are several variants, like FreeCell and TriPeaks. Luckily, it’s a relatively easy game to code. There are an absolute ton of solitaire options in the Google Play Store. We think we’ve narrowed down a good list of the best solitaire games for Android.

Best solitaire games for Android:

250+ Solitaire Collection

Price: Free / $2.99

Nintendo 3DS is an excellent console. It houses some undisputed classics like Mario Kart 7, several Pokemon games, The World Ends With You, Bravely Default, the very underrated Etrian Odyssey series, and more. As it turns out, it is possible to emulate the handheld on your Android phone. Citra is the top dog here, and it’s included in our best emulators for Android list. Every emulator on this list uses Citra in some form or another, so that’s your best bet. In fact, if you find another 3DS emulator that doesn’t use Citra, we might not recommend it as of this writing. In any case, here are the best Nintendo 3DS emulators for Android.

The best Nintendo 3DS emulators for Android

1. Citra (and Citra MMJ)
2. Lemuroid
3. RetroArch

Citra Emulator

Price: Free / $4.99

Sometimes having a real pet is difficult. Maybe your apartment complex is strict, or your loved ones are allergic. It’s not great, but there are other alternatives, like virtual pet apps. These are a subset of the simulation genre where you adopt, feed, clean, and take care of a little virtual pet. The genre has its ups and downs, but the games are usually family-friendly and adorable. They also saw a fairly large resurgence in popularity over the last few years. You may even recognize some names on this list, like My Tamagotchi Forever by the same company that did the little Tamagotchis in the 1990s. Here are the best virtual pet apps and games for Android.

The best virtual pet apps and games for Android

Bubbu

Price: Free to play