Skip to main content

Here are the 5 apps you need to download this week

HTC One M9 apps
Ben Nelson/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.

Tidal

Tidal
Image used with permission by copyright holder

iOS, Android

If you haven’t hopped on board with a streaming music service yet, it’s hard to imagine what would convince you to do so. There’s dozens of options out there, broadcasting millions of songs with nothing more than a cheap monthly fee required for access. Spotify is the biggest name, but services like Pandora and SoundCloud have their own offerings. Like music itself, there are plenty of niches within the streaming market.

If your thing is high quality audio, then Tidal might be the service that finally converts you. Brought forward by Jay-Z and a collection of his most famous friends, Tidal serves up songs at a quality that captures the full production value. With a $20 monthly price tag, it’s a bit steeper than most of its competitors. But Tidal does have a handy trump card in its back pocket: Taylor Swift, who pulled all her music from Spotify last year. Don’t like it? Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate.

Recommended Videos

VaporChat

VaporChat
Image used with permission by copyright holder

iOS

Security is quickly becoming the most sought after feature in mobile messaging. As Snapchat shores up its service to keep spammers and hackers out and other apps have embraced encryption and temporary messages, VaporChat may be the best when it comes to private messages. The app keeps the message under the control of the sender at all times, meaning they can revoke a message, photo, or entire conversation. Nothing can be copied, screenshotted, or stored without permission and knowledge.

Caviar

caviardelivery
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Android

It’s a Friday evening and you’re in the mood for your favorite dish but you’d rather not leave the house and have to eat out at a busy restaurant. That’s where Caviar comes in. From the app, you can browse local restaurant menus and place an order. Once you’ve picked what you’ll be dining on, Caviar makes sure it gets to you. It’s a delivery service for your favorite local joints. It’s only available in certain markets for the time being, but you’ll have no problem putting it to use once it’s in your city.

Flashgap

Flashgap

Android

If there are two things that almost never go well together, it’s alcohol and social media. If the first thing you do after a night out is reach for your phone and send off messages to your friends to ask them what happened, then you’ll welcome Flashgap. The app serves to fill in the blank spots in your memory from your night on the town. It’s disappearing photo album that you and your friends can contribute to, only to have it re-appear in the morning so you can see all the regrettable things you did.

Stickman Rush

StickmanRush
Image used with permission by copyright holder

iOS

In the Stickman Rush universe, the world is in a perpetual traffic jam. No-one would wish for life to be like that, but it turns out it makes a pretty solid gaming experience. Stickman doesn’t have time to be stuck behind slow moving vehicles and it’s your job to make sure he gets to his destination. Change lanes, dodge obstacles, jump cars, and collect coins. The intuitive controls and fun art style make the game an addictive experience.

AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
Apple’s internal tests show Siri isn’t quite ready to beat ChatGPT
Apple Intelligence update on iPhone 15 Pro Max.

With the introduction of the new iPad Mini, Apple made it clear that a software experience brimming with AI is the way forward. And if that meant making the same kind of internal upgrades to a tablet that costs nearly half as much as its flagship phone, the company would still march forward.

However, its ambitions with Apple Intelligence lack competitive vigor, and even by Apple’s own standards, the experience hasn’t managed to wow users. On top of that, the staggered rollout of the most ambitious AI features — many of which are still in the future — has left enthusiasts with a bad impression.

Read more
The iPhone 16 is having battery life problems. Here’s what we know
Battery page on the iPhone 16.

Do you feel like your battery life has worsened since upgrading to iOS 18? If so, you aren't alone. Dozens of users are reporting excessive amounts of battery drain, specifically on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. But is there a fix? Unfortunately, not yet.

According to MacRumors, there's a long-running thread with hundreds of posts from users lamenting their battery's lack of joie de vivre. One user said their phone drops from 100% charge to 60% by midday, even though there was no heavy usage during that time. Another user reported a battery drain of around 1% every five minutes. Obviously, this isn't a great look for Apple.

Read more
iOS 18.1 brings two sorely needed email features to the iPhone
Setting primary email address after iOS 18.1 update.

With the introduction of iOS 18.1, Apple has made a crucial change that will make life easier for users eyeing an inbox address change for their account activities. Up till now, if you sought to change the primary email associated with your Apple account, the existing email address had to be deleted first.

Only after deleting the current email address were users able to add a new one for their Apple account. Following the iOS 18.1 update, users can simply change it without any erasure hassle.

Read more