The App Store can feel like an overgrown jungle sometimes; every day, it seems like there are a hundred new apps to filter through. While you want to check them out, it's hard to know what's worth your while (and your precious home-screen space). Refinery29 is here to help. Each week, we're going to highlight the five best new apps, on any major mobile platform. This week, we've got a huge variety of new options for your phone. Whether you're looking to share your photos with friends, or hang them up on your wall, we've got two apps that will suit your needs. And if you're looking to do some good in the world without a whole lot of effort, we've also got a nice choice. ResQwalk lets you raise money for your favorite local animal shelters, just by walking.
For details on the rest of our picks, you'll have to click through; you could find your new favorite.
ResQwalk
We just found the best reason to walk, ever. ResQwalk (free on iOS and Android) is an app that partners with corporate sponsors so that the steps you take each day count as donations toward your favorite animal shelter. Just by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or taking a walk around the block, you can help raise meaningful money that will save dog and cat lives and find them forever homes! If we sound excited, it’s because we’re excited. Be right back while we walk around the office to raise money for the Humane Society of New York.
Kodak Moments
All my photos live on my phone, but I’ve still got picture frames all around my house. Consequently, the photos in those frames are old. Very old. If you want to print out high-quality photos from your phone, you can now use the Kodak Moments app (free on iOS and Android). You can order prints ranging in size from 4x6 to 24x36 (and square images, too) and pick them up from a local store, or have them delivered to your home. You can also create greeting cards, photo books, and more.
Firefox
Before there was Chrome, you may have used Firefox for all your web-browsing needs. Now, Firefox is finally available on iOS. The app offers everything you’d expect from a good browser: quick access to shortcuts, predictive searching, and a private mode for those searches you’d rather your browser not remember. And for those of us who like to open up tons of tabs (who, me?), the app has a handy thumbnail layout for seeing exactly what is in each open tab.
FotoSwipe
Once you and your friends download this app, photo sharing will become dead easy. With FotoSwipe (free on iOS and Android), all you have to do is swipe a photo or album to share it with someone. The app claims to be up to five times faster than texting or emailing a photo to someone, and we don’t doubt it. With photo sharing this easy, we may do a whole lot more of it.
Duolingo
If you need to brush up on some Spanish, Italian, or German before your next vacation, check out Duolingo (free on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone). The app makes learning a new language — or dragging your high-school French from the depths of your brain — fun and game-like. It covers the basics and more advanced vocabulary, with a mix of written, on-screen activities and audio translation. If you’re going to kill time playing a game on your subway commute, you might as well learn a language in the process.
Read on for last week's best new apps!
QuizChat
The only thing more addictive than your 3 p.m. Frappucino habit is a Buzzfeed quiz. There. We said it. And now, you can get your fill of quizzes (and share them with your friends) through Buzzfeed’s QuizChat app (free on iOS and Android). The app works with Facebook Messenger and SMS so you can take quizzes together with your friends, deciding once and for all who actually belongs in Taylor’s squad — and who is the Kendall and who is the Kylie in your relationship. Hopefully these quizzes will strengthen the bonds of your friendships, not disintegrate them.
Looklist
Seeking inspiration for your autumn wardrobe? Looklist (free on iOS) is filled with beautiful imagery of different trending styles, such as layering or fall hats. If you’re in the mood for something specific, it’s got a search page that lets you specify what you want to see — from the type of clothing to the exact hue. And if you find something you kind of dig and want to see more like it, you can also tap a “Show similar” button. Trendsetting style mavens can submit pictures for possible inclusion in the app, and you can create your own sets (one example the app shows is “Man Beards”) and collaborate with others.
Dohop
Do you ever just get an itch to head to the airport and hop on a flight to…anywhere? Dohop (free on iOS) is the app you need if you’re a wanderlust-filled traveler. It shows what flights are available from your nearest airport and is meant for when you’re not quite sure where you want to head yet. You can browse flights in order of price and scope out pictures of each location. If you’ve ever wanted to hop around Europe, but don’t know where to start, this could be a good option.
Runtastic Results
It can be hard to think about hitting the gym when you’ve got a dozen holiday cocktail parties to grace over the next month. But, if you’ve got big upcoming fitness goals for the new year (like your first marathon, triathlon, or Warrior Dash), you may want to try out Runtastic Results (free on iOS and Android). This app sets you up with a 12-week plan for getting results, whatever your personal goals are — strength training, burning fat, or boosting endurance. The program uses your own body weight only, so you don’t even need special equipment or a gym membership. You will need to subscribe to Runtastic’s monthly plan, though, which is $10 a month or discounted at $50 per year.
Align
You believe that who you are — and who you’re destined to be with — is written in the stars. Previously L.A.-only, Align (free on iOS) is definitely the dating app for you. Now available in New York and the Bay Area, the app lets you build a profile around the astrological traits (and related emoji) you most identify with. From there, you get a daily “constellation” of personal matches. You can easily assess your astrological compatibility with matches, and you’ve got 24 hours to respond to them (you can pass with a “Nope”). If you’re bored of swiping on Tinder, this star-centric approach to dating could freshen things up.
Seedling Scavenger Bingo
Need something to do with the kiddos when you head back home this Thanksgiving? Check out Seedling Scavenger Bingo (free on iOS), a scavenger hunt for the iPhone era. The game lists different items you’re supposed to find, and you snap pictures to prove you’ve spotted them. You can select from a handful of free, ready-to-play game categories, such as Backyard and Road Trip, or make your own game (which could be fun if you want it to be holiday-related or reflect your great aunt’s collection of bird-related iconography). You can play on your own, or with friends by connecting over Bluetooth or WiFi.
NewsON
Have you cut the cord on cable and gone full Roku or Apple TV? Congrats. It's wonderful to be so commercial-free, but there are some things you miss — like your friendly neighborhood news broadcast. If you yearn for the comforting predictions of your local weatherperson, check out NewsON (free on iOS and Android). The app offers streams from 118 different stations in 90 different markets. It features live and on-demand newscasts as well as short clips you can watch any time. If you only care about the business or weather sections of the news, you can also select exactly which sections you’re interested in watching (and skip the rest).
Signal Private Messenger
There are a lot of apps that promise private messaging but in actuality just offer a new, closed platform for chatting. Signal Private Messenger (free on iOS and Android) is the real deal. You can send text, photos, and videos, or you can make phone calls — and the app encrypts all of it. It doesn’t store any of your conversations on its own servers. What this means is that it is incredibly secure — and if (for whatever reason) the FBI ever came knocking on your door, possibly wanting to look through your chat logs, they’d be shit out of luck. It’s even used by ex-NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Operator
You’re busy. Sometimes, you just don’t have time to do the research and busywork required to make a purchase. This app aims to handle that for you. Operator (free on iOS) is a human-powered digital concierge that connects you with experts and businesses so you can buy whatever it is you’re looking for, whether it’s a lovely bouquet of flowers or tickets to the sold-out Taylor Swift show. You exchange messages in-app with someone who’ll handle your request, and when it’s complete, you pay through the app as well. Operator is available to download now, but you may have to spend time on a wait list before you can actually use it (sorry!).
Cognoa
Raising a child seems like an impossibly complicated task. There are so many things to think about, beyond just keeping the kid fed and clothed. Cognoa (free on iOS and Android) can help you with one aspect of child-rearing: making sure your child is on track with his or her social and cognitive development. This app uses questionnaires and video evaluations (backed by research done at Harvard and Stanford's medical schools) to give you feedback on your child’s communication capabilities, play, and social skills. Is that weird behavioral quirk totally normal, or is it something you should talk to a doctor about? Now, there's one more easy-to-access resource for a second opinion — and one less thing to stress about.
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