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The best new Android apps for May 2024
Many new Android apps are out there, but keeping track of them is tough. But we’re happy to do that hard work for you. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best new Android apps available, including apps that you might not have heard of or that offer something different to the status quo. Be sure to visit our list of the best Android apps of all time and our selection of the best new Android apps released in 2023 for more.
The best new Android apps for May 2024
TikTok Notes
TikTok’s take on Instagram trades short-form videos for photos and text.
- Price: Free
- Developer: TikTok Pte
TikTok has had a pretty grim month, but that hasn’t stopped it from launching a new app. TikTok Notes is an Instagram alternative that allows users to share photos, write brief descriptions, and leave comments on others’ “notes”. The app adopts a dual-column layout, making viewing multiple posts on a single screen much easier. If you encounter a note you like, tap it to view it in full-screen glory. Notably, TikTok users don’t need to set up another account — they can log in with their established profile and link the two.
As mentioned, TikTok Notes isn’t available in the US, which is dissuading swathes of potential users. Additionally, the infant app lacks certain creature comforts, like dark mode or a content filtering system.
Focus Go
Clean, simple, and swift, Focus Go is an excellent gallery app for minimalists.
- Price: Free
- Developer: Francisco Franco
Many Android gallery apps offer far too many features to count, let alone organize your shots coherently. Focus Go, developed by Francisco Franco of Franco Kernel and Home Agenda fame, turns this philosophy on its head, offering only the bare essentials.
For minimalists, Focus Go flaunts a clean UI and layout with minimal options for grid sizing, media grouping settings, and image quality tweaks. In short, it does one thing and one thing well: display your photos. It likely won’t be the main gallery app for many, but it’s swift, loads many photos quickly and easily, and is highly responsive. Best of all, it’s free.
Organic Maps
Organic Maps’ offline OpenStreetMap support is invaluable when Google Maps falls short.
- Price: Free
- Developer: Organic Maps
It’s always useful to have a secondary maps app. As valuable and feature-packed as Google Maps is, I find OpenStreetMap provides more useful relief info, faster load times, and better offline support. That’s where Organic Maps comes in.
Organic is an excellent free maps app that draws from OpenStreetMap and supports places of interest, detailed natural landmark listings, and lightning-quick functionality. The offline map support is also top-notch, allowing users to download specific areas for offline use by simply zooming into them. This also includes metro details where possible.
Notably, Organic Maps has a few flaws. Its turn-by-turn navigation support is lackluster, and it misses the social element that Google Maps provides. Nevertheless, it’s a solid backup solution or first-choice app for those who want a detailed off-trail mapping companion.
TimeJot
Keep track of your life’s important (or not-so-important) moments.
- Price: Free
- Developer: Kizito Nwose
I always look for new, capable jotting, noting, and organization apps. TimeJot recently popped into my feed, offering a solution to a problem I didn’t know existed. Do you remember when you last serviced your car, changed your toothbrush, or subscribed to that service? Exactly. And this app wants to help.
TimeJot lets users record events they want to remember, be it something mundane like the three examples mentioned above or more substantial. The app also reminds users of recurring events, making it an excellent habit-building or tracking app. The app also offers categories for bundling events into all-encompassing baskets and a search feature that allows users to pore over previous items.
It’s an app that rewards regular use, but it’s perfect for those who want to keep track of specific tasks or events that often fall into the cracks of our memory.
Moye Productivity Launcher
Seeking simplicity? Moye is among the cleanest app launchers available on Android.
- Price: Free
- Developer: Cold Coffee GPT
I’ve been trending towards simpler home screen layouts and launchers lately. After ditching Nova Launcher for Niagara and both for Kvaesitso, I stumbled across a new ultra-minimalist launcher dubbed Moye.
Moye is a remarkably simple app. Your home screen is replaced by nothing more than a clock widget and a search bar (both of which can be hidden). No app icons are displayed on your home screen. Instead, everything you need must be requested via the search bar. Swipe left to right, and you’ll access the relatively modest settings page.
Moye definitely won’t be for everyone. It’s challenging to get used to if you’re coming from Lawnchair or Nova, and its customization options are extremely limited (albeit by design). However, something is pleasing about a purely functional and utterly blank layout.
StandBy Mode Pro
An aesthetically simple but deeply powerful keyboard app.
- Price: Free, limited functionality and ad-supported / Premium options from $1.99 monthly, $9.99 annually, or $19.99 for a lifetime unlock
- Developer: Zetabit Tecnologia
Finally, let’s look at a customization app that adds a neat trick to Android. StandBy Mode Pro mimics iOS’s Standby Mode, which we feel is one major thing lacking on Android devices. However, StandBy Mode Pro brings some of this functionality to Google’s OS.
The app displays widgets on the screen when your phone is charging, in landscape mode, or when manually prompted. These widgets include a duo screen for two side-by-side widgets, clocks, weather widgets, audio players, and third-party options. The app has many customization options, including night modes and tinting tweaks, screen burn-in protection, and triggers.
Despite its name, StandBy Mode Pro doesn’t offer all its features immediately. While there is a free tier, it offers limited options with ads across the app. You can pay a monthly or annual fee to unlock all features and a one-time unlock for those who really enjoy the app. Overall, it’s a nifty app well-supported by an active and responsive developer.