5 Android and iOS applications to install on your smartphone without hesitation

This top 5 is not like our selections of free applications that we offer you twice a week. Here, we install the applications on our own smartphones and test them. We check if there are not too many in-app purchases, ads and if the applications respect your personal data more or less.

We try to select useful applications, whether for productivity, personalization of your interface or digital well-being. And, our top 5 always includes at least one mobile game. Applications can be free or paid, with or without a subscription. But, it will always be indicated!

We take issues related to in-app purchases and advertisements seriously. This is why we mention them in the descriptions of the affected applications.

Oh My Anne (Android and iOS)

Forget everything you know about Anne of Green Gables. Oh My Anne is a completely new version of the story, told using match-3 puzzles. At least that’s how I felt, as I couldn’t wait to complete each level to progress and learn more about what happened in the past.

Yes, there are ads and in-app purchases, but the game is ultimately playable without having to pay a single cent (and a little patience to wait for the ads to disappear).

In this game, it’s not just about chasing a high score on the leaderboard. Your hard work through your brain power will be well rewarded. For starters, matching puzzles will help you transform Anne’s house, with plenty of choices like decorating right (or at least, one you like) and adding a spark of happiness to life of Anne. Did I mention that you can also help Anne change her look in terms of clothing and hairstyle as you progress?

• Price: Free / Advertising: Yes / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No

Note (Android)

Noto is one of many note-taking apps, offering a friendly user interface as you jot down your thoughts. The user interface is simple and easy enough to organize your collection of notes into folders. You can also set reminders for each note, and there’s even a vault feature that requires a password so no one can delve into your deepest thoughts by accident.

Unfortunately, I felt like the inclusion of basic formatting options would have been welcome. After all, the ability to italicize and bold certain words helps to better bring out the meaning of a particular message. It would also have been interesting to allow the integration of images in each note.

Fortunately, emojis are supported, so those with a more visual bent for reading will find comfort in including emojis in their notes. At least there’s an automatic word count, which will keep those who obsess over the word count of a post satiated.

• Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: Yes / Account required: No

LightCut (Android and iOS)

LightCut is a video editing app that once again relies on AI to create some really interesting results. You can choose from many templates and effects to create your videos and vlogs.

The AI ​​video editor makes things seamless, while those who don’t want to use the standard camera app to shoot videos can try the Inspire Cam feature that lets you shoot videos like a professional.

Needless to say, the basic functions are all built in – from trimming and merging videos, adding text, background music, stickers, transitions, and more. Overall, this is a useful video editing app for those who have just started their video editing journey on their smartphone.

• Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: No / Account required: No

PlainApp (Android)

PlainApp is a file manager that allows you to manage your smartphone through a browser interface. It supports media such as images, audio and video, files such as PDFs, Excel spreadsheets or Word documents, your favorite RSS feeds and even offers a note-taking segment.

I suppose this makes it easy to jot down your thoughts as you navigate through your device’s many apps. It doesn’t take much time to set up the app so you can browse content on your smartphone through a computer. To do this, simply visit a web page hosted by you.

Want to stream your media to a compatible TV? PlainApp takes care of this too. Best of all, you can backup and export your app to keep it elsewhere. Bonus feature: there’s even a built-in sound level meter.

• Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: No / Account required: No

Video Summarizer (Android and iOS)

Do you know who would benefit most from this app? Students and those who need to watch long videos and write a summary. AI is once again at the forefront, as Video Summarizer is a true work of art.

I’m sure there are gaps, but he provides a very brief summary and does it very well. I tried to summarize an academic session and a video from a comedy bar, and I was quite impressed with his abilities, which made it possible to establish the points of view quite succinctly.

Using the Video Summarizer app is simple. Go to YouTube, grab the link of the video you want to summarize, and let Video Summarizer do the work. It will only take a moment before he broadcasts what he has gleaned. In the settings, a slider allows you to choose between a short summary and a detailed summary, even the latter is not very long.

Interestingly, the video can be summarized in different languages, although these videos must be subtitled for this to work. If you have a long list of videos in your “Watch Later” list that you keep adding to without actually watching them, this app could help you narrow down that list in no time.

• Price: Free / Advertising: No / In-app purchases: No / Account required: No (but recommended)

What do you think of the list of applications presented this week? Did you like any of our recommendations? Is there another app you’re dying to share with the rest of the world? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments!