The week is over and that means that a fresh app overview is waiting for you! In our opinion, you should not miss these new apps, games and updates. You can find the best iOS apps from week 31 here.
The best iOS apps at a glance
The App Store works overtime every week to handle the never-ending stream of new apps and updates. However, you will hardly notice this, because only a small part of it is worth installing. If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch can use some new apps, you’ve come to the right place.
1. Google Earth
Google has given its Earth app for iOS a major update. The new version was already released for Android and the desktop earlier this year, but can also be used on your iPhone and iPad. The digital globe now shows locations in 3D and with Voyager you can take more than 50 guided tours, learning about the different locations that Google has selected for you.
Google has also provided more than twenty thousand points on the globe with historical facts and other tidbits, as well as other places worth visiting.
→ Download Google Earth from the App Store (free)
2. Plotagraph +
Although fewer and fewer photos are being printed to put in books and frames, the pictures are still standing still. With Plotagraph + you can add lifelike animations to your photos afterwards, so that even the most boring photo looks spectacular. In an accessible way, the app makes a still photo come to life. This way you can make the clouds move through the air and let the grass wave as if the wind is blowing through it.
Of course you can also use the technique for less realistic things, so that you can roll the steps of a staircase upwards, for example. The only thing missing from the app is the option to export your creation as a GIF that repeats itself.
→ Download Plotagraph + from the App Store (5.49 euros)
3. Checkmate!
Every week, Apple selects a free App of the Week. This week it’s the turn of possibly the most famous board game ever: chess. With the game Checkmate! challenge your friends and family via iMessage. Within the messaging app, this is one of the better options when it comes to chess.
The great thing about Checkmate! is that you do not need a separate app, but the turns are just sent in an iMessage conversation. To start a game, you first start a conversation with someone. Then select the Checkmate! App and tap Start Game. It is perfectly possible to play chess with several people at the same time.
→ Download Checkmate! in the App Store (free)
4. Comixology
The most logical start to reading comics on your iPhone or iPad is Comixology. The big comics houses Marvel and DC are present, but smaller providers are also making their work readable. Comixology is excellent if you mainly read casual comics. Unfortunately, you cannot buy this directly in the app itself, but via the website Comixology.eu. There are regular offers there that you can take advantage of.
Reading comics in Comixology is nice, both on your iPad and iPhone, because the app guides you through the pages very cleverly. If you read on the small screen of your iPhone, the app sends you by swiping exactly to the correct speech bubbles and images, so that you get everything right. Also check our overview of comic apps for iOS.
→ Download comiXology from the App Store (free)
5. Gboard
Gboard from Google is one of the finest keyboards in the App Store. Now Gboard partners with Google Maps and YouTube for more possibilities. With the new integration of Google Maps in Gboard it is possible to send your current location to your contacts. You can also choose an address, for example if you are meeting somewhere and you are still on the road. The YouTube integration works in a similar way, but with video sharing.
It is now also possible to send a drawing. To do this, tap the emoji button and then the pen icon. Then you draw something beautiful and share the result.
→ Download Gboard from the App Store (free)