This week’s edition of our Apps of the Week roundup features a shiny new third-party Twitter client, an app for making quick video calls, and a full-screen camera app. And as usual, we’ve selected two great new games for you to check out.
Flitter
With a handful of already long-running, mature clients and growing third-party developer hostility, you’d have to be incredibly brave to attempt to build a new Twitter app. Meet Flitter, a beautiful and clutter-free Twitter client that combines a sharp UI, customizable Timeline and a long list of features. That list includes dark and OLED dark modes, 3D Touch support, multiple account support, full search, and much more. Early reviews do mention crashing and other version 1.0-type bugs, but for those looking for a new and different Twitter experience, Flitter seems worth checking out.
Thirty
This is kind of interesting. How often do you turn down phone or FaceTime calls because you don’t have the time to get sucked into a long conversation? That’s where Thirty comes in. As the name suggests, this app’s focus is on live video chats with a time limit of 30 seconds. Making calls is fast, easy and does not require Wi-Fi. Then you get half a minute to ask a quick question or two, say hello or check this out. The developers also say there are plans for “celebrity” interactions, but to me the bigger deal here is the 30-second timer. Apps like Twitter and Snapchat have show us that there is something to brief and ephemeral messaging.
Flache
Flache is a minimalistic, full-screen camera app with easy sharing. With larger screen sizes being commonplace, it’s time you had a camera app that takes advantage of the extra screen real estate. No more “letter-boxed” pictures! Plus, once you’ve taken your full-screen photos, you can easily share them to your favorite social platform. And that’s about it. This isn’t some fancy camera app that promises to take better pictures with filters and tons of settings. But it appears to be very good at what it does.
Download for free
Among the Stars
Among the Stars is a digital version of the highly acclaimed board game. Imagine a distant future. A once peaceful galaxy has been torn apart by war. Alien races fight for power and dominance. And then a new threat appears on the horizon, with the potential to wipe them all out. In the face of this new enemy all races must make peace and unite to survive. Features include a unique single-player, challenge-based campaign, cross-platform asynchronous online and local multiplayer, card-drafting mechanics with 120 cards, challenge AI opponents, in-game tutorials and leaderboards.
Bonza Jigsaw
From the makers of Bonza Word Puzzle (an App Store Best of 2014) comes Bonza Jigsaw, a clean and elegant revamp of a timeless classic. Solve jigsaw puzzles that feature stunning images from around the globe. Austrian alps, Canadian creatures, Danish dance and Brazilian beaches. Explore exotic regions and discover new cultures, embrace the diversity that makes our world unique and preserve the values that bring us together. Features include 6 game modes, various levels of difficulty, special, unlockable challenges and a daily puzzle subscription service for the true puzzle-heads.
Other app news to check out
- Instagram’s new Emoji Slider lets you pick how much you like or dislike something
- YouTube rolling out support for high dynamic range video content on iPhone X
- Google Photos will colorize your B&W photos, help you remove background colors & more
- Google News is rolling out overhauled, artificially intelligent iPhone app with subscriptions & more
- Remote Control app turns an iOS device into a remote control for your Mac [sponsored]
- Gmail for iPhone and iPad gains snooze and Google Pay support
- Starting in July, all app updates must support iOS 11 and iPhone X’s Super Retina display
- WhatsApp gains inline Facebook and Instagram video playback, stickers coming soon