On our YouTube channel, we've got a monthly series that highlights new, interesting, fun, and useful apps that we think are worth downloading and checking out.

There are so many apps on the iOS App Store, which makes it hard to find new content, and it can also be easy to overlook great apps that are a bit older. We've designed our app lists to include apps - both old and new - that we personally recommend and have used over the course of the month.

  • Pocket Penguins (Free) - Here in the Bay Area, we have a great place that's part zoo, part science museum, and part research institute called the California Academy of the Sciences. The California Academy of Sciences is home to a bunch of endangered African penguins (as part of a breeding program), which you can watch through the Pocket Penguins app. It's a penguin livestream that's on 24/7, and it's a fun second screen activity (there's an Apple TV app too) or something to do when you need a wildlife breather. If you like the penguins, you may also like the stingray feed.
  • Hop (Free) - There's a popular game called Hop, but we're talking about the email app in this week's video. Hop is a team-based email app that's designed to make your email more like a chat conversation than a traditional email inbox. It's supposed to make sending and managing emails much faster for those of us who need some assistance cutting down on the inbox time.
  • Pod Calendar (Free) - Pod Calendar is a free app that's a simple, light alternative to the standard Calendar app on the iPhone and iPad. It uses color coding for all of your events so it's easy to see what's going on at a glance, and it uses natural language for adding new entries quickly. There's support for multiple calendars, multiple reminders, an interaction history for your contacts, and tools for sending quick emails and messages.
  • Zedge Wallpapers (Free) - As the name suggests, this is an app for downloading wallpapers. When we upload videos, we get a lot of questions about the wallpaper we're using. A lot of the time, the wallpapers in our videos are from this app. Check it out if you're looking for a fresh look for your iPhone - there are thousands to choose from.
  • PUBG (and Fortnite) (Free) - Unless you're living under a rock, you've heard of PUBG and Fortnite, both of which are battle royale-style games that are super popular right now. The idea is to kill or be killed, with the aim of the game to be the last person standing. PUBG and Fortnite both came out on iOS recently, with PUBG available to everyone and Fortnite available as a beta. You might not think a battle royale game would work on an iOS device, but both of these games are surprisingly good and worth checking out.

If you have favorite iOS apps, make sure to share them with us. We'll check out what you have to recommend and we may just include them next month. Want more apps? Check out our February recommendations.

Top Rated Comments

hortod1 Avatar
99 months ago
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fairuz Avatar
99 months ago
I was disappointed in Fortnite for iOS. The controls were extremely awkward. Like why is the "fire" button right above the left thumbstick? Well, I should try PUBG now since I have it on PC.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SigEp265 Avatar
99 months ago
I was looking for a calendar app replacement for my ipad. I don’t really want to pay for Fantastical (already paid for my phone). This one is nice but the fonts start looking wonky when you adjust the window size on the month calendar, hopefully it will be fixed in a future update. I landed on Calendars 5 (which I downloaded a long time ago but forgot about) and it seems to be fulfilling my needs without the font issues. Readdle makes some quality apps!
I love Calendars 5 for iPhone and iPad. I like being able to see the whole month as well as each appointment written out.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple's 2026 Smart Home Revamp: All the Rumors

Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026. Home Hub Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
apple tv logo physical

New Apple TV Intro Was Made With Practical Effects

Thursday November 6, 2025 7:02 am PST by
The all-new intro sequence for Apple TV was made with practical effects and shot in-camera, Ad Age reports. Rather than using digital techniques, the new sequence was made by shooting large glass versions of the Apple TV logo, with physical motion and changing lighting used to create effects. Apple partnered with TBWA\Media Arts Lab to create the intro. Ad Age released an exclusive look...