If you're stuck at home and are looking for things to do, our latest YouTube video has some suggestions for various apps and games that we've found fun during our quarantine period. We're highlighting podcast apps, a few games, and a couple other options that will hopefully help keep you or your family members entertained this week. Some of these are iPhone and iPad, while some are iPad only.
- Quibi ($4.99/Month)- Quibi, which stands for "quick bites," is a new streaming video app that just came out this week. It's a service that promises to offer high quality content that's 10 minutes or less, with new episodes and new shows coming out on a daily basis. Quibi is iPhone only, and you can try it out free for 90 days before being charged $4.99 per month with ads, or $7.99 per month without ads.
- Google Podcasts (Free) - Google just recently brought its Podcasts app to the iPhone, and if you're not a fan of Apple's Podcasts app, this might be a useful alternative. It has a great layout and Google's design aesthetics, making it easy to browse through content and find something to listen to. Episodes are sent to your device every day with auto-download and notification options.
- Listen App (Free) - If you're not a fan of Google Podcasts, you can also check out Listen App, which has some unique features such as an option to leave text and audio comments on podcast episodes, creating more of a community around podcasts. This is a new feature so there aren't a ton of comments, yet, but it has the potential to be a neat addition.
- Roundguard - Roundguard is an Apple Arcade game, and Apple Arcade is a pretty great solution if you're looking for games to play. It's $4.99 per month and gives you access to more than 100 games. Roundguard is a lot like Peggle, and the gameplay consists of hurling your warrior (or mage) down into pegs made up of monsters, potion bottles, and more, with the hopes that luck is in your favor and you come out victorious.
- Too Many Cooks (Free) - This is a fast-paced non-Apple Arcade game where the idea is to prepare sushi, pizzas, burgers, and more, delivering food to customers within an allotted time. This is a pretty well-known game type, but it's always fun. Gameplay gets progressively harder as more and more ingredients are introduced, and you can play by yourself or with a friend. This is a free game, but gameplay can be limited and there are in-app purchases for gems.
- Pigment (Subscription) - If you have an iPad and an Apple Pencil, coloring apps like Pigment can be a fun way to de-stress and do something mindless but calming while watching television. Pigment is one of the best apps on the market with lots of brushes, tools, and colors to work with, but it's going to cost $9.99 per month so you need to REALLY like coloring to subscribe. You can also pay $4.99 per week or $60 per year, which drops the price down a bit for those who are big fans of coloring and find it soothing.
- Chroma (Free, in-app purchases) - Chroma is another coloring app that also has in-app purchases, but it has more free options to use before you need to shell out money. The coloring experience isn't quite as refined as Pigment, but it's one of the better options. You can import pages from online and use Chroma's selection of brushes and tools, and it's a fun activity to do with kids.
Have other great games and entertaining apps you're using while at home? Let us know in the comments, and we may do a followup video with reader suggestions.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Does the time we spend in the toilet need to bo that much more entertaining?
The money spent on developing and sustaining that incipient failure of an app would be so much better spent on... name a noun.
...and that shady ZoomHow long will it take until I stop having 'Quibi' vigorously jammed down my throat?
I felt the same way about my kids watching other people play video games. But they love it. Quibi does cater to a younger demographic that consumes media differently than we do.Oh, just stop with Quibi already. Who wants to watch their phone at home?
Does the time we spend in the toilet need to bo that much more entertaining?
The money spent on developing and sustaining that incipient failure of an app would be so much better spent on... name a noun.
Anyone else hear that "Too Many Cooks" theme song from that creepy Adult Swim short from several years back? No? Just me? Okay…
If you are looking for games to play against remote friends, there’s some nice recommendations of multiplayer strategy games (“Euro board game” apps) here ('https://statelyplay.com/2020/04/03/quarantine-cycle-games-to-play-when-your-family-wont-and-friends-are-socially-distanced/') (actually, they wrote that article after I suggested it). Most (all?) of these games are one-time purchases, not micro-transaction hell (a few of them have IAPs for additional campaigns, but those are all optional). Some of the games are cross platform, so they’ll work even if you’re friends with Android users.
I'm sure there is some subset of people out there who consume a LOT of mobile media. Maybe those in major urban areas who use a lot of mass transit? I am not in that group, but they are certainly who will determine whether this platform holds any value.Oh, just stop with Quibi already. Who wants to watch their phone at home?
Does the time we spend in the toilet need to bo that much more entertaining?
The money spent on developing and sustaining that incipient failure of an app would be so much better spent on... name a noun.
That being said, I completely agree that when everyone is sitting at home with their TV is not prime time for this type of release.