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
91 months ago
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fairuz Avatar
91 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
91 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

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

Latest iPhone 17 Pro Dummies Highlight Apple's New Part-Glass Design

Thursday March 20, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson has shared more dummy models of Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, with the latest lot revealing a noticeable shift in Apple's iPhone Pro model design that goes beyond the much-talked-about new rear camera bar. Dickson points out that the iPhone 17 Pro dummy models feature an outlined area on the back, beginning just below the camera module and extending to the...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
airtag orange

Apple's Next Product is Likely an AirTag 2 With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e, new iPads and Macs, and some new accessories over the past month, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is likely next up. Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iPhone 17 Air Fanned Feature

First iPhone 17 Air Case Has Camera Bar, Camera Control Button Cutouts

Wednesday March 19, 2025 5:29 am PDT by
Serial leaker Sonny Dickson today shared an image of what he claims is a first look at a third-party case for Apple's iPhone 17 Air. "If you didn’t know an Air was coming, you'd swear it was a Google Pixel case," he said. Case manufacturers often obtain design specifications of upcoming iPhone models before their release by collaborating with Apple through official partnerships or...