The best new Android apps for 2024

Many new Android apps are out there, but keeping track of them is tough. But we’re happy to do that hard work for you. We’ve scoured the internet to find the best new Android apps available, focusing on apps that offer something different to the status quo. Be sure to visit our list of the best Android apps of all time and our selection of the best new Android apps released in 2022 for more.

In this edition, I detail the iMessage app Android users have been waiting for, I touch on a particularly gorgeous weather app, and, thanks to a colleague, I discover a way to record my favorite book snippets for later reading.

Beeper Mini

The best way to use iMessage on Android.

• Price: Free 7-day trial, then $1.99/month
• Developer: Beeper

Beeper Mini (alongside Beeper Cloud) was one of the most impactful Android apps of 2023, bringing the privilege of blue bubbles to us lowly Android users. The ability for Beeper Mini to plug into iMessage is something that Apple has been trying to quash since it launched in late November. It has largely succeeded, forcing Beeper to implement an email address-based workaround, which largely denies the convenience of the app itself.

Nevertheless, Beeper Mini’s struggle against Apple is causing waves in the US political sphere. Four lawmakers have called on the Department of Justice to investigate the latter’s anti-competitive stance. We’ll see where this leads in 2024.

It’s also worth noting that while Beeper Mini requires a subscription after its weeklong trial period, the developer has switched off this requirement while the email workaround is implemented. Gold star!

FoxyNotes

A brand new noting app with rich text support and Google Drive sync.

• Price: Free | Optional premium subscription
• Developer: sesa.solutions

FoxyNotes might be the newest app on this edition’s list, but its capabilities pleasantly surprised me. I’ve been searching for a Google Keep alternative for a while now, specifically an app that supports markup and rich text support. Finally, I stumbled across FoxyNotes.

In short, the app lets you create as many notes as you care for, marking up text as you desire and categorizing them. The app also packs Google Drive sync support, which makes it easy to access notes across multiple devices. There’s a premium tier that unlocks more themes and additional backup settings, but the core app will likely suit most users.

As I’ve mentioned above, FoxyNotes is still in its infancy, and the developer has outlined several improvements coming to the app soon, including a desktop app.

Readwise

Record and remember the important moments in your favorite books.

• Price: Free 30-day trial, then $4.49/month
• Developer: Readwise

If you’re a fervent reader who loves making notes and highlighting those texts but struggles to find a sensible way to collate all this data, consider Readwise. It allows users to remember those important moments of the books you read by saving highlights. The service also recommends snippets from those books you perhaps haven’t remembered or saved. If you often read across multiple technologies or platforms, Readwise can sync highlights across the likes of Kindle, Pocket, Notion, Evernote, and Instapaper.

The service is by no means perfect. I lament that there’s no free version with a book limit imposed for those who want to test the product a little longer than its 30-day trial. If you want those wider syncing features, you must opt for a pricier subscription.

Rain

My favorite weather app of 2023.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Dark Night

I’ve struggled to find an aesthetic replacement for Weather Timeline since that app bit the dust years ago. I settled on the incredibly customizable Meteogram Weather Widget, as I enjoy a graphical representation of forecasts from multiple sources. However, I recently stumbled across Rain, which has become my backup, quick-view weather app.

Developed by ToDark developer Dark Night, Rain is perhaps one of the most beautiful weather apps I’ve ever used. It presents a host of information sensibly, prefacing the current temperature and conditions while presenting more nerdy metrics, like radiation and transpiration. The app can also house multiple cities and towns, and you can choose to receive alerts on the hour across the day.

Perhaps one issue is that only a single weather provider (Open-Meteo) is used, so those who may receive more accurate forecasts from alternative services may be left wanting. But the app is entirely free, so I feel even this isn’t significant enough of a criticism.

Rewind: Music Time Travel

Historical music discovery made fantastically fun.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Z.H.

I wasn’t expecting much when I downloaded Rewind, but I wasn’t completely aware of how good the app is. In short, it supercharges music discovery by detailing which songs and albums were released on a given date. You can also browse songs released in specific years, like 1961 or 2000. This is the “music time travel” aspect and works as a treat. If anything, Rewind is genuinely a must-have music app for those keen to broaden their tastes or those studying the progression of genres, styles, and lyrics throughout the years.

As Rewind isn’t a streaming service, you’ll have to have Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, or Tidal installed to use the service fully. Alternatively, you can enjoy 30-second previews for each track.

Squawker

Browse X (Twitter) without all the bloat or privacy concerns.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Jean-Francois Briere

Although I’d rather ditch X (formerly Twitter) entirely, I still require the service for information bites from my city or national communication channels. To avoid using the app, I use Squawker. Granted, it’s not a brand new app, but it’s worth mentioning for those also struggling with the clutter of X.

Squawker acts as an anonymous, private X wrapper, allowing users to browse, follow accounts (called subscribe in the app), and bookmark tweets on the platform. It’s incredibly useful if you only want to follow a handful of accounts or to search for and browse specific hashtags or topics.

It doesn’t provide all the X features you’d expect on the primary app, but it’s so good that you don’t need them.

WallFlow

Search for, download, and rotate your favorite wallpapers from one app.

• Price: Free
• Developer: Ammar Githam

WallFlow lets users effortlessly search for and download wallpapers from Wallhaven and Reddit. It includes a deep search feature that lets users save searches, filter for specific results for each platform, and tag. The app also includes a wallpaper changer, allowing users to keep their home screens fresh with much effort. Sure, it only supports two platforms, but they’re arguably among the best wallpaper sites online.

Wombo Me

Spruce up your digital avatar with this AI tool.

• Price: Free | $4.99 one-time payment
• Developer: Wombo Studios

Finally, what if you could use AI to spruce up your mundane portraits and selfies? Wombo Me does just that. It allows users to create stylized avatars, whether they want to look more like their favorite celebrities, experiment with genders, or create a more professional bust for use online.

The AI tool has its issues. Many designs are locked behind the premium tier, results can be neither here nor there, while the Google account-only login system might put you off. All in all, it’s another app I expect will get better over time.