Over 50,000 new apps are released every month, creating an onslaught of options for users looking to enhance their phone's capabilities. Good news: we're here to help.
Every month, we root through the app stores, searching for the best new apps for your phone. We're not just regurgitating the Android and iOS charts: we're recommending the tools we've added to our own phones—ones that we know, from our own experiences, have improved our day-to-day lives.
Since 2008, we've watched the evolution of smartphones and apps, and we've learned the differences between essential ones and their fly-by-night counterparts. This collection of the best new iPhone and Android apps for September will help you get more out of the phone in your pocket.
Plus, we've already found the best mobile games to fill your spare time. Just check out our guide to the best mobile games for iPhone and Android.
How we picked the best apps for September
Our testers search for Android and iPhone apps that are easy to use and affordable. We evaluate the best apps of the month through hands-on use and rate them on a five-star scale based on the following criteria:
- User experience
- Price and value
- Efficacy
- Practicality
- Privacy & security
Best Apps for
iPhone and Android
Quick Ball
A floating edge panel that's actually easier to use than Samsung's own.
- Free on the Google Play Store. Android only.
- Requires Accessibility and Modify System Settings permissions to function.
I've never understood why people loved Samsung's Edge Panel. The user experience on it has always felt clunky, and I could never swipe it open reliably once I had a case on my phone. Quick Ball fixes basically everything I disliked about it, and after a month of daily use on my Galaxy Z Fold5, I have no plans to go back.
“It is a WAY better version of the Samsung Edge Panel.”
Instead of a hidden strip you have to catch just right, Quick Ball lives on the edge of your screen as a small, semicircular shape that's much easier to grab, even through a case. Swipe it open and you get five programmable shortcuts to apps or system settings; tap the "X" when you're done instead of fumbling to swipe it closed again. I set mine up to open my most-used apps, and it's now the fastest way I have to jump around my phone.
Image: Scott Houghton | WhistleOut
Setting it up is also noticeably faster than programming Samsung's built-in panel. Assigning apps and settings to each of the five slots takes just a couple of taps, with no digging through nested menus to get there.
Image: Scott Houghton | WhistleOut
Most popular flagship phones on the market
An app like Quick Ball looks best on a phone that can keep up with it. If your current device is starting to lag, or you're due for an upgrade, here's what's leading the pack right now:
Moto G 5G (2026) 128GB
- 6.7 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 50MP, 2MP
- Front Camera: 32MP
Galaxy A26 5G
- 6.7 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 50MP, 8MP, 2MP
- Front Camera: 13MP
Galaxy A27 5G 128GB
- 6.7 inch display
- Rear Cameras: 50MP, 5MP, 2MP
- Front Camera: 12MP
Here's the catch: Quick Ball didn't work out of the box for me, and I had to dig through a couple of settings menus before it would run properly. You'll need to toggle it on under Settings > Accessibility > Installed apps > Quick Ball, then go to Settings > Apps > Quick Ball > Force stop and reopen the app. Once I did that, everything clicked into place.
The app does ask for Accessibility and Modify System Settings permissions, which is understandably a dealbreaker for some people. I found the permissions reasonable given what the app actually does with them, but if you're not comfortable granting apps that kind of access, this one isn't for you. According to the developer, no data is tracked, and I didn't run into anything in my testing that suggested otherwise.
If you're a Samsung user who's never liked the Edge Panel, or an Android user who's always wanted one, Quick Ball is worth the five minutes it takes to set up. It's free, it's fast, and it's already become one of the apps I use most on my phone.
"This app is awesome, and it does a great job making the Edge Panel experience so much better. I never understood the appeal of Samsung's version until Quick Ball showed me how it should have worked all along."
Scott Houghton, Staff Writer
Best of September 2026
Recommended by Scott Houghton
Outernet: Go Outside & Explore
Turns everything you save online into an actual plan to go do it.
- Free on the Apple App Store. iPhone only, with no Android version currently available.
- Explorer's Club unlocks unlimited imports for $6.99/month or $33.99/year.
I save restaurants, festivals, and cool-looking cafes on social media constantly, and I almost never actually go to any of them. Outernet is built specifically to fix that. You share a location or event to the app from wherever you found it—a social post, a poster, a random ad—and Outernet researches it, writes a quick guide, and adds it to your map so you actually remember it exists.
“Outernet keeps track of things to do, and the whole point is to get you off the app and out into the real world.”
I used it over the past month to keep track of restaurants, cafes, museums, festivals, and historical sites, both near home and for an upcoming trip. The moment you share something to Outernet, it automatically pulls in the details and writes a short guide based on its own research, so you're not stuck trying to remember why you saved something in the first place.
Image: Max McCaskill | WhistleOut
Here's the catch: you have to watch the onboarding tutorial for this app to click. The save feature depends on adding Outernet to your phone's share sheet, and if you skip that setup step, the whole app becomes a lot harder to use. Once it's configured, though, sharing something to Outernet takes the same couple of taps as sharing to any other app.
Image: Max McCaskill | WhistleOut
Top affordable unlimited data plans
Location-based apps like Outernet lean on your data connection to map and research everything you save. Make sure your plan can keep up with a look at some of the best unlimited data options right now:
|
#1
|
Lyca Mobile
Unlimited Plus Plan
$12.50/mo
Pay $12.50/month for the first 9 months<br>Regular rate is $49/month
|
|
#2
|
Cricket
3-Month Unlimited Plan
$15.00/mo
$45 advance payment for 3 months (equals to $15/month)<br>regular rate for 3 months is $120 (equals to $40/month)
+ $9.99 Upfront
|
|
#3
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$15.00/mo
$45 for 3 months of service
|
The free version caps you at five imports a day, which is plenty for casual browsing but not enough if you're researching an entire vacation in one sitting. Outernet also requires an account and does collect the URLs and location data behind each entry you save, though the app doesn't link directly to your social accounts or browser, and its privacy policy states it doesn't currently sell personal information to third parties.
If you're the type who saves a dozen cool places online and never visits any of them, Outernet is genuinely one of the more useful apps I've tested this year. It's free, it's simple once it's set up correctly, and it does exactly what its name implies—it gets you off your phone and out into the world.
"I liked Outernet because it's one of the few apps that seems designed to get you away from your smartphone. That's why the name is the inverse of ‘internet’—the developers want you to go out into the world."
Max McCaskill, Senior Staff Writer
Best of September 2026
Recommended by Max McCaskill
Otter.ai
Never miss another meeting or lecture detail again.
- Free Basic plan on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Also available on desktop.
- Paid Pro and Business tiers are available for heavier use.
Otter.ai listens to your meetings and lectures, then hands you back a full transcript and an AI-generated summary without you lifting a finger. The Google Calendar integration is what won me over—turn it on, and Otter automatically joins and records any meeting already sitting on your calendar.
“Otter's transcript comes with an AI summary and a chat bar so you can search for a specific detail instead of scrolling through the whole thing yourself.”
Once a meeting wraps, you get a transcript alongside an AI summary, and you can use the built-in chat to ask Otter to pull specific details out of that transcript instead of scrolling through the whole thing yourself. It's a small feature that ends up saving a surprising amount of time when you're trying to track down one specific decision buried in an hour-long call.
Image: Jessica Santero | WhistleOut
You don't need a calendar invite to use it, either. Hit the record button during class (always with the speaker's permission, of course) to keep a transcript of the lecture. It's especially useful for group study sessions or group projects, where it's easy to miss a smaller detail someone mentions in passing.
Best MVNOs for students on a budget
If you're using Otter for classes or group projects, there's a good chance you're also watching your budget. Here are some of the best affordable MVNOs running on the same networks as the Big Three carriers:
|
#1
|
Visible
$19 Visible Plan
$19.00/mo
Taxes & Fees included
|
|
#2
|
Mint Mobile
Unlimited Data Plan
$15.00/mo
$45 for 3 months of service
|
|
#3
|
US Mobile
Unlimited Starter Plan
$25.00/mo
|
Transcription is available in English, Spanish, and French, with German and Chinese still in beta testing. The free Basic plan caps you at 300 minutes a month, which is plenty for casual use, but heavier note-takers juggling back-to-back classes or meetings will burn through that allowance fast and may want to look at Pro.
For students and professionals alike, Otter.ai is one of the most genuinely useful apps I've tested this year. It turns hours of audio into something you can actually search, and the free tier is generous enough to prove that before you ever have to pay for it.
"The Google Calendar integration is what won me over—turn it on, and Otter automatically joins and records any meeting already on your calendar. Between that and the searchable chat bar, I've stopped taking my own notes entirely."
Jessica Santero, Staff Writer
Best of September 2026
Recommended by Jessica Santero
How WhistleOut reviews apps
Our mobile experts scour the app stores every month, looking for the best new apps for Android and iPhone. Before recommending an app, we use the app for at least one full week, testing its basic functionality and evaluating whether or not it delivers on its promises. From there, we weigh the app's pros and cons, and then determine whether or not it's a worthwhile download for the wider population of cell phone users.
- Easy to use
Great apps simplify your phone. We selected the tools that don't require a complicated instructional manual. - Affordability
The internet is filled with expensive price tags, but we're not buying what they're selling. We lean into inexpensive, quality apps. Extra points if they're free! - Hands-on testing
We played around with these before recommending them, ensuring they're worth your download.
From there, we weigh the app's pros and cons and then determine whether or not it's a worthwhile download for the wider population of cell phone users.
All the latest cell phone news and deals, delivered every Thursday.
Jessica Santero
Staff Writer
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