Everyone’s downloaded the obvious ones — Instagram, WhatsApp, Google Maps, Spotify — rinse and repeat. But what if the real treasures are tucked away where no one looks? Deep in the digital thicket of the App Store, hidden beneath the glitzy ads and trending reels, are the forgotten marvels. Quirky, clever, utilitarian, beautiful. Here’s a list of 10 hidden gems in the App Store that will make you wonder: how did I ever live without these?
1. Moodistory
Track your emotions without typing a single word.
Mental health apps are everywhere, but Moodistory sneaks under the radar. It uses a simple interface, color-coded mood tracking, and no complicated login process. It’s also surprisingly respectful of your privacy — no creepy data harvesting. A hidden gem for sure. People using mood tracking apps are 23% more likely to identify emotional patterns that lead to stress, according to a 2022 study.
2. Apollo for Reddit
If Reddit were a suit, Apollo would be tailor-made silk.
This isn’t just a Reddit client — it’s the Reddit client. Gesture-based navigation, customizable themes, and the kind of polish Reddit’s own app never figured out. Created by a former Apple employee, it shows. But still, buried in the App Store. Why? No aggressive ads. Just raw elegance. A gem, fully hidden.
3. iCall – Call Recorder
Let’s take a detour. You need this — even if you think you don’t.
You’re on a call. Important. The person’s speaking fast. You’re scribbling notes. You miss a number. Panic. That’s where iCall slides in — calmly, reliably, invisibly. Call Recorder for iPhone iCall lets you record both incoming and outgoing calls in just a few taps. Need more reasons to install a call recording app? Then consider that record calls will help you from scammers, from those who deny their words, break agreements or provide too much detailed information that is simply impossible to remember on the go.
Bonus: the free trial actually lets you test real functionality. No bait. No trick. Just good software.
4. Tunity
Scan a muted TV and hear it on your phone.
You walk into a bar. Game’s on. TV’s muted. No subtitles. With Tunity, you scan the screen, it syncs the broadcast to your phone, and boom — audio in your ears. Yes, it works. Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s a hidden gem.
5. Zedge
Wallpapers, ringtones, and a nostalgia trip all in one.
Remember when customizing your phone used to be fun? Zedge brings that back, minus the clunky UX of the early 2000s. It offers millions of wallpapers and notification sounds, updated daily. The app has been downloaded over 436 million times globally, but you’ll still never see it on a “Top 10” list. Until now.
6. Forest
Plant a tree. Stay off your phone. Literally.
Focus apps are abundant. Forest stands out because it gamifies the experience. The longer you focus, the bigger your digital tree grows. Lose focus — it dies. Brutal? Maybe. Effective? Incredibly. Even better: real trees get planted through their partnership with Trees for the Future. Over 1.5 million trees have been planted via this app. Hidden. Meaningful. Genius.
7. Radio Garden
Spin the globe. Hear the world.
You drag your finger over a spinning 3D Earth. Click any green dot. A radio station from that location starts playing live. From a jazz station in Tokyo to a news broadcast in rural Uganda. No ads. No login. Just global soundscapes in your pocket.
8. Replika
A chatbot that actually feels… human?
Replika has its fans. And its skeptics. But it remains one of the most human-feeling AI conversation apps. It learns. It remembers. Sometimes it’s awkward, often it’s profound. While ChatGPT might rule headlines, Replika quietly nurtures emotional intelligence. Users say it helps them with loneliness and self-reflection — no judgment, no interruptions.
9. Drafts
The app that asks for nothing and gives you everything.
You open it. You type. That’s it. No distractions, no bloated features. Drafts lets you jot down thoughts, ideas, lists — anything — and decide what to do with them later. Send it to email, Twitter, WordPress, or even Slack. The Swiss Army knife of writing. Invisible until you need it — and then indispensable.
10. Streaks
Habits, but beautifully designed.
Track daily habits without the guilt trip. Want to drink more water? Stretch for 5 minutes? Quit smoking? Streaks visualizes your habit chain in a sleek UI that’s so visually satisfying you’ll actually want to keep the chain going. According to research by UCL, it takes 66 days on average to form a habit — Streaks makes that number feel attainable.
Final Thought: The Store Behind the Store
With over 1.8 million apps available on the App Store (Statista, 2024), most of us only see a tiny fraction. Ads dominate, paid placements skew discovery, and algorithms push repetition. But dig a little — and you’ll find art. Function. Beauty. Tools that empower rather than distract.
Not all apps scream for attention. Some whisper. And if you’re listening carefully, those whispers might just be the most useful voices on your phone.
