Best Apps of 2026

Gemini is Google's AI assistant app, and it is the pick for November because it had the biggest change of any app that works on both phone platforms. Google's release notes list Gemini 4 Argon, a new model for multi-step tasks, from October 13, 2026, for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. The same day brought Customize, a hub where you set the response style, add skills and connect more than 40 apps, rolling out on mobile and the web for all plans.

We chose it over newer but narrower launches because anyone can install it free today, in most countries, and it connects to Gmail, Calendar and Photos if you allow it. The Google Play listing shows an update on October 13, 2026, and the App Store listing shows version 1.2026.4262206 from October 29.

The catch: the newest models and the agent features, such as Gemini Spark and Daily Brief, sit behind paid Google AI plans, and Daily Brief started in the US. Check what your plan includes before you count on them.

Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. Google calls it the same standalone product with more features: each notebook now gets a secure cloud computer that can write and run code for data analysis, and notebooks sync with the Gemini app.

You upload PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos or text, then ask questions that are answered with in-line citations to your own sources. The phone app also plays podcast-style Audio Overviews with background playback and offline support, which is handy for studying on the move. For similar tools, see our AI PDF summarizers roundup.

Anthropic announced Claude Duet on October 21, 2026 as a research preview. It looks across your connected apps each morning, flags the few things that need a reply or a decision, and can finish tasks you hand it while your phone is off. Before it sends a message, pays or deletes anything, it shows you the planned action and waits for your approval.

Access is limited. It is a waitlist, it starts with US Pro, Max and Ultra subscribers, and the store listing says you should wait for the access email before downloading. Anthropic also says it can misread a thread or misjudge what is urgent, and that personal errands are weaker than work tasks.

Comet is Perplexity's AI browser. Perplexity's changelog says it reached all iOS users in the last week of March 2026, and the app is now on iPhone and Android as well as Mac and Windows. You can ask it for research or work help from any page, and device sync lets you hand a task from your phone to the desktop browser.

The Google Play listing shows an update on October 30, 2026. Treat it as a browser first: if you only want an AI chat app, Gemini above is the simpler start.

Meta introduced Muse on September 8, 2026 as a personal AI agent: you tell it what needs doing, and it handles tasks such as sending an email or booking travel. Meta says it runs on a dedicated secure virtual machine, keeps working after you close the app, and asks for approval before it sends an email or makes a purchase.

Meta says it launched in the US on iPhone, Android and the web and is free for most of what people need, with paid plans for people who want to do more. Meta has since announced it in Singapore, so check availability where you live. The App Store listing shows version 13.1 from October 24, which adds iPhone Duo support, easier shopping in chat and a Feed widget, and the Google Play listing shows an update on October 30, 2026. Meta's own pages make the performance and privacy claims, and we have not tested them.

Adobe's phone video editor is free and, per its store listings, has no ads or watermarks. It has a multi-track timeline, AI speech enhancement and auto-captions.

The October 27, 2026 App Store release notes list a chroma key tool, 2K export, Adobe Fonts, redesigned text editing and a way to add generated images and videos straight to your timeline. The release before it added copy and paste for clips, overlays and audio, even between projects. The Google Play listing was also updated on October 27, but we only confirmed this feature list on the App Store notes, so check the Android listing for what your version has.

Acme Weather comes from the creators of Dark Sky. Its introduction post is dated February 16, 2026, and the App Store lists it as released on February 18. Instead of one forecast line, it shows alternate predictions so you can see how sure the forecast is and what else might happen.

The developer's page lists down-to-the-minute rain forecasts, maps with radar and lightning, custom notifications for conditions like wind or UV, community weather reports from nearby users and home screen widgets. Version 1.0.8 on September 15 added a setting to reorder the timeline buttons. The developer has said an Android app is planned, but it is not on Google Play today.

Raycast for iPhone has been out since 2025 as an AI chat, notes and snippets app. Version 1.5.0, dated October 29, 2026 in Raycast's changelog, added the part that makes it worth a look: a full keyboard.

It supports slide to type, autocorrection, word suggestions and Quick Fix for spelling and grammar, and it expands your snippet keywords as you write. Dictation, emoji, GIFs, Quicklinks and AI commands sit inside it, with five themes and optional number row. The same release lets you queue follow-up messages while the AI answers. Raycast's manual says the keyboard types in English only for now, and syncing across devices needs Raycast Pro.

Things is a long-running to-do app, and version 3.25.1 from October 22, 2026 is the pick here because of what the update adds. Its release notes say the app now reshapes itself for every pose of iPhone Duo, with a sidebar of your lists when the phone is unfolded and app controls in a bar down the right side.

The notes also mention the Magic Plus button you can drag into a list to insert a to-do where you want it, and full keyboard support when you connect a keyboard to the device. On other iPhones the update gives the back and tools buttons a glass look on iOS 26 or later. We took the "iPhone Duo" name from the developer's release notes and did not test the app on that device.