6 Best Apps for Kpop Lovers
This article was sponsored by TheQoos. After using the app myself for a few days I believe it is a great app for anyone who loves Kpop. I will never recommend a product that I don’t believe in. TheQoos provided images for this post.
With Kpop as popular as it is, there are hundreds of places to share the latest news, meet other fans, and to share your creations. However, with thousands of communities and websites out there, it’s hard to know are the best and which have the most functionality.
Today I wanted to take a look at some of the most popular apps on mobile devices which are also the apps that I would recommend as the best apps for Kpop lovers. There are many more apps out there, but these apps strike a good balance between unique features, functionality, and are cost (all are free).
I will be updating this list into the future, so if you have any apps that you would like to add to the list I would love to know. Is there an app that you use regularly to check on the latest industry news or to meet other fans? If so, please let me know in a comment on this post!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please refer to my affiliate disclaimer.
1. TheQoos
TheQoos is an app that I recently came across. After using it for a few days, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much it has to offer. Many apps try to focus on one aspect – for example, Kpop news, chatting, communities, etc. However, TheQoos incorporates all of these and more into one app.
When you first open TheQoos you will be introduced by a screen asking what artists and groups you want to follow. There is a large selection and I believe that all currently active groups are there. However, older groups that have disbanded will not appear.
Once you have chosen some groups to follow you will be introduced to the home screen. This screen is aptly named ‘home’ and it shows all of the most recent news articles relating to the groups you chose. It’s an aggregation page and includes news from many sites including Soompi, AllKpop, Twitter, and more.
The next screen is the ‘artists’ screen. This screen is similar to the news screen except that it shows only news relating to that artist or group. You can also view fan posts, see a group calendar, and chat about the group.
There is also a community and chat screen. The community screen in particular is interesting as it houses lots of fan-made content and even hosts Q and A videos between artists and fans. Not many apps have a function like this, and it is one of the most unique parts that TheQoos offers.
Overall, I think that TheQoos is one of the most rounded apps for Kpop fans. It has everything from a community element to an aggregated news feed. If you are looking for the only app that has everything, I recommend checking out TheQoos. This app is free on Google Play & App Store.
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2. Hilokal
Hilokal is a language learning app that has a big Korean and Kpop presence. There are tonnes of communities which Hilokal calls ‘cafes’. There are especially a lot of Kpop cafes. In these cafes, like-minded Kpop lovers and Korean learners meet up at audio ‘tables’ in the cafes to talk and learn with each other in real-time.
Beyond the hundreds of Kpop Cafes and thousands of daily audio tables, there are also free Korean lessons from native teachers. Hilokal is a great choice for any Kpop lover who also wants to meet with Koreans and increase their Korean speaking skills.
When you first open Hiokal you’ll be recommended to a list of Cafes and teachers based on your target language. After joining cafes and following teachers, your home screen will be full of audio tables and live audio classes. You just have to tap ‘listen’ and you’ll hear the live streaming audio of learners talking with one another.
If you’re like most people, you’ll probably be a bit shy to start talking right away. In Hilokal you can remain a listener at the table for as long as you want. As a listener, your microphone is not connected, and you won’t be expected to speak out. However, you do have access to the cute Emojis and the group chat.
When you’re ready to speak out, you can become a speaker and join the conversation. People on Hilokal love to chat, learn and talk about Kpop. They also love to sing. You’ll often see 노래방 (singing rooms) on Hilokal where talented people belt out their favourite Kpop tunes. The Hilokal team supports this talent by hosting ‘Hilokal’s Got Talent’ every couple of months. In Hiokal’s Got Talent, singers across the whole app are invited to show their singing talents, and Hilokal gives out prizes (Merch, subscriptions and even cash).
Hilokal is a free app, but you can upgrade to a $2.99 monthly subscription for premium Kpop-related Emojis and other premium benefits.
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3. Soompi
Soompi is one of the most recognisable news sites in the Korean entertainment field. Soompi is primarily a news site that covers not only Kpop, but also Kdramas. This means that it is a great app for anyone that doesn’t just want to stay in touch with Korean singers, but also with actors and actresses.
When you first open the app, you will be met with an overall news feed. This section of the app contains all of the latest news from Korean celebrities. Soompi generally puts out a few articles every hour, so this section always has new articles and is a great place to stay up to date.
On the second tab of the app, you will find the fan club area. This section contains news relating to only single people or groups that you are interested in. There are hundreds of groups, and you should be able to find any Korean celebrity that you want.
However, in the fan clubs, there isn’t really anywhere for discussion. While you can comment on the articles themselves, there is no dedicated discussion/community area and as such, this app is more for news content than discussion.
Soompi also has an awards section for the awards that they give out every year. Users can interact with this area, and they can see the nominees and winners. Finally, there is also a discover area of the app where users can search for trending articles, popular articles, quizzes, and more.
The quiz section of Soompi is quite large and has a lot of fun quizzes that the user can do. This is one of the most unique parts of the app, and my favourite as it’s very interactable and you can share the results with your friends easily. This app is free on Google Play & App Store.
So, if you’re wanting to keep up with the latest Kpop fashion, upcoming projects, or otherwise, Soompi is a great Kpop app to check out. It’s by far one of the most well-rounded options out there.
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4. Choeaedol
Choeaedol is one of the most unique apps on this list as it isn’t a community or news app, but rather an app that is all about interaction – whether through official or fan-made quizzes or through voting for your favourite idols and groups.
Almost all of the app revolves around community voting. You can vote for your favourite idols, songs, groups, and much more! The app has a large community as many of the polls have millions of responses and many people share news articles and other content about the artists.
Although you can comment on the posts shared by others, and you can post yourself, this app is definitely not built with community interactions in mind. Rather, it is an app created to see what groups and idols are popular, and to support your own idols and groups through voting.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Choeaedol, however, is the event area. This area shows recent and upcoming events, some of which are open to the community. For example, when I checked the most recent events there were some design submissions open for billboards in the Seoul subway. This is very cool, and a great way for the community to potentially get their work out there.
The app uses a currency called hearts. You can use these hearts to vote for your favourite idols and you can either get them through simply using the app or by purchasing them. This gives you an incentive to open the app everyday in order to support your favourite idol or group. This app is free on Google Play & App Store.
5. Kpop Amino
Amino is a large community-orientated app that has been around for years. I remember hearing about this app many years ago, but I never used it for long myself. These days, it’s home to one of the biggest Kpop communities on the internet.
As Amino is an app with thousands of communities, you can either choose to join an overall Kpop group or to join one dedicated to particular idols or groups. When I joined the Kpop Amino there were over 200 people currently online, meaning that the community is quite large and there are a lot of people to interact with and to share content with.
Amino acts much like a social media site. In fact, it’s very similar to apps like Instagram in that you can share content, grow your followers, and share posts to a community. You can also comment on posts and grow your reputation as your content becomes more popular.
However, the Kpop Amino community offers much more than just a social networking area. There are also categories containing polls, quizzes, pictures, chatrooms, and more. All of these areas have hundreds of contents and there is a ton to sort through here!
Currently, all chat has nearly one million members, showing that there are a lot of people who use the app and many other like-minded fans. This is one of the best apps for communities if you are looking to interact with others rather than just seeing the latest news. This app is free on Google Play & App Store.
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6. Weverse
Weverse is another popular community app for Kpop lovers that many already familiar with the industry will know about. This app requires the user to sign up for most functionality, but the signup process is quick and easy.
Upon opening the app you will be met with a list of trending items. These can be either groups, idols, or recent albums. Underneath this, you will see the store which offers a variety of different Kpop merchandise for the groups. At the bottom of the page you will find new contents, videos, trending tags and more.
Next, there is a discover tab. In this tab you can search whatever you are interested in and find content on that topic. When posts come up you can view them, comment, and reply to the comments of other users. There are many fan posts in this area and it’s nice to see what other fans are up to.
Some idols also use the app, making posts from time to time. This is a great addition as it provides unique content on idols that can’t be found elsewhere. This alone is a reason that will make many people want to download the app! This app is free on Google Play & App Store.
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Best Apps for Kpop Lovers FAQ
What Are the Best Websites for Kpop News?
If you are looking to stay up to date with the latest happenings in the Kpop industry then make sure to check out Soompi, AllKpop and TheQoos.
What Are the Best Kpop Communities?
If you are looking to discuss the latest news with other fans, or to meet friends, then you are in luck! There are a few good Kpop communities out there. Some of the biggest can be found on Kpop Amino, TheQoos, and Weverse.
What Are the Best Free Apps for Kpop News?
If you are looking for the latest Kpop news then make sure to check out Soompi, AllKpop and TheQoos.
Where Can I Follow My Favourite Idols?
TheQoos is a great app to follow idols. Not only does it offer specific feeds for each idol, but there is a chance that your idol might do a Q&A on the app!
What Are the Best Kpop Social Media Apps?
If you are looking for a full-fledged social media app for Kpop specifically then Kpop Amino, TheQoos, and Weverse are good apps to check out!
Wooow they’re all interesting, I think I’ll love this app
I’m glad to hear! They are fantastic apps for anyone that loves Kpop!
Dance is a part of my life. I love K-pop dance.My dream is come to South Korea do K-pop dance…
I hope that you can visit one day and pursue your dream!
I think you should also include KOOKY. It is a great app to stay updated with latest k-pop news and also has some really nice features like magazines and playlists.