Polygon called it early: the most interesting parts of Nintendo’s Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time do not live inside the cartridge. They live on your phone. Zelda Notes runs in the Nintendo Switch App and pushes hints, voice memos, and progress markers straight to Link’s map. The soundtrack sits in a separate Nintendo app. The ocarina itself, the thing that made the game famous in 1998, has become a small phone instrument that people actually play along with. This roundup covers the best apps for playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time with a companion on Android, so a second screen adds something to the run instead of pulling you out of it.
What to look for in a Zelda companion app
Not every app pretending to be a companion earns the space next to Ocarina of Time. Four things separate a keeper from a distraction. First, does it connect to the game or its official ecosystem, or is it a scraped wiki with ads over the map? Second, does it work with the screen locked and the phone on the arm of the couch, or does it demand attention every few minutes? Third, does it survive offline, since the fun parts of dungeon prep usually happen on the sofa without wanting to load a browser? And fourth, does it respect the source material without slapping trademarked art on a store page.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch App | Zelda Notes, voice chat, map sync | Android, iOS | Yes | Included with NSO | 4.1 |
| Nintendo Music | Official Zelda soundtracks | Android, iOS | With NSO | Included with NSO | 4.6 |
| Nintendo Today! | Ocarina release news and wallpapers | Android, iOS | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Ocarina by Egert | 150+ tune songbook | Android | Full app | Free | 5.0 |
| Ocarina of Time by Performance Revenues | Zelda-specific ocarina | Android | Ad-supported | Free | 4.8 |
| Obsidian | A Hyrule wiki you own | Android, iOS, desktop | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Google Keep | Capturing hints between sessions | Android, iOS, web | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Microsoft OneNote | Long-form walkthrough notebooks | Android, iOS, desktop | Yes | Free | 4.5 |
The eight apps
1. Nintendo Switch App, best for Zelda Notes and the parts that live outside the cart
The Nintendo Switch App is Nintendo’s own companion, and it is what Zelda Notes plugs into. On the Switch 2 version of Ocarina of Time, opening Zelda Notes inside the app gives Link a map on your phone, waypoints you can drop and see in game, voice hints from other players that fire when you reach a room, and a photo log tied to Hyrule locations. GameChat runs from the same app for voice and video with people in the party.
Where it falls short: The full Zelda Notes layer is gated behind a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and voice chat still eats battery on older phones. Sign-in loops around Nintendo Accounts are the most common complaint in reviews.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic friend list, screenshot inbox, and news
- Paid: Full Zelda Notes and voice chat included with Nintendo Switch Online, starting at $3.99 per month for an individual plan
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: If you own the Switch 2 remake, this is the one app you cannot skip. It is the reason the remake has anything new to offer.
2. Nintendo Music, best for the Ocarina of Time soundtrack you actually want to loop
Nintendo Music is Nintendo’s official streaming app for game soundtracks, and the Ocarina of Time catalogue arrived as one of the first playlists. You get the N64 arrangements, the 3DS re-recordings, and the Switch 2 remake score in one place, with looped versions long enough to keep on in the background while you draw a dungeon map or write a walkthrough. Spoiler filters hide track titles that give away late-game locations.
Where it falls short: It requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership to use, and download quality is capped for offline listening. The app has no widgets, so lock-screen controls only appear once playback starts.
Pricing:
- Free: Not available standalone
- Paid: Included with Nintendo Switch Online, starting at $3.99 per month for an individual plan
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Google Play
Bottom line: Get it the second you renew NSO. Nothing else has the Hyrule Field theme in full loop with permission.
3. Nintendo Today!, best for Ocarina remake news and wallpapers
Nintendo Today! is the news and lockscreen app Nintendo shipped alongside the Switch 2. For Ocarina of Time, it pushes patch notes, new merch drops, and download-quality wallpapers of Link, Navi, and the Temple of Time. Tap through and set them as your Android wallpaper in two steps. Notifications can be scoped so only Zelda-related items ping.
Where it falls short: The feed leans marketing, so half of what you see is a nudge to buy something. Region filters are limited, so European players see plenty of Japan-only teases they cannot act on.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app
- Paid: No paid tier
Platforms: Android, iOS
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Worth the install if you want an early warning on Zelda-adjacent releases without following six news accounts.
4. Ocarina by Egert, best for actually playing along on a real songbook
Ocarina by Egert is the digital ocarina that took over Reddit threads when the remake was announced. It ships with 150 plus songs, including every tune from Ocarina of Time laid out with visual finger positions, so you can learn Zelda’s Lullaby the way Link does. Play mode uses the touchscreen or the volume rocker for note pitch, and you can record and export a take.
Where it falls short: Multi-touch on the C notes is fussy on smaller phones, and the songbook browser is a single scroll rather than a search. Recording quality is fine for sharing but not for a studio.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app with ads
- Paid: One-time in-app purchase removes ads
Platforms: Android
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: The best free ocarina on Android, full stop. Install it before the run, learn Saria’s Song on the bus.
5. Ocarina of Time by Performance Revenues, best for a Zelda-only tune library
Ocarina of Time by Performance Revenues narrows the scope to Zelda. Twelve of the game’s ocarina songs sit on the home screen with the exact button sequence from the N64, so a player who wants a refresher on the Song of Storms before facing the windmill has a two-tap answer. It doubles as a playable instrument in free mode.
Where it falls short: The ad frequency is heavier than the Egert app, and the button graphics are stylised rather than the real N64 icons. No song export.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app with ads
- Paid: No ad-free option
Platforms: Android
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Grab it as a quick reference tool. If you also want a general ocarina, pair it with the Egert app.
6. Obsidian, best for building a Hyrule wiki you actually own
Obsidian turns your phone into a local, plain-text vault, which is perfect for a personal Zelda: Ocarina of Time walkthrough you keep between runs. Link a note per dungeon, drop screenshots taken from the Switch App inbox, and use backlinks to connect a heart piece note to the region it belongs to. The graph view is a party trick that stops being a party trick the second you have twenty notes.
Where it falls short: The learning curve is real, and the mobile editor is fine for reading but tight for heavy editing. Sync between devices costs extra unless you point it at your own cloud.
Pricing:
- Free: Full local vault
- Paid: Official Sync at $4 per month, or use free iCloud, Google Drive, or a self-hosted alternative
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: For anyone treating this run as their definitive Ocarina of Time playthrough, this is the note app that will still be useful in ten years.
7. Google Keep, best for one-thumb capture between sessions
Google Keep is what most players actually use because it opens fast and syncs everywhere. Voice notes work while the controller is in your hands, so a mumbled “gold skulltula behind the waterfall, come back with hookshot” turns into a searchable note by the time you sit down again. Color-code by dungeon and pin the current one to the top.
Where it falls short: No real hierarchy beyond labels and colors, and the editor stops being useful past about five hundred words. Notes leave Google’s ecosystem awkwardly.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app
- Paid: No paid tier, storage counts against your Google One quota
Platforms: Android, iOS, web
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: The default choice if you want to spend zero time setting up and start noting the next puzzle right now.
8. Microsoft OneNote, best for a proper long-form walkthrough notebook
Microsoft OneNote is the middle ground between Keep and Obsidian. Nested sections handle a full Ocarina of Time layout well, one section per temple with pages for puzzles, boss patterns, and heart piece locations. The pen tools let you sketch a rough map of the Water Temple’s water levels, which is still the reason players open OneNote in 2026.
Where it falls short: The Android app has been through several rebuilds, so old sync bugs still surface, and OneDrive storage caps free accounts at 5 GB across everything you keep there.
Pricing:
- Free: Full app with 5 GB OneDrive
- Paid: Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99 per month lifts storage to 1 TB and adds Copilot
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, web
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: The pick if you want the notebook feel of a strategy guide, drawing tools included, without paying for it up front.
How to pick the right one
If you own the Switch 2 remake, install the Nintendo Switch App first. Nothing else on this list unlocks the new Zelda Notes layer. Add Nintendo Music the same day if you already pay for Nintendo Switch Online, since the two apps share the membership.
If you want to play the ocarina between rooms, Ocarina by Egert is the best free instrument on Android and the one to install first. The Performance Revenues app is worth adding as a Zelda-specific cheat sheet for the twelve official tunes.
If you are the type who takes a Zelda run seriously and wants notes that outlive the console, use Obsidian. If you want to open something in two seconds and dictate a note while the game is paused, use Google Keep. If you want hand-drawn maps and structure without paying, use Microsoft OneNote.
Skip Nintendo Today! unless you actively want news pushed at you.
FAQ
What is the best free companion app for Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Android?
The free basic tier of the Nintendo Switch App is the closest thing to an official companion, and it is required to touch Zelda Notes if you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership. For a free-forever pick that gives you the ocarina itself, Ocarina by Egert covers all 150 plus songs including every Zelda tune.
Is Zelda Notes worth the Nintendo Switch Online subscription?
For the Switch 2 remake, Zelda Notes is the standout new feature and lives entirely inside the Nintendo Switch App. If you are playing Ocarina of Time on Switch 2, NSO is already required for a lot of the online features, and Zelda Notes plus Nintendo Music together justify the cost more than online play does on its own.
Can you play the ocarina from Zelda on Android?
Yes. Both Ocarina by Egert and Ocarina of Time by Performance Revenues turn the phone into a playable ocarina with the Zelda song library preloaded. Egert’s app is broader and better rated, while Performance Revenues’ app is a tighter Zelda-only shortcut.
Does Nintendo Music have the full Ocarina of Time soundtrack?
Yes. The N64 original, the 3DS re-recordings, and the Switch 2 remake score are all in Nintendo Music, with extended looped versions for background listening. Spoiler filters hide late-game track titles until you have unlocked them in game.
What app do most Zelda players use for walkthrough notes?
Anecdotally the split runs Google Keep for casual note-takers, Obsidian for players building a personal wiki, and OneNote for anyone who wants to draw a Water Temple map by hand. All three are free at the tier a single Zelda run needs.
Can you chat with friends while playing Ocarina of Time on Switch 2?
Yes, through GameChat inside the Nintendo Switch App. Voice and video are supported, and Zelda Notes lets a friend drop a marker directly onto your in-game map from their phone.
