Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Island Life 101 App Explained - Should You Buy It?

The Island Life 101 App is designed to help out newcomers to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, young children, and grown-ups who've forgotten everything about the game since they last played.

It's not exactly a tutorial, because you can't select a subject you want to know more about. Here's how it works.

Animal Crossing Island Life 101 App Explained

How to get Island Life 101

When you buy the app from the Nook Miles catalogue, it costs 400 Nook Miles to install onto your NookPhone. It's then accessible whenever you need it, and it'll also add loading screen tips to the game. Every tip will then automatically be added into the app, but they aren't sorted in any way — it's just a long list of advice.

How to turn off loading screen tips

If you decide you don't want Tom Nook telling you stuff you maybe already know, just go into the app (it's the purple one, right at the end of the apps list on your NookPhone) and press X to open "Delivery Settings" and select "turn tips off". You can always turn them back on by doing the opposite!

Is it worth buying?

Well, it's only 400 Miles. And although some of the tips, like "your mailbox has a notification on it when you have mail", are obvious to many, some of the tips will steer you towards the new content, or things you didn't know, like how to purchase your own ABD.

We'll be honest, though — it's not the best tutorial. It's disorganised, hard to navigate, and ranges from obvious stuff to actually useful tips. But it does jazz up the loading screens, at least!

And that's it! Enjoy your new tutorial-filled Island Life. Have you got any good tips you didn't know before? Tell us in the comments!

This article is part of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons walkthrough, which includes a Complete Fish List, Complete Bug List and Complete Sea Creatures List. If you're looking for specific fish or bugs, we can tell you how to catch the elusive Coelacanth, Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, Stringfish, Golden Trout and all the Sharks and Beetles, along with a full list of critters leaving at the end of the month (unless you visit Kapp'n's Boat Tour islands, of course!).

We can also help with How to Spot Redd's Fake Paintings and Statues, How to Make Bells Fast, How to Breed Flowers, How to Get more DIY Recipes, How to Upgrade Nook's Cranny, where and when to find special characters like Gulliver, Sable, Label, Wisp, Celeste, Pirate Gulliver and Jack, plus tips on using the Star Wand, Tool Ring, Rock Trick, Cutting Down and Moving Trees, using amiibo on Harv's Island, How to Back Up Your Island Data, How to Time Travel, How to Get a 5-Star Island Rating and a whole lot more.

If it's new content you're looking for help with, we can help you find gyroids, unlock Brewster's café, use the new Pro Camera App for selfies, enact new ordinances, get the beloved Froggy Chair, and even learn How to Cook.

And finally, Where to Buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch, if for some reason you haven't yet picked up the game, and How To Buy The Happy Home Paradise DLC, too!