So that you’ve simply bought maintain of a model new Android phone, and also you wish to get began benefiting from it. No matter which cellphone you’ve bought, be it an ultra-premium Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or a low-cost CMF Phone 1, the very first thing you must do after setup is obtain some apps from Google Play.
Apps are what make smartphones value having; in any other case they’re no higher than an previous flip cellphone that’s been rattling round a drawer for 20 years. All the things occurs by way of apps, and there’s no want so that you can be caught with all of the inventory Google apps that come preinstalled in your cellphone.
The query is, with so many hundreds of apps to select from, the place do you begin? Even our record of the best Android apps might be intimidating at first look.
Thankfully, we might help you out with some must-have Android apps that each person ought to have. I’ve been utilizing Android telephones for greater than 13 years, and have gone by way of so many alternative apps and companies in that point. There are loads that stand above the remainder, and my 11 favorites are listed under so that you can obtain proper now.
Microsoft Switftkey AI Keyboard
Whereas I imply no disrespect to Gboard, it is from the most effective keyboard out there on Android. For those who ask any long-time Android person what the most effective different is, nearly all of them will recommend SwiftKey. It might be owned by Microsoft, nevertheless it’s one of many few companies that hasn’t misplaced its appeal since being purchased out — which is actually an excellent factor.
SwiftKey is all about making your keyboard clever, and over time it’s going to find out how you kind. This helps autocorrect not be so ducking ineffective, and that can assist you write quicker. On high of that there is a myriad of customization choices to make sure that keyboard works for you, somewhat than the opposite means spherical. Personally I like using SwiftKey’s arrow keys, and all the time make a behavior of disabling the glide typing choice.
SwiftKey additionally consists of Microsoft’s Copilot, providing you with entry to the AI instruments in your keyboard — irrespective of which app you are utilizing. Different options embrace a GIF menu, cloud clipboard for Home windows, and the choice to kind in a number of languages with out altering the settings first.
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WhatsApp Messenger
You might have an Android cellphone, however I assure you recognize a bunch of folks that use iPhones as an alternative. Cross-platform messaging stays problematic, even when Apple has now added RCS messaging to iOS 18. For starters, not all carriers help RCS, and even whether it is out there, the messages aren’t encrypted. That makes WhatsApp your subsequent best choice.
The Meta-owned messaging app has every little thing you may must communicate with family and friends. Picture and file-sharing with out the aggressive MMS compression, group chats, voice notes, video calling, group video calling, and so forth. It even has particular options for speaking with companies and different large organizations as an alternative of ready on maintain for numerous hours.
The most effective half is that WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted by default, and makes use of the Sign encryption protocol to lock down your conversations. That means no person can learn them besides you and the recipient, no matter which platform they’re truly utilizing.
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ChatGPT
AI is all the trend proper now, and whereas Google would favor you utilize the Gemini Chatbot, there is a robust case to be made for utilizing ChatGPT as an alternative. That is the free and official model of OpenAI‘s bot, full with all the newest and finest fashions — just like the multimodal GPT-4o.
This app enables you to speak and entry ChatGPT both together with your voice or textual content, with prompt outcomes. Whether or not you are searching for data, want particular recommendation, generate pictures, or just need ChatGPT to offer strategies in your homework — that is the app to make use of.
ChatGPT Plus subscribers may even acquire entry to extra superior premium options on this app, somewhat than being compelled to obtain one thing utterly new.
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Bluesky
That is the most popular new social media app on the internet, very like Twitter earlier than it bought purchased out and its billionaire proprietor began altering every little thing. For those who’re nostalgic for that pre-X expertise, perhaps it is time to give Bluesky a attempt. Comply with totally different accounts and feeds to customise what you see, with out algorithms prioritizing content material that you just actually don’t need.
Posts are restricted to 300 characters, the entire system is an open-source, decentralized social community that evokes an analogous look to Twitter. Which means you’ll be able to put up, like and share what you see. (Do not name it retweeting.) It’s also possible to use clickable hashtags to see what else persons are speaking about.
To this point, the moderators appear to be on the ball — eradicating content material that breaks the principles shortly and effectively. Which we will all agree is an effective factor.
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Create your individual customized feed of content material with this Mozilla-developed app. Pocket is your individual private repository of content material, letting you save articles, tales, net pages, movies, recipes and every kind of different issues — retaining it protected for later consumption within the course of.
That means, you needn’t refill your bookmark folder like I used to do, turning it into an unholy mess of pages you may by no means get round to studying.
Higher nonetheless, Pocket additionally makes it a lot simpler to learn stuff afterward. The format will get cleaned up,m with customization choices letting you select what sort of studying expertise you get. It even has a “Pay attention” characteristic that reads stuff out to you so you will get on with different necessary duties like cooking or figuring out whilst you take up all that data.
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Tasker
For those who hate repetitive duties then Tasker is the app you want. Tasker enables you to automate all these fiddly duties that you just’d in any other case both overlook to do your self or lose valuable seconds of your day caring for. Capabilities vary from the actually mundane duties, all the best way as much as essential issues that you could’t afford not doing.
There are greater than 350 actions out there, which might work mechanically or by way of another handbook set off. These triggers embrace customized app-style shortcuts, fast settings tiles, widgets, tapping the correct mixture of buttons and so forth. It is all customizable to fit your wants, and the way you need these duties to be accomplished. There’s even an choice to remotely set off duties from a completely totally different machine if you’d like it.
The probabilities are seemingly countless, and that is going to make your Android life considerably simpler than you thought.
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1Password
Google has its personal password supervisor, nevertheless it is not what I might name handy. Auto-fill means it could actually work wonders, however when that fails, the job of accessing or modifying your passwords is a ache. So it pays to have one of many best password managers in your cellphone — our present favourite is 1Password.
You’ll need a subscription to get probably the most out of 1Password, nevertheless it’s value it to maintain all of your accounts safe. By producing safe passwords within the app and saving them for later, you are not going to be tempted to make use of the identical password for every little thing — which might permit one single knowledge breach to compromise your total setup.
1Password enables you to retailer passwords throughout a number of gadgets, and provides help for 2FA codes and passkeys. Higher nonetheless, it could actually do all of the login give you the results you want, so you do not have to fret about typing or copying in these lengthy, advanced passwords.
OtterAI
This advice comes with a caveats: You probably have a Google Pixel or a Samsung cellphone with Galaxy AI, you most likely will not want OtterAI. As a result of Google and Samsung have their very own AI-assisted transcription apps, which work fairly properly on their very own — and with out limits. (Here is how the transcription feature in Google’s Recorder app compares to the iPhone’s, by the way.
However on different Android gadgets, OtterAI generally is a very useful gizmo. The AI assistant within the app can transcribe what it hears, making it good for interviews, conferences and different conditions the place you may need a written file of every little thing that goes on. OtterAI may take notes, seize slides and summarize every little thing that goes on for simple entry afterward. Plus it may be set as much as wok mechanically with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Groups.
Simply bear in mind that there is a restrict to what you are able to do on the free model. You are solely allowed 300 minutes of transcription a month; you are additionally restricted to 30 minute conversations. Something extra and you will have to begin paying for OtterAI.
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Nova Launcher
One of many nice advantages of Android is the quantity of freedom you might have — and that is most obvious with launcher help. Say you do not just like the software program or interface that the cellphone maker put in in your handset. Nicely, you do not have to stay with it; you’ll be able to merely set up one of many best Android launchers and bypass that interface fully.
Our present favourite Android launcher is Nova, and it’s the one I’ve picked when the inventory Pixel launcher has been getting on my nerves. Whereas many launchers supply nice designs and options, the factor I like about Nova is the quantity of freedom it offers you to customise your cellphone and switch it into one thing you want — all whereas promising to chop out the fluff and no drain your efficiency like some launchers have been identified to do.
Whether or not you are searching for new colours, backups, totally different grid layouts or the choice to alter icons and textual content as you see match, Nova has all of it. The paid-for Prime model even provides gesture management, totally different teams within the app drawer and the power to cover apps.
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DuckDuckGo Personal Browser
If you wish to stop Google or the myriad of internet sites you go to from snooping on what you are doing, you may wish to begin utilizing the DuckDuckGo browser.
The emphasis right here is on privateness, enabling encrypted searching by default, blocking monitoring cookies and making certain you are not leaking your location by chance. Search mechanically defaults to DuckDuckGo for a similar motive, and there is a nuclear choice for anybody that desires to make sure they have not let one thing nasty slip by way of — clearing all searching knowledge with a single faucet.
DuckDuckGo’s browser may generate burner e-mail accounts, block monitoring cookies in emails and assist defend your privateness in different apps. Android might not have the identical emphasis on privateness as iOS, however you’ll be able to declare a few of it again with DuckDuckGo.
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Pushbullet
Android would not have fairly the identical desktop compatibility as iPhones and Macs supply, however there are apps that may additional cement these hyperlinks a little bit higher. One in all my long-time favorites is Pushbullet, due to how a lot simpler it makes sharing between Android and Home windows — even in case you’re not inside Bluetooth vary.
The first purpose of Pushbullet is to ship and obtain textual content messages out of your desktop — letting you kind on a full keyboard somewhat than a touchscreen. Pushbullet can be capable of beam notifications to your desktop, and it may be used to share recordsdata and hyperlinks on the push of a button. Google’s QuickShare is nice for large teams of recordsdata, however in case you’re solely sending one or two issues then Pushbullet quickens the method significantly.
It is all end-to-end encrypted too, so that you should not want to fret about recordsdata or hyperlinks getting intercepted alongside the best way.
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