These are the apps I need to make a device do what
I want it to do -- and they might just work wonders for you, too.
We spend
a lot of time talking about Lollipop and OS-level issues with Android -- but you know
what's just as important as the operating system on your phone or tablet? The
apps that surround it.
The right
apps can make your device easier and more enjoyable to use. They can give it
powers you didn't know were possible. They can make it feel like your own
custom-tailored gadget -- whether you've been using it for two minutes or for
two years.
As
someone who spends an absurd amount of hours staring at Android phones and
tablets, I've given a lot of thought to what apps matter the most to me.
There's the stuff I keep around and use once in a while, sure, but what are the
essential apps I need to feel like a device is mine -- and to make it do
what I need it to do? If I could install only a dozen apps on a device, which
apps would I choose?
I had to
cheat a little and give myself a baker's dozen -- hey, a geek's gotta eat --
but after much contemplation, these are the Android apps I can't live without.
(Note
that for the purposes of this story, I'm focusing on apps you actually have to
download and install onto a device. I'm not including core Google services like
Gmail, Google+, and Drive, all of which are certainly essential to me but come
preinstalled on most Android phones and tablets.)
Google's
stock Android keyboard has gotten much better over the years, but I don't feel
at home in a device until I have SwiftKey in place. Why? Simple: SwiftKey has
the best layout, design, and functionality for my needs. Its next-word
prediction knows me almost too well, and its swipe-to-type capability
works wonderfully when I want it.
SwiftKey
excels in layout and functionality (left) and offers a large selection of
themes (right)
I like
using the app with the Lollipop-esque Material Light theme (99 cents via in-app
purchase) and with the long-press duration (under the "Advanced"
section of SwiftKey's settings) set to 200, which makes it faster and more
fluid to hit secondary keys like numbers and special characters.
(Free
with optional in-app theme purchases)
I've been
using the new Action Launcher 3 home screen replacement app
for nearly two months now, and I can't imagine giving it up anytime soon.
Action Launcher has a Material Design-inspired motif and offers some neat
features that make it stand out from most run-of-the-mill Android launchers -- like the ability to keep
widgets available on demand without having them take up any permanent space on
your home screen.
Other
nice touches include a streamlined sliding app drawer and an instant-theming
option that can automatically style your entire home screen to match your
wallpaper (something that works astonishingly well with Muzei).
Action
Launcher automatically themes your entire home screen to match your wallpaper
(left) and allows you to call up widgets on demand (right)
Action
Launcher 3 has given my personal setup a fresh and modern makeover and made it
more efficient than ever. It's become a core part of what makes a phone or
tablet feel like my own.
(Free
with $5 in-app upgrade to unlock all features)
3. Link Bubble
I've said
before that this app will change the way you use your phone,
and I wasn't kidding: Once you get used to having Link Bubble around, you'll wonder
how you ever lived without it.
In short,
Link Bubble acts as a companion to your regular mobile browser by intelligently
handling all the links you open from within other apps. So instead of being
taken out of an app and into your browser when you tap a link in something like
Twitter or Google+, Link Bubble opens the link in a floating bubble on the side
of your screen. You can then tap the bubble whenever you're ready to read the
content, and the pages appear in overlay windows on top of whatever else you're
doing.
Link
Bubble makes opening links from apps (left) and then reading what you've opened
(right) less disruptive
No
waiting, no interrupted work flow, and no wasted time. Link Bubble is always
one of the very first apps I install on a new phone or tablet -- and there's
good reason why.
(Free
with $4 "pro" upgrade to unlock all
features)
4. Google Voice
This one
isn't exciting -- and in fact, it isn't even anything I actively use once it's
installed -- but it's as much a necessity for me as an app could possibly be.
Google's Google Voice app allows me to route my calls from my Google Voice
number to any phone I'm using. As a guy who frequently moves from one device to
another, that type of freedom and flexibility is invaluable.
While
most of Voice's functionality has now been shifted into Hangouts -- which is
where I actually send and receive texts, receive voicemails, and sometimes make
VoIP-style calls from my Google Voice number -- the GV app itself is still
needed in order for the phone-forwarding process to work. It's something I set
up once then promptly forget is there.
(Free)
5. FeedlyReader
I read a
ton of tech news and rely on Feedly to keep up with the many sites I follow.
But while Feedly's Web interface is suitable enough, the company's own Android
app has always left me wanting more.
A
third-party app called FeedlyReader fills that void with style and grace. With
a clean and attractive Material Design vibe and an impressive array of features
-- like configurable left- and right-swipe actions within the story list and
tons of opportunities for customization -- FeedlyReader has almost everything
I've ever wanted in an mobile RSS client.
FeedlyReader
brings modern Android design and plenty of functionality into the Feedly news-reading
world
It's the
first reader app I've actually enjoyed using instead of merely settling
to accept.
(Free)
6. Pocket
As part
of my voracious news-reading and social media-surfing habit, I encounter a lot
of interesting content. More, in fact, than I usually have time to read in a
typical day.
That's
why Pocket is an absolute must-have in my Android app arsenal. Anytime I come
across an article I want to read later -- whether it's in Chrome, Twitter,
Google+, FeedlyReader, Google News & Weather, or anywhere else -- I just
shoot it over to Pocket using Android's excellent system-wide sharing function.
I barely
even have to stop what I'm doing, and the story is saved and ready for me to
savor whenever I have the time -- from any device, anywhere, whether I'm online
or off. Doesn't get much better than that.
(Free)
Twitter's
a big part of my day-to-day routine, but the company's official Android app isn't
exactly awe-inspiring. So now that all of my primary personal devices are
running Lollipop, I've moved to Talon for Twitter (Plus) for all of my
tweet-related needs. The app has a clean and minimalist Material Design theme
that's a pleasure to use, and it does everything I want from a Twitter client
without all the silliness the official Twitter app requires.
Talon for
Twitter (Plus) is a Lollipop-level Twitter client that puts Twitter's official
app to shame
Tweeting
without compromise. Gotta love it.
($4,
available for Android 5.0+ only)
8. Authy
If you
aren't yet using two-factor authentication for your Google account -- and any
other account that allows it -- you should be. It's a simple way to protect your
valuable (and often invaluable) data from hackers, and it doesn't take much
extra effort on your behalf.
After
much research and deliberation, I switched from Google's official Authenticator
app to Authy late last year. It does the same basic thing as Google's app, with
the same standard of security -- only in a far superior package with a more
modern and user-friendly design and some useful extra features (including some powerful options for multidevice synchronization).
I
couldn't get by without it.
(Free)
9. Android Wear
The
official Android Wear app isn't the most electrifying thing in and of itself,
but if you use an Android Wear smartwatch -- which I do -- it's a must-have in order
for your watch to stay paired and connected. 'Nuff said.
(Free)
10. Pushbullet
It took
me a while to get on-board with the Pushbullet train, but nowadays, it's one of the most useful apps on my devices and one
I rely upon daily. Pushbullet is all about creating an open connection between
your various computers and mobile devices -- your phone, your tablet, and even
your laptop or desktop PC (by way of its companion
browser extensions or Windows/Mac apps).
For me,
Pushbullet's value lies in two main areas. First is its universal copy-and-paste feature: With the app
installed on your phone or tablet and on your PC, it's as if all of the devices
share a single linked clipboard. You can highlight text on your computer, hit
Ctrl-C, then pick up your Android phone or tablet and instantly paste the text
anywhere. You can do it the other way, too -- highlighting text on your Android
device, copying it, then hitting Ctrl-V on your computer to paste it on that
end. It's almost eerie how well it works and how native it feels.
Pushbullet
gives you a universal clipboard across multiple devices (left) and lets you
wirelessly beam links, images, and files between phones, tablets, and PCs
(right)
The
second feature I've come to love is Pushbullet's ability to "push"
content wirelessly between two devices, regardless of their physical proximity.
It's awesome when I need to quickly zap an image or file from my phone to my
computer, but it comes in handy in simpler ways as well -- like when I come
across a news article, Web page, or Amazon listing that I want to look at after
work. I just push it from my computer to my tablet, where it'll be waiting for
me at the end of the day. Or when I'm looking at something on my phone or
tablet and want to show it to my wife -- so I push it wirelessly to her tablet,
where it appears as a notification for her (since we've opted to link our
accounts in that way).
Pushbullet
is full of power, and it's become a real must-have on any device I'm using.
(Free)
11. Pandora
It may be
the "old-school" music-streaming solution, but you know what? After
years of careful honing, Pandora knows exactly what sort of music I want to
hear when I'm in the mood for variety. It's my go-to app when I'm working out
or working around the house, and rarely a day goes by without it being opened
on one of my devices.
(Free
with optional $5/mo.
subscription for ad-free listening)
12. Netflix
We use
Google's Chromecast to watch lots of
Internet-streamed content -- which means any Android device around the house
can serve as the remote. All it needs is the official Netflix app on it, and
it's good to go. What more can I say?
(Free
with $8/mo. Netflix
subscription)
13. Screebl
One of
the most annoying parts of using a phone or tablet is having the screen time
out and shut off while you're still looking at something (but not actively
touching the display). A simple little app called Screebl makes that
inconvenience a thing of the past.
All you
do is activate Screebl on your Android device, and it keeps your screen on anytime you're holding it
and shuts it off whenever you put it down. It uses your device's sensors to
detect activity, and it works consistently well -- even in dim environments,
where light-requiring features like Motorola's "Attentive Display"
often falter.
Screebl
seems to have issues with a handful of phones and tablets, but it's a tough one
to give up once you've seen how much it can improve your mobile experience (not
to mention your battery life).
(Free
with optional $2 upgrade for extra features and no ads)
The lucky 13
So there
you have it: the 13 Android apps I can't live without. Hopefully some of them
will serve you as well as they've served me.
And rest
assured: This list will evolve over time. That's the beauty of Android: Nothing
stays stagnant for long, and there's always something new and interesting right
around the corner -- just waiting to win you over.
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