Last updated on June 24th, 2020
Let’s face it — there’s a huge pile of articles online listing out various kinds of the best Android apps (just like I covered the best open-source Android keyboards).
But, here, in this article, I’m interested to talk about my favorite Android apps that I use on a daily basis. If you’re looking to get more productive and make the most out of your smartphone, you might find this list useful.
Useful Apps That You Should Have
11.1.1.1
Did you know that you can keep all your browsing activity private and unblock access to the sites blocked by your ISP without using a VPN? Well, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 app does a fine job with that.
It is technically a VPN app on Android — but it only makes your browsing activity private from your ISP and unblocks restricted sites. It does not hide your IP address or location from the services you use or the websites you browse.
It may not be a perfect replacement to a VPN like ProtonVPN or VyprVPN, but it prevents your ISP from tracking you. In addition to that, it also improves your browsing experience by choosing the best route to reach a website ruling out any Internet traffic congestion.
It’s free to use — but if you want to make the most of it, the premium costs just 69 INR per month.
2Simplenote
Were you looking for a no-nonsense note-taking app for your Android smartphone? Well, this is it. Simplenote is a dead-simple note app with the ability to add to-do lists with no additional premium subscription needed. This may not be the most popular app at the Play Store but it’s clearly the best one if you need a free minimal
Fret not, the company behind this service is also responsible for “WordPress.com” which is one of the most popular blogging platform out there. So, it’s here to stay forever. And, the best part is – it is available cross-platform (Linux, macOS, and Windows) if you need to sync between your smartphone and your desktop.
3Evernote
An alternative to Simplenote – but with more features. So, if you need the ability to scan documents and add notes/tasks at once, this is for you. I’ve also listed it as one of the best camscanner alternatives available.
4SD Maid Pro
SD Maid is originally a free app available to help clean up unused files, residual files and optimize the database. I’d recommend you to upgrade it to the pro version to utilize additional features as well.
Unlike other cleaning apps, it does what it claims and I’ll prefer using this over other “RAM booster” / “Performance boost” apps that add more bloat than clean up your device.
5Authy
Stop using Google Authenticator. I repeat, stop using that! You can’t sync your codes to multiple devices nor can you back them up (or restore). So, if you lose access to your device or the app, your 2FA codes are lost forever. Of course, you might have emergency backup 2FA codes for the websites you’re using. But, what if you don’t?
Authy comes to the rescue as a replacement to the Google Authenticator app with syncing capabilities and backup/restore options using your account. You have to scan the QR code to set up Authy – just like you did for Google Authenticator. It will work for every site that Google Authenticator supports (because it’s technically the same thing).
6Backdrops
A lot of wallpaper apps to explore. However, I’ve been sticking to this app for years now. You can download wallpapers for free and choose to opt for premium exclusive wallpapers as well. Do check it out!
7Slack
Slack is one of the finest team collaboration/communication app available for work. I used it utilize it for communications with the team members of other publications where I work at. If your workplace isn’t utilizing Slack, encourage them to. It makes things so much easy!
8Rocket.Chat
If you’re not a fan of proprietary options like Rocket.Chat, you might find Rocket.Chat to be an amazing alternative that you can also self-host on your own server.
I’ve been using Rocket.Chat to communicate for a while now, it’s super fast and easy to use.
9Telegram
Telegram is a superior alternative to WhatsApp. Period. It even offers a standalone desktop application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. So, along with the solid features/security of the messenger, it’s easy to keep them synced across multiple devices.
10Snapspeed
Want to tweak your images? Snapseed is one of the best solutions to do that. Yes, you will find a whole bunch of image editing apps but the performance/output you’ll get with Snapspeed is impressive. If you’re already using it, you can’t go back. But, if you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest you to give it a try!
11Nova Launcher
Even though the stock launchers have improved over time, I still rely on the good old Nova launcher. In addition to all the basic features of a launcher, it offers a unique level of customization and user experience. If you’re not a fan of Nova Launcher, you can also try Action Launcher.
12Discord
Discord is the best way to communicate in-game. Unlike Slack, it isn’t really suitable for work – but if you have a community to talk to, you can choose Discord servers to do that. Whether you’re a PC gamer or a mobile gamer – you will always find it handy to keep this installed.
13Bitwarden
Bitwarden is a highly secure and open-source password manager. It is completely free to use — however, you can choose to pay a premium to get priority support and some additional features.
I’ve been using it for a while and have upgraded to the premium version as well.
Wrapping Up
These are my go-to applications on my smartphone (excluding the stock apps from Google, of course).
What do you often use? Do we have something in common? If not, let me know what are your favorites in the comments down below!