Among the million-plus apps in Google Play are these 10 essentials you simply cannot do without.
This is just the tip of the Android iceberg. There are many more excellent apps at play store. Do you have different suggestions about the 10 most critical Android apps for everything from entertainment to information to productivity and more? Let us know in the comments. We update this list periodically and your suggestion might make it into the next update.
1. Comixology Comics
Free
Getting to the few remaining comic book stores in America is a huge hassle, as is storing all of your bagged-and-boarded treasures. Comics, the excellent app from digital comics ground breaker Comixology, is the solution to serving both as a storefront and long box. You can browse the seemingly endless lists of titles and then buy new books with a tap. It’s wonderfully easy! Depending on the state of your wallet, it may even be a bit too easy. The Comixology Unlimited feature gives all-you-can-read access for $5.99 a month if you’re keen for a taster’s menu of comics.
2. Evernote
Free, plans begin at $34.99 per month
Evernote is your list keeper, note taker, voice recorder, to-do manager, webpage clipper, and all-around digital multi-tool. It’s overwhelming at first, but you’ll quickly find a vast number of ways to put it to good use. Our favorite feature is optical character recognition (OCR), which makes text in photos searchable. Next time someone hands you a business card, just snap a picture, and Evernote will capture all the critical information and make it searchable from all of your devices and computers and accessible on the web.
3. Facebook Messenger
Free
The trouble with most messaging platforms is that they require you to enlist your friends to join, too. Not so with Facebook Messenger, because most of the living (and even the recently deceased) population already has a Facebook account. Facebook Messenger is loaded with bells and whistles, notably a huge library of stickers, video and voice calling, SMS messaging, and even the option to send payments to friends. It’s also surprisingly privacy-conscious; you don’t need an account to use the app, entering a phone number is optional, and you can send secret messages that use end-to-end encryption so neither the FBI nor Facebook can read them.
4. Google Drive
Free, with additional costs for increased storage
Google Drive isn’t just a cloud storage service. In addition to syncing and storing your files, it also includes a powerful mobile office suite, so you can create and edit files from your phone. Drive can even store your files locally, for offline viewing and editing. It might not replace your desktop office utilities, but it comes surprisingly close. It also makes it easy to collaborate on and share documents with other people, regardless of platform.
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5. LastPass
Free
Humans are bad at creating passwords, and we’re bad at remembering things. Thankfully, there are password managers like LastPass. A password manager generates a unique, complex password for each site or app that requires one. When you need to log in, LastPass fills in the correct information for you. LastPass also securely stores your personal information so you can quickly fill out those tedious forms when you’re signing up for a service. It includes a way to safely share passwords with other people, even after you’ve departed this mortal realm. A new pricing structure lets you create an account and sync passwords between all your devices—mobile or otherwise—for free.
6. Netflix
Free, plans begin at $7.99 per month
When it comes to mobile video streaming, Netflix is hard to beat. It boasts a massive (if unstable) library of TV shows and movies and top-notch features like offline viewing and 4K streaming. Netflix is also leading the way among streaming services by producing critically acclaimed original programming like Luke Cage, The Crown, Narcos, The OA, and Stranger Things, to name a few. It even offers a decent selection of streaming anime titles. Netflix is no longer just about killing time; it’s about keeping up with the conversation about the latest hit shows.
7. NordVPN
Free, plans begin at $3.29 per month
Google and mobile antivirus companies have done a great job of keeping Android (mostly) free of dangerous malware. But when you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, it’s possible that nefarious individuals could be intercepting all of your information. That’s why virtual private networks are so important, and NordVPN is among the best. Other fun tricks you can do with a VPN? Hiding your IP address from advertisers and accessing region-locked content.
8. Pocket Casts
$3.99
Podcasts are a great way to catch up with the news, learn more about a certain topic, or listen to entertaining stories. The sleek and highly customizable Pocket Casts is the perfect companion for chilling out with an episode of your favorite show. The app can also sync your audio across different devices, so that you can pick up where you left off. It’s never a bad time to get hooked on a podcast.
9. Snapseed
Free
Google-owned Snapseed straddles the line between full-fledged image editor and filter app, all in a sleek and attractive package. Best of all is the amount of control it gives you over how filters and effects are applied to your images. It even lets you make nondestructive edits to RAW files and fine-tuned adjustments to exposure and detail levels. For creative mobile photographers, it’s an excellent option.
Also Read : 10 Apps That Make You Money.
10. Swiftkey
Free with in-app purchase
SwiftKey Keyboard is one of the most powerful and customizable third-party keyboards available. It hit the market several years ago with a predictive engine unlike anything any other keyboard had and the app has grown a lot of over the years. It’s a free download and you can purchase themes for it if you want to. Other features include a dedicated number row, SwiftKey Flow which allows for gesture typing, multiple language support, cross-device syncing of your library and much more. It’s about as good as it gets in the keyboard space. It’s true that Microsoft now owns SwiftKey, but so far they have managed not to mess it up. Gboard, Google’s keyboard app, is also exceptionally good and is an excruciatingly close second place here.