The idea that certain apps are “must haves” or “essentials” for your Android phone is subjective, especially with millions of people to review and choose from.
Maybe a a new Android smartphone or were lucky enough to receive one as a gift during the holidays. Getting the most out of your all-important daily companion is one we hope to help you with as much as possible with some of our personal favorites.
Even if you’re new to Android, you’ll find an essential app to add to your everyday arsenal. We’ve tried to keep things simple, but some are for those who know more than the basics and want some apps to help them get more out of their smartphone. It’s also worth noting that all of the apps we’ve collected are free, but may contain certain in-app purchases to unlock more features or functionality – we’ve noted this when applicable.
Seal
Seal is a sleek, minimalist downloader that’s perfect for anyone who likes to share content from social media. It easily handles links from platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and allows you to download videos and clips in various formats and qualities. Customizable settings and support for playlists and subtitles make it perfect for capturing content for later viewing; Seal offers a seamless and flexible charging experience. For meme sharers, this is truly an essential Android app to add to your phone or tablet.
While it’s important to use such tools responsibly and within legal boundaries, Seal provides a convenient way to enjoy your favorite content offline. Although you need an external video player to view downloaded files, Seal’s simplicity and efficiency make it one of the best programs of its kind.
To make sure you have the latest version and support the project, consider downloading Seal from the official Github page or F-Droid instead of the Play Store.
Zerocam
I can’t help but love Zerocam, which has become my favorite app on Android by a wide margin. Changing this camera favors zero image processing. Yes, it actively removes any excessive HDR, sharpening and toning effects to create images that don’t look over-processed.
The application is super simple. Basically, it’s just a viewfinder that lets you switch between 1x and 2x and hit the big shutter button. Images are also saved in JPG format without RAW export. You can try it for free, but there is a limit of 5 photos per day. If you slow down and take pictures with a purpose rather than pointing at everything around you, that would be fine for most people. However, I can totally understand the frustration with the $9.99 annual subscription.
Unprocess is a free open source alternative that you can get if you hate the idea of paying for these features. The APK file is available for side downloadbut there is less control for Zerocam. If you want to put the finishing touches on your own images, you can save the files as RAW images. More information about Unprocess can be found here.
Openvibe
The transition from Twitter to Bluesky, Threads, Nostr and Mastodon has not been seamless for most people. Openvibe at least collects your new social hubs in one app and even lets you post to any of four at the same time for consistency across these networks.
This is a great free app that allows you to live on multiple social networks at the same time and is essential for anyone who uses more than one of these platforms on Android. Right now, it’s still not perfect with Threads, but it will get better as Meta opens up and allows more third-party apps to access the service. Also the notifications aren’t available yet, but I’m told they’ll be coming soon. This can be the best social hub on your mobile phone.
Yarn
Twine is a great RSS app that’s completely free and a simple way to add your favorite news feeds in one convenient place. If you don’t like the regular Google News feed, you can consolidate your preferred news feeds into one place for easy access. You can even use groups if you want for custom tailored feeds.
The animations are subtle, and while I prefer the simple graphics, it can be useful for juggling multiple feeds on your phone or tablet. For those wondering, yes, you can import an OPML file to include your existing RSS collections. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it just cleans the wheels.
AI Screenshot Finder
Pixel Screenshots is limited to Google phones, but AI Screenshot Finder recreates the feature for anyone with an Android phone. It’s a carbon copy with the ability to search your screenshots, add to collections, and do practically everything a Google phone can do.
All screenshots are processed locally on your device, but once a text summary is created, it is sent to cloud AI systems for further processing. The team behind the app says it’s not saved, but I’d err on the side of caution either way, and avoid screenshotting personal data whenever possible. That concern aside, it’s great for those who want a piece of Pixel Screenshot on their phone — as long as it’s running Android 11 or higher.
Chest
As a once avid Pocket user, it’s still a nightmare to collect and manage links, news and other stuff I want to check later. Apps like Crate are perfect for keeping things in a neat place so I can come back to a recipe, video, or post when I have some free time.
Like almost every app out there, it has artificial intelligence that can help you keep content in “bins,” saving you more time searching for relevant stuff. It’s actually better than some other comparable services, but the basic experience of keeping links together with custom sections is pretty cool. I personally use it for recipe inspiration and to collect YouTube videos I want to watch later – because it’s not that easy to manage a ‘Watch Later’ playlist on YouTube.
There’s a home feed that lets you see popular content, which is great for discovering more of your favorite stuff.
Sponge
Managing files on your device is hard enough at the best of times, but apps like Sponge actually make it fun. I’d love it for Tinder; but only for your photos and files. Simply swipe left or right to delete or tag content for later removal.
What makes it even better than browsing through the Files app is that the content is categorized by the month it was downloaded, downloaded, or stored on your phone. Just select a month and you can start scrolling to clear the clutter. There’s a premium tier, but it’s a one-time $6 fee that adds support for cleaning custom files like videos.
I’m not sure how often you need to convert kilometers to miles or calculate the area of a circle, but even on rare occasions, Tooly is a lovely toolbox with lots of neat tools to make things easier. There are some main categories including Text, Image, Calculation, Uniform Transformation, Development, Color, Randomize, Generate and General. In fact, it has many important tools packed into one Android app.
A lot of bases are covered here, and it would take too long to list everything you can do, but it’s so convenient to have it all in your pocket rather than relying on Google Search. The conversion tools are great on their own, as are the text formatting tools. This can be especially helpful for students, but it’s also great for others.
What are your “must have” Android apps?
Are there apps you just can’t live without? Or do you have a favorite that you think more people should know about? Let us know in the comment section below.
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