In February, we here at Android.AppStorm put together our best tips, tricks, features, and shortcuts. This month, we’ve gathered our favorite apps – the ones we use all the time, and that we’d recommend to our friends.
There’s a bit of overlap, naturally – between us, we use four or five different Twitter apps! We’ve skipped all the stock apps, however; we’re not giving out awards for great design, we’re trying to recommend apps that you might not already be aware of. By the same token, I doubt we need to tell you about the official apps for Facebook or Twitter; if you’re already a user, you know about the app, and if you’re not a user, the apps are unlikely to convince you to become one.
So here are 100 apps that, between us, we recommend trying out. Enjoy!
Alternatives to the Obvious
QuickPic
Easily the fastest image gallery app with all the essential features you need, including slideshows, sorting and batch operations. Looks great too.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: QuickPic
Developer: alensw.com
Opera Mobile web browser
I use this on an hourly basis; the low data consumption and the sync’ed tabs over several installations of Opera on iOS, Symbian, desktop, and so on, make this a must-have browser.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Opera Mobile web browser
Developer: Opera Software ASA
Dolphin Browser® HD
Dolphin is a great alternative browser, especially if you can’t get Chrome yet; it has tabbed browsing, downloadable add-ons for extra features and gesture controls for common tasks like adding bookmarks.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Dolphin Browser® HD
Developer: Dolphin Browser
Full review: Swim the Web with Dolphin Browser
Business Calendar
A fantastic calendar replacement for Google Calendar, with a better interface, more options, and the ability to sync with the regular Google data.Price: $4.99
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Business Calendar
Developer: Appgenix Software
Gentle Alarm
Great alarm clock, very customisable, with killer features of pre-alarms and puzzles (mathematical or otherwise) you have to solve to turn it off.Price: $2.61
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Gentle Alarm
Developer: mobitobi
twicca
Simple, beautiful, minimalist Twitter client that’s perfect for single-account users. Has a great color labeling feature to organize tweets in your timeline.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: twicca
Developer: Tetsuya Aoyama
TweetCaster for Twitter
For regular and advanced Twitter users, TweetCaster is as good as it gets. For beginners, the app might be confusing and overwhelming at first, but it’s a great way to understand how Twitter works. With time and constant usage, TweetCaster can make any Twitter newbie tweet like a pro.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: TweetCaster for Twitter
Developer: OneLouder Apps
Full review: The New and Improved TweetCaster
Plume for Twitter
Plume will keep even the most avid of Twitter users satisfied with its wide range of features and ease of use. Its fluid, well-designed interface makes it a definite contender to all the Twitter clients out there on the Play Store and for the small price you have to pay for this app, everything marries up perfectly into one neat, cheap package.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Plume for Twitter
Developer: LevelUp Studio
Full review: Plume: More Than Just Another Twitter Client?
Seesmic Pro
Seesmic is a very clever way of managing all your social networks (except Google+) from one place and combines a wealth of features in a clean and well-designed interface. It is, in my opinion, one of the best Twitter clients you can get for Android owing to an uncluttered design and nifty, intuitive features.Price: $2.99
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Seesmic Pro
Developer: Seesmic
Featured in: Seesmic: One Client to Rule Them All
Tinfoil for Facebook
This is just the Facebook mobile website, wrapped in a secure browser to protect your privacy and stop Facebook tracking your browsing habits on mobile. And yet, it’s faster and more stable than the official app. Go figure. Okay, it doesn’t have notifications or the ability to upload photos, but I found that the official app’s notifications didn’t work half the time, and the developer says he’s working on photo uploads.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Tinfoil for Facebook
Developer: Daniel Velazco
MiLocker
Allows you to replace your default lock screen with any of a large range of custom screens. Supports included wallpapers and lets you choose your own. The available lock screens range from simple to animated to informative (unread message/missed call count, weather, and the like) to fun!Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: MiLocker
Developer: MIUI
GO Launcher EX
With the best theme support out there, more features than any other launcher, excellent widgets and an insanely active development team, it is hard to recommend any other launcher at this time.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: GO Launcher EX
Developer: GO Launcher Dev Team
File Expert
By far the best file manager available for Android. Every option you’d expect from a file browser is available, PLUS the wonderful sharing of a folder over HTTP so you can access your phone from a browser.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: File Expert
Developer: Geek Software Technology Inc.
Dropsync
Though the Pro version does cost a fair chunk (especially compared to the official Dropbox app, which is free) Dropsync is worth it even for just one killer feature: two-way sync.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: Dropsync
Developer: ttxapps
Full review: Dropsync: Keep Dropbox Synchronized
GO SMS Pro
A superb free feature-packed replacement for your stock SMS app. Highly customizable and even comes with a great home screen widget.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: GO SMS Pro
Developer: GO Dev Team
GO Contacts EX
GO have added a few nifty features to their contacts app that the stock 2.x app is missing. The key features for me are T9 dialing (563 will find “JOE”) and the fast contact search.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: GO Contacts EX
Developer: GO Dev Team
Featured in: Android Apps With Staying Power
Amazon AppStore
An alternative to the Google Play Store, with a free app every day (many of which are not great, granted, but there’s the occasional gem) and a few exclusive apps.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above (2.2 if on AT&T)
Website link: Amazon AppStore
Developer: Amazon
Featured in: Several articles
I Have a Computer, and a Phone
Google Chrome to Phone
Incredibly useful webpage pushing to Android devices that becomes super convenient if you’re about to, say, leave your desk but want to take that bit of content with you.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Google Chrome to Phone
Developer: Google Inc.
Wondershare MobileGo
I recommend this application to any Android and Windows user. It is the perfect computer-phone interface and the diversity of the features offered – including full backup of all messages, contacts, and apps at once – means that there is bound to be something in the application you will find useful.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: Wondershare MobileGo
Developer: Wondershare Software
Featured in: MobileGo
Handy Utilities
Andmade Share
Kind of a one-trick pony, but it’s a good trick. Andmade allows you to select (by ticking boxes) which apps you want to use to share something from your phone, then lets you share using each app in turn. So suppose you want to share a photo and you choose to do so with Andmade Share (instead of the Android system); you can tick services like Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox, and so on (just like the stock Share menu) and then share on each. When you finish sharing on Facebook, it’ll open up Twitter so you can share the image, and then Dropbox, and anything else you picked.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Andmade Share
Developer: Andmade Software
Clipper Plus
Advanced clipboard. Stores the last 20 things you copied, and lets you promote any of them to a “snippet” which is permanently available. I find it particularly useful for storing login names and emails.Price: $1.99
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Clipper Plus
Developer: rojekti
AirDroid
Manage your phone from your browser for free – access your messages, files, music, photos and clipboard with ease. Turns any browser into an OS-worthy GUI for your phone.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: AirDroid
Developer: SAND STUDIO
Setting Profiles Full
A no frills app for scheduling profiles on Android, with several triggers (location, time,…) and several changes (connectivity, brightness…) The amazing aspect is the drop-down notification bar function that puts manual changes a click away.Price: $3.99
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: Setting Profiles Full
Developer: probeez
Titanium Backup ★ root
Used to back up apps and data either because of flashing different ROMs or just because you just like to have it all backed up. Very practical for the avid flasher and great to keep all that game data and your settings.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.0 or above
Google Play link: Titanium Backup ★ root
Developer: Titanium Track
ZDbox (All-In-One toolbox)
A great system utility that manages your battery, mobile data, moving applications from phone memory to the SD card, system cache and various histories and last but not least a task manager. It also has widgets that provide various toggles and switches.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: ZDbox (All-In-One toolbox)
Developer: ZDworks Co.,Ltd.
Onavo
Another utility that specializes in keeping track of your mobile data traffic and suggest whether you need to upgrade or even downgrade your data plan. It also alerts you if an application is “hogging” your bandwidth.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Onavo
Developer: Onavo
AndroZip File Manager
More than just a file manager, it supports ZIP and RAR files.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: AndroZip File Manager
Developer: AgileSoft Resource
QuickDesk
This is like a greatly enhanced version of Android’s built-in app switcher. It essentially gives you an extra home screen that can be instantly accessed by double-tapping Home; this screen includes links to your last 16 apps, plus you can add any other icons and widgets that you like.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: QuickDesk
Developer: Faruq Rasid
Full review: QuickDesk Revolutionizes Multitasking
WiFi File Explorer
Okay, it’s not as cool as Airplay (and more expensive if you want to upload files), but WiFi File Explorer is still a very useful app. The premise is simple: connect your phone and your PC to the same Wi-Fi network, run the app on the phone, then load a certain URL on your PC’s browser, and you’ll be able to access all your phone’s files remotely.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: WiFi File Explorer
Developer: dooblou
Full review: Access Your Phone’s Files Without Cables!
Screenshot ER PRO
Until I got a phone with built-in screenshot capabilities, this was my favourite choice. You can make it take a screenshot automatically based on a long-press of the search button (my choice), a shake, a notification icon, a delay, or a home screen shortcut. It has every extra feature I would ever want from a screenshot app, and most importantly it is reliable.Price: $2.99
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Screenshot ER PRO
Developer: Fahrbot Mobile
Vlingo Virtual Assistant
Vlingo isn’t exactly like Siri – it’s not designed to be – but it’s useful and pretty fun to boot. Double-tap the Home button (or say the key phrase you’ve assigned, in car mode) and it’ll let you issue specific commands like “check schedule” or “play artist: rick astley”.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Vlingo Virtual Assistant
Developer: Vlingo
Full review: Vlingo: Control Android via Voice Commands
Status Bar Expander
If you have a huge phone (or small hands), you’ll appreciate this: it’s an icon you can place on your home screen to automatically pull down the status bar. If you have a phone that fits your hands perfectly, just skip this.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Status Bar Expander
Developer: friedflow
Tiny Flashlight + LED
There are a few torch apps on Google Play, but this is my top choice. It has all the fancy features like strobing and sound effects, but more importantly it gets the basics right: you can make it automatically turn the light on when you load the app. Even better, you can set it to automatically turn on whenever you shake your phone on the lock screen! Very convenient.Price: Free
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Tiny Flashlight + LED
Developer: Nikolay Ananiev
InstaCamera
This app takes a photo as soon as it loads, saves it to its own folder, and closes again. That’s it. So just tap the icon to take a picture, removing all extra steps.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: InstaCamera
Developer: We Make Websites NZ
StopWatch & Timer
Stopwatch & Timer has a few features that seem obvious, even necessary, once you start using it, but that similar apps lack: a landscape view with huge numbers; a setting to force the screen to stay on while the timer’s running; and an icon that stays in the bar at the top of the screen, which actually shows the number of seconds or minutes that have ticked away.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: StopWatch & Timer
Developer: sportstracklive.com
Featured in: Android Apps With Staying Power
SMS Backup +
It feels strange that text messages aren’t automatically backed up to the cloud. This app automatically syncs SMS and MMS data to your Gmail account, and your call log to your Google Calendar, and can retrieve them, too, if you get a new phone or wipe your current one.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: SMS Backup +
Developer: Jan Berkel
Featured in: Android Apps With Staying Power
handyCalc Calculator
This app is the best all-round choice if you need a general-purpose scientific calculator, unit converter, and graph plotter.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: handyCalc Calculator
Developer: mmin
Featured in: 15 Great And Free Unit Converters For Android
TrueCaller
Caller ID for Android. If you get a call from a phone number you don’t have saved in your phonebook, TrueCaller will tell you the person’s name and any other information it can find. Very useful.Price: Free
Website link: TrueCaller.com
Developer: TrueCaller
Tasker
Perhaps the most powerful app on Android, and one that makes it stand apart from other mobile platforms. Tasker essentially lets you program your phone. For example, make your phone automatically switch to silent mode when the GPS detects that you’re in the local cinema. We’ve got a tutorial for Tasker here, but if you want something simpler then try these Tasker alternatives.Price: $6.49
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Tasker
Developer: Crafty Apps
Full review: Automate Your Life and Android with Tasker
Ringdroid
A no-fuss ringtone maker – just open up any audio file from your phone/SD card memory and clip the part you want as your ringtone, set it, and you’re done.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 – 2.3.7
Google Play link: Ringdroid
Developer: Ringdroid Team
Pictures and Photos
Camera ZOOM FX
The best camera app on the market. Lots of features and nice filters too.Price: $2.99
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: Camera ZOOM FX
Developer: androidslide
Pano
The best and easiest-to-use panorama camera app out there. When you take a shot, it shows an overlay of the edge of the previous shot so you can easily line it up for the next one, resulting in high-quality panorama pictures.Price: $3.06
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Pano
Developer: Debacle Software.
Lapse It • Time Lapse • Pro
The best way to take time- apse videos with your Android. It has various filters options and it’s very simple to use.Price: $1.99
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Lapse It • Time Lapse • Pro
Developer: Interactive Universe
Lightbox Photos
Probably the best photo sharing platform on Android. It looks amazing and offers lots of photo-editing features to make your pictures look amazing.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Lightbox Photos
Developer: Lightbox
PicsArt – Photo Studio
PicsArt has a bunch of Photoshop-style features that you’ll want to try out, wrapped in a great user interface. Despite being free, it bundles a lot of features that even some premium apps lack.I can say with confidence that PicsArt is one of the best photo editing tools ever made for smartphones.
Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: PicsArt – Photo Studio
Developer: PicsArt
Full review: PicsArt: A Complete Photo Editing Tool
Sound and Music
PlayerPro Music Player
One of the best music players on the Play Store, and works quite well with iTunes sync’ed libraries as demonstrated in our guide.Price: $4.99
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: PlayerPro Music Player
Developer: BlastOn LLC
Shazam Encore
Can figure out what song is playing by listening to a few seconds of it. Keeps track of previous songs (and stores the snippets of sound for later submission, if you have no connection). It recently added a cool new feature that displays the lyrics in sync with the music, making it a portable karaoke app.Price: $4.99
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Shazam Encore
Developer: Shazam Entertainment Limited
SoundHound ∞
It’s been mentioned a hundred times before, but it bears repeating: simply the best audio recognition app. As well as recognising recorded music, it can deal with whistling and humming, too! (To a certain extent…)Price: $4.99
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: SoundHound ∞
Developer: SoundHound Inc.
PCM Recorder
Records in WAV for clear sound and saves files to your SD card. Quick and easy to use.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: PCM Recorder
Developer: Kohei YASUI
Pocket Casts
By far the best podcast manager on Android. The interface is sleek and very intuitive, podcast discovery is not in your face but very functional (just the way I need it) and the app has never ever missed or messed up with my podcasts yet – something I can’t say about the other apps I’ve used.Price: $2.99
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Pocket Casts
Developer: shiftyjelly
Poweramp Music Player (Trial)
I’ve tried countless Android music players and PowerAmp was the one that delivered the best sound and was by far the easiest to browse!Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Poweramp Music Player (Trial)
Developer: Max MP
BeyondPod Podcast Manager
A very cool podcast manager. It is easy to use and highly intuitive. It keeps up with all your favourite broadcasts even if you don’t always have the time to.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: BeyondPod Podcast Manager
Developer: BeyondPod Team
Audiogalaxy Music
Stream your music and playlists from your computer to your Android phone for free.Price: Free
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Audiogalaxy Music
Developer: AG Entertainment, Inc.
Google Play Music
Another great streaming option. Free and sync up to 20.000 songs.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Google Play Music
Developer: Google Inc.
Songbird
A near-flawless and complete media player, Songbird for Android is perfect for anyone looking for a high-performance player with a serene interface. It has a decent lock-screen replacement, too.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Songbird
Developer: POTI, Inc.
Full review: Songbird
iSyncr Lite for PC
If you use iTunes to keep your music organised on your computer, then you should check out iSyncr, as it’s the best companion for it on Android. Check out The Best Way to Synchronize Android With iTunes for some tips.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: iSyncr Lite for PC
Developer: JRTStudio
Featured in: iSyncr: Seamlessly Sync iTunes to Android
Sharing and Communication
Bzzy
SMS auto responder for automatically sending replies when you’re doing stuff like watching a movie in a cinema or driving.Price: $0.99
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Bzzy
Developer: PixelMEDIA, Inc.
Simple Last.fm Scrobbler
Everyone that listens to music must have this application. It sends what you listen to to Last.fm and that’s it. There’s a reason it’s called Simple. It’s a very lightweight alternative to the official Last.fm app.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: Simple Last.fm Scrobbler
Developer: Adam Renberg
Camper – Basecamp for Android
Best BaseCamp app ever. Nice clean UI, lots of functions, free, and updated frequently.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Camper – Basecamp for Android
Developer: Envolto
HeyTell
This is a walkie-talkie style application that allows you to use your data connection to instantly speak back and forth seamlessly. Great fun as well as practical for quick communication.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: HeyTell
Developer: Voxilate, Inc.
Featured in: Voice Apps
WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp is majorly popular in third world countries, including Lebanon, India, and Pakistan. It’s a messaging application with no login, just a phone number, and a friend list based solely on your phonebook numbers. It’s available on every platform known to man, including Blackberry, Nokia’s S40 cheap devices, Android, Windows Phone, Symbian, and iOS, making it as universal as possible, and hence the weapon of choice for communicating with the maximum number of people.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: WhatsApp Messenger
Developer: WhatsApp Inc.
WordPress
The only app that lets you blog from your phone efficiently. Excellent functions with a great user interface, this app is a must for any blogger.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: WordPress
Developer: Automattic, Inc
imo instant messenger
I’d say this is the best IM client on Android. It supports Skype, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, Yammer, AIM, ICQ, Facebook, and Myspace. Though it’s not particularly feature-rich, it has what you need: file sharing, the ability to link your existing accounts (and log into them all at once), and push notifications.Price: Free
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: imo instant messenger
Developer: imo.im
Full review: imo.im: Every Major IM in One App
Path
Why include this but not the official Facebook or Twitter apps? Because Path is currently a mobile-only social network, so you might not even have heard of it if you haven’t seen the app. It has a few unique features, most notably the deliberately limited friends list and the ability to share whether or not you are currently awake. Check out the review for more details.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Path
Developer: Path, Inc.
Full review: Path: A Social Network in Miniature
Bubble – Caller's Notes
Although Bubble is not a pretty app, it has a great idea and executes it well. It lets you jot down quick notes relating to your mobile contacts, which pop up whenever they ring. So, when your friend calls, you can remember to ask him about his recent job interview.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Bubble – Caller's Notes
Developer: GoodFriend
Full review: Jog Your Memory with Bubble
Entertainment
Traktoid
Trakt is a great free web service for tracking movies and TV shows. There are a few Trakt-capable apps for Android; Traktoid is my favorite for tracking TV shows (not movies). Two particularly awesome features in Traktoid are that all information is available for offline viewing, and the “eye” icon which transforms the list into a check list, so you can mark episodes or whole seasons as seen.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Traktoid
Developer: florianmski
Featured in: Track Your Movies and TV Shows With Trakt
Movie Trakt
Movie Trakt is a great companion to Traktoid, filling in the movie tracking side.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Movie Trakt
Developer: lopesdasilva
Featured in: Track Your Movies and TV Shows With Trakt
TV Show Favs
Out of all the TV apps, TV Show Favs is my favorite. You can create a list of all of your favorite TV shows and track your progress through the series, with the ability to mark an episode, season, or the whole series as watched. Any unwatched episodes are added to your To Do list.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: TV Show Favs
Developer: MKDevelopment
Featured in: TV Show Apps Battle Royale
SeriesGuide Show Manager
A fantastic equivalent to TV Show Favs; syncs with Trakt, supports check-ins to GetGlue, and works offline and on tablets. Great app.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: SeriesGuide Show Manager
Developer: Uwe Trottmann
IMDb Movies & TV
My go-to application for anything related to movies or actors. The newest versions also allow you to sign in, add movies to your watchlist, and receive notifications and alerts.Price: Free
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: IMDb Movies & TV
Developer: IMDb
MoboPlayer
By far the best player for lesser known file formats (.mkv and .rmvb) with gestures for changing brightness and volume, software decoding, aspect ratio toggles.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: MoboPlayer
Developer: Mobo Team
And the Rest…
Google Goggles
This wonder of an application doesn’t get mentioned as often as it should. Really awesome application.Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Google Goggles
Developer: Google Inc.
Period Tracker
If you’re a woman, this is THE application you want to use. Period. (Pun intended)Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Period Tracker
Developer: GP International LLC
my6sense: Smart Social & News
my6sense is a news reader that uses a “secret formula” called Digital Intuition to automatically learn your reading habits and guess what you want to read. Besides RSS and website feeds, it can also bring in information from Facebook and Twitter.Price: Free
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: my6sense: Smart Social & News
Developer: my6sense
Full review: my6sense Predicts What You Want to R
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