{"id":770,"date":"2014-05-30T14:22:08","date_gmt":"2014-05-30T13:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/?p=770"},"modified":"2017-07-05T05:52:55","modified_gmt":"2017-07-05T08:52:55","slug":"android-apps-i-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/android-apps-i-use\/","title":{"rendered":"Android apps I use"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>See also: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/chrome-extensions-i-like\/\">Chrome extensions I like<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a list of all the apps currently installed on my Android smartphone. My favorite ones are <strong>boldfaced<\/strong>. Please note that a few apps require root access; if your phone is not rooted, these apps will not work.<\/p>\n<p>Let me know if you think I&#8217;m missing anything. I&#8217;m interested both in\u00a0superior alternatives to the apps I currently use and in completely novel apps.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.minhphan.android.seven\">7 Minute Workout<\/a>. A simple, minimal exercise routine.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/f-droid.org\/repository\/browse\/?fdid=org.adaway\">AdAway<\/a><\/strong>. An open source ad blocker for Android using the hosts file. It needs Android &gt;= 2.1 and ROOT access.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.airbnb.android\">Airbnb<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.amazon.mShop.android.shopping\">Amazon<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel\">Android Pay<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.ichi2.anki\">AnkiDroid<\/a><\/strong>. Review your Anki decks remotely with this excellent app.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=org.baole.app.antismsspam\">Anti SMS Spam<\/a>.\u00a0Prevent unwanted messages from any sender.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=cz.mobilesoft.appblock\">AppBlock<\/a>. Blocks distracting apps, like Facebook.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.asana.app\">Asana<\/a>. For task-management.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.audible.application\">Audible<\/a><\/strong>. A normal day contains plenty of activities that don&#8217;t occupy one&#8217;s attention, such as walking, washing the dishes, brushing one&#8217;s teeth, etc., which are ideal for listening to audiobooks.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.mufri.authenticatorplus\">Authenticator Plus<\/a>. Better than Google Authenticator.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.bodybuilding.mobile\">BodySpace<\/a>. Useful (though imperfect) app for tracking gym workouts.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.intsig.camscanner\">CamScanner<\/a>.\u00a0The best app I found for scanning documents\u00a0with the phone&#8217;s\u00a0camera.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.calendar&amp;hl=en\">Calendar<\/a>. I&#8217;ve tried other calendar apps, but\u00a0if you use Google Calendar on your computer it&#8217;s just easier to keep everything sync with\u00a0the native Google Android app.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.android.chrome\">Chrome<\/a>. The mobile version of Chrome used to be very unstable, but it has gotten much better recently.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=digitalfish.counter\">Click Counter<\/a>. Useful for running various\u00a0experiments.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.coffitivity.coffitivity\">Coffitivity<\/a>.\u00a0Recreates the ambient noises of a cafe.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.gn.android.compass\">Compass<\/a>. For use in combination with Google Maps, in cases where the GPS signal is lost or there is no internet connection. \u00a0An underrated tool.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.couchsurfing.mobile.android\">Couchsurfing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.diskusage\">DiskUsage<\/a>. Generates a spatial representation of the contents of the phone&#8217;s storage card.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs\">Drive<\/a>. My entire (~1.7 TB) drive is on Google Drive; with this app I can access any of these files from my phone.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.ttxapps.drivesync\">Drive Autosync<\/a>. I use this app to synchronize my entire PDF library (comprising about 6,000 files) between my phone and my computer.<\/li>\n<li><a style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/developer?id=Duolingo\">Duolingo<\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\">. A good app for learning languages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop\">ES File Explorer<\/a>. A good file-management app.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=udk.android.reader\">ezPDF reader<\/a><\/strong>. My favorite PDF reader.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.devhd.feedly\">Feedly<\/a>. As good as the now-defunct Google Reader.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.joelapenna.foursquared\">Foursquare<\/a>. For local recommendations.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.gm\">Gmail<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.goodreads&amp;hl=en\">Goodreads<\/a>. I mostly use Goodreads on my computer, but occasionally use this app to check things on my phone.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.maps\">Google maps<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.translate\">Google translate<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.travel.onthego\">Google trips<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=org.cohortor.gstrings&amp;hl=en\">gStrings<\/a>. An excellent tuner. Will recognize any pitch frequency, on any instrument.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=org.isoron.uhabits\">Habits<\/a>. For keeping track of dailies.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.talk&amp;hl=en\">Hangouts<\/a>. On a couple of occasions I had trouble using Hangouts on my computer, but still managed to talk thanks to this app.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.hoy\">Hoy Milonga<\/a>. An indispensable app for tango aficionados.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.instagram.android\">Instagram<\/a>. For sharing pictures.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.instapaper.android\"><strong>Instapaper<\/strong><\/a>. The best app of its kind; the text-to-speech feature is invaluable.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.kayak.android\">Kayak<\/a>. Recommended for frequent travelers. \u00a0Recently I missed a flight to Oslo and managed to find another one quickly enough thanks to this app.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.keep\"><strong>Keep<\/strong><\/a>. Great note-taking app.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=fm.last.android&amp;hl=en\">Last.fm<\/a>. I use it only to scrobble the music I play on my phone.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.loungebuddy.playstore&amp;hl=en\">LoungeBuddy<\/a>. Enter all your cards and this app will tell you which airport lounges you\u00a0can access. invaluable\u00a0for nomads and frequent travelers.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=me.lyft.android\">Lyft<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.memrise.android.memrisecompanion\">Memrise<\/a>. Spaced-repetition app; supplements Anki.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.facebook.orca\">Messenger<\/a>. This app actually makes it easier for me to spend less time browsing Facebook, since I can answer messages without having to log in to the site.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.mycelium.wallet\">Mycelium<\/a>. Bitcoin wallet.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=taxi.android.client\">Mytaxi<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher\">Nova launcher<\/a>. Improves the home screen.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.bambuna.podcastaddict\">Podcast addict<\/a><\/strong>. Excellent podcast app.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.pushbullet.android\">Pushbullet<\/a><\/strong>. Send\u00a0SMS messages from your computer and see phone notifications on your desktop browser.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ru.uxapps.random\">Random number generator<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=uk.co.nickfines.RealCalc\">RealCalc Scientific Calculator<\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\">. The native Android calculator sucks; use this one instead.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.rescuetime.android\">RescueTime<\/a>. I mainly track time manually with Toggl, though I&#8217;ve found it useful to have an automatic time tracker as well, which I use on both my laptop and smartphone.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.revolut.revolut\">Revolut<\/a>. A virtual bank\/credit card that lets me pay in foreign currencies without fees or unfavorable\u00a0exchange rates.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.tomwandroid.rockerlocker\">Rocker locker<\/a>. Make volume keys control media volume by default.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=fr.ecp.ruler.app\">Ruler<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.runloop.seconds.free&amp;hl=en\">Seconds Free<\/a>. I want an app that vibrates regularly at custom\u00a0intervals, that vibrates for long enough for me to notice, and that doesn&#8217;t drain my phone&#8217;s battery. I tried about eight or nine apps; this is the best one I found.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.shazam.android\">Shazaam<\/a>. Will recognize most\u00a0music playing in one&#8217;s environment.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=org.thoughtcrime.securesms\">Signal<\/a>. Secure communication.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.Slack\">Slack<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.urbandroid.sleep\">Sleep as Android<\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\">.\u00a0Smart alarm clock with sleep cycle tracking.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ak.alizandro.smartaudiobookplayer&amp;hl=en\">Smart AudioBook Player<\/a><\/strong>. Are you looking for an audio player that allows you to play audiobooks at faster speeds without pitch alteration or sound distortion? This is the one.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.andrwq.recorder\">Smart Voice Recorder<\/a>. A good voice recorder.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.Splitwise.SplitwiseMobile\">Splitwise<\/a>. For splitting bills and expenses.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.spotify.music\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=bsoule.tagtime\">TagTime<\/a>. Beeps at random times. A handy tool for self-experimentation.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm\">Tasker<\/a>. Automate all sorts of tasks.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup\">Titanium Backup<\/a>. A powerful backup tool.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.toggl.timer\">Toggl<\/a><\/strong>. By far the best time-tracking app I&#8217;m familiar with.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.thirdframestudios.android.expensoor\"><strong>Toshl<\/strong><\/a>. The best app for managing finances I found.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.tripadvisor.tripadvisor\">TripAdvisor<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux\">Twilight<\/a>. F.lux equivalent for Android.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.ubercab\">Uber<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.whatsapp\">WhatsApp<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.wunderground.android.weather\">Weather Underground<\/a>. Hyper-local weather forecasts.<\/li>\n<li><a style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.youtube\">YouTube<\/a><span style=\"line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>With thanks to Nicol\u00e1s Valentino and Rochelle Harris for valuable suggestions.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-meta\">Latest update: 5th July, 2017<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>See also: Chrome extensions I like Here&#8217;s a list of all the apps currently installed on my Android smartphone. My favorite ones are boldfaced. Please note that a few apps require root access; if your phone is not rooted, these apps will not work. Let me know if you think I&#8217;m missing anything. I&#8217;m interested [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1956,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770\/revisions\/1956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stafforini.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}