So you've just cracked open the box and peeled the plastic
off your brand spanking new Android smartphone. But there's not much
going on in the way of Android apps straight away. This is where
our best free Android apps comes in. This list is your one stop
shop for the absolute best-in-class Android apps, and it
won't cost you a cent. Here are the free apps you absolutely must
have in 2015.
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Photos
Google Photos was unveiled at Google
I/O 2015 and made headlines for being a free app which offers
unlimited photo and video storage (though there are some restrictions
on file types).
Photos combines automatic backup, sharing and editing functions,
as well as just about the best photo organization tool you can
find, to create a powerful photo app which is hard to beat.
Seriously, every gallery app should have "click and
drag" style selection, shouldn't it?
Google photos search and organization tools make sorting through your
snaps a piece of cake. / © ANDROIDPIT
Podcast Addict
If I was to recommend a best podcast app, it would be Pocket Casts
-- it's just an extremely well-designed piece of software. But Pocket
Casts isn't free; for the best free podcast app, we're
recommending Podcast Addict.
Podcast Addict makes discovering and downloading podcasts simple.
Though the user-interface won't exactly blow you away, its helpful
search options assist you in finding the content you're looking
for, even if you don't have a specific podcast you're into yet.
You can pay a little money to remove the app's Ad
banner, but Podcast Addict doesn't restrict any features in the free
version. Even if you're not into podcasts, with this
intuitive app, you might soon become addicted.
If you didn't love podcasts before, you will after using Podcast
Addict. / © ANDROIDPIT
Unclouded
With all the cloud storage services out there, there's a good
chance you have a few accounts yourself. This can lead to situations
where you don't remember if you put a certain file on Dropbox, or
Google Drive, or OneDrive.
With Unclouded, this becomes a non-issue, as you can manage and
view all the files you keep in the cloud from one place. It's more
than just an overview however, as you can find duplicates, see which
files were updated most recently, and find those files which are
sneakily using up most storage space. A must-have for those of us
living in the cloud.
The perfect way to keep all your cloud accounts organized. / ©
Christian Gollner
Dreamstime: Sell Your Photos
This app is not only free, but it actively helps you make money
too. Ever thought those photos taken with your fancy smartphone
camera could be worth some money? Well, with Dreamstime they can
because this app lets you upload your photos to a Dreamstime's stock
photography archive, where millions of people will be able to buy
them.
It's a fantastic idea, and using the app you can track sales of
your photos, and receive tips on how to present them to maximize
sales.
Sell your photos on stock sites using this entrepreneurial little
app.Drupe
It's rare that we find an app so useful that we dedicate
a mini-feature to it, but Drupe deserves all the praise it gets.
With Drupe, you can manage all your contacts and messaging apps in
one place. Your contacts are on the left, your communications app
icons on the right, then it's just a matter of dragging your
contact into the icon of the app you want to contact them with.
It looks great, it feels great, and you can give it a permanent
icon on your screen in order to instantly access it whatever you're
doing on your phone.
Drupe is the perfect way to instantly contact people using whichever
app you like.
Skype
Maybe a bit of a predictable addition to the list, but the basic
principle of being able to call anyone anywhere in the world (with
internet) for free still seems as ingenious today as when Skype was
first released all the way back in 2003.
Take it from someone who works remotely and uses the Skype app to
communicate with HQ on a daily basis that it's been truly
world-changing in terms of how we work and communicate. The app
interface is simple and very well-designed, letting you communicate
by video and voice calls, as well as messaging.
Skype - recognizable, intuitive, and world-changing.
Google Earth
Google's ever evolving Earth-viewing app never ceases to impress,
now letting you fly around whole cities in street view one second,
then pinch to zoom out and see the whole country the next.
More of a world-exploration app than an actual navigation
assistant, Earth lets you submit photos you take in specific areas
for other people to enjoy, and also look at Wikipedia entries for the
area you're exploring. Earth recently added the option to track
planes in flight, and even look at hiking trails. This really is an
app you can get lost in for yours.
Google Earth is an app that's evolving at an incredible rate. / ©
GoogleVine
Vine
is a super fun online video community where only one rule applies:
each looped video uploaded is only six seconds long. This means you
can watch dozens of Vines in a bunch of different categories and it
all takes no more than a few minutes. Follow your favorite Viners,
share Vines with friends, interact with your favorite Vines, upload
your own videos and keep an eye on trending Vines and hashtags.
There's plenty of awesome attitude and humor on Vine. Evernote
Evernote
is a little like Google Keep but has its own particularities and fan
base. You can save notes, voice memos and files and access them on
your various devices or laptop at any time you choose. You can also
set reminders, take snapshots and even hand write your notes for that
personal flair. Evernote has also had a nice Material Design
makeover, making it one of the best looking productivity tools on
Android.
Evernote is a very clean and capable productivity tool for
note-taking and much more.Tumblr
Tumblr
hardly needs an introduction. One of the original and best photo
sharing communities on Android, Tumblr is an endless stream of
amazing photography and imagery. But it doesn't stop at still images:
you can post GIFs, videos, music, links and more. Whatever it takes
to get the conversation started. Plus, you can follow your favorite
blogs or celebrities and stay up to date with what's happening right
now in a fun visual format.
Tumblr provides endless imagery, video, inspirtaional quotes and
more.Autodesk Pixlr
Do you take photos on your smartphone? You do? Then you
should have Autodesk
Pixlr installed. Pixlr is the gold standard for awesome free
photo editing apps on Android.
You can edit all sorts of things in your photos like you normally
would on a desktop (see screenshot below), and you can also make
collages, add filters, overlays, borders, text, stickers and more.
Pixlr is perfect and it will make your photos perfect too.
Pixlr has some serious photo editing tools on board. All at your
fingertips. Greenify App Hibernator
Greenify is
a fantastic utility that lets you take complete control over your
Android by telling it which apps to put to sleep. Greenify includes a
fantastic auto-hibernation mode that will extend your battery life by
a great deal. Just try it if you don't believe me.
If you have root access, Greenify can do even more, but even
without root privileges, Greenify is a must-have for any Android
device. If you have apps on your phone that you know suck your
battery power, Greenify lets you put a short leash on them. Why wait?
Take control of your phone right now.
Greenify sounds complicated, but it's actually a breeze to use.Everypost
If you have anywhere near as many social channels going as me,
then you know how important it is to streamline your social posting
schedule. Everypost lets
you register multiple accounts with practically every social network
around, to which you can post individually, as a group or even
schedule for the future. Once you've gone through the setup
procedure, you'll wonder how you ever lived without Everypost.
Connect all your accounts in Everypost and never have to double up
again. Any.do Task List & To-do
If you want to expand your horizons from the Google Keep world,
there are many list and task apps which are actually really good,
like Any.do
Task List & To-do List. It’s got it all in one
clean-looking user interface.
You can make multiple kinds of lists, like for chores, shopping
lists etc, as well as attach videos, photos and Dropbox files. The
lists can be shared with colleagues or family members. There’s also
an Any.do Moment feature which is a daily planner that has received a
lot of praise.
Any.do is your all in one task list and day planner. / © Any.doAudible for Android
If you haven’t got time to read a book, that doesn’t mean you
can’t listen to it! With Audible
for Android installed on your phone, you can listen to books on
the go from about 150K titles, of all different genres. Perfect for
the commute, going for a run or a long road trip.
The app is really well made, with a bunch of features like
bookmarking, sleep mode, variable narration speed, multitasking
features, etc. It’s quite complex!
Audible for Android lets you listen to books while on the go. /
© Audible, Inc.AccuWeather
Weather apps are a dime a dozen, all stating that they are the
best, most accurate apps to keep you up-to-date with the forecast.
Well, how does one choose which app is for them? One of the best
weather apps that you can get is AccuWeather.
First of all, it’s free and offers a bunch of customization
options that can’t be beaten. You get services such as Minute Cast
for weather by the minute, weather for worldwide locations, a nifty
home screen widget and much more.
One of the best weather apps that Android has to offer. / ©
Accuweather.com IFTTT
If This Then That (IFTTT)
is a brilliant app for automating your phone that lets you set very
simple rules for making something happen on your Android, based on a
simple premise: if this happens then do that.
If This Then That (IFTTT) lets you create simple recipes for action. Inbox by Gmail
The Inbox
by Gmail revolution has begun! Inbox lets you bundle similar
emails, create reminders, pin important emails to the top of your
inbox, snooze messages for later and get the highlights of an email
previewed without actually having to open it. Here's everything
you need to know about Inbox by Gmail.
Once you try Inbox by Gmail you'll never go back to normal email. Poweramp
Poweramp
is easily the best music player on Android, so if you like music, you
have an Android phone or tablet, and you know what the Install button
is for, then you can do the math!
Poweramp should practically come preinstalled it's that good. Google Fit
Google
Fit is about to redefine the way we see smartphone health.
Closely tied into Android Wear but functioning perfectly fine on it's
own, Google Fit will help you achieve your fitness and activity
goals.
Google Fit is the simplest and easiest to understand health app I've
seen. Amazon Kindle
Anyone that has ever read an ebook knows that Amazon
Kindle is the king of ebook readers. Of course, you can read all
or your Amazon ebooks but the Kindle app can be used to read any
other ebooks you have as well.
Anyone that likes reading on their phone or tablet really needs the
Amazon Kindle app. © ANDROIDPIT Amazon
Kindle
VLC
VLC
is the app for every Android. If you want to play any media file on
Android, VLC is the one app that can handle everything. VLC is
technically still in beta, but it is already just as awesome as you'd
expect it to be when it's finished.
No matter the media, VLC can handle it. © VLC Google Camera
Unless you're lucky enough to have a rock solid camera app on your
phone that you actually like, the next best thing is Google's
fantastic Google
Camera. It's free and it's definitely worth trying out. It even
has post-focusing capabilities.
Google Camera has some great features for a free app. SwiftKey
If you haven't heard of SwiftKey
then you must have been living under a rock for the last couple of
years. Or been using an iPhone. Either way, SwiftKey is the class
leader for swipe-typing apps, and it doesn't get any better than
this.
SwiftKey makes typing on Android a swipey typey breeze. Nova Launcher
Nova
Launcher is the king of Android customization and is easily
the best known custom launcher. Jam packed with options, Nova lets
you rebuild your home screen, app drawer and gesture controls just
how you like them.
Nova Launcher lets you customize, theme, modify and tweak your
Android phone endlessly.
Pocket
is an incredibly useful tool you'll wonder how you ever lived
without. Simply save any online content to Pocket and you can read it
later, offline and stripped of ads and everything else but what you
actually want to read.
Pocket lets you save online content to read later, offline. Spotify
Spotify goes
up against the likes of Google Play Music, last.fm, Pandora,
SoundCloud and even YouTube in the battle to bring music to your
ears. An eternal playlist at your fingertips for free? Sounds good to
me.
Spotify is arguably the best streaming music app around. © Spotify
Love it or hate it, Facebook
is one of the most installed apps in the world. Resource hungry, slow
and buggy, there's still no living without the official Facebook app.
As far as features go, none of the third-party options even come
close to the official app.
Say what you will, but Facebook and WhatsApp may as well jsut come
pre-loaded. © ANDROIDPIT Facebook
Another essential app for every Android phone, if you're not using
WhatsApp,
then how exactly are you communicating? WhatsApp is ubiquitous, like
Facebook, and is easily the msot popular instant messaging app in the
world.
You can even get WhatsApp on Android Wear. Facebook Messenger
Of course, where Facebook goes, Facebook
Messenger is soon to follow. If you want to chat on Facebook, you
now have to do it via Facebook's Messenger app, as the chat function
no longer exists in the official Facebook app.
If you want to chat on Facebook, you've got to do it with Facebook
Messenger. © ANDROIDPIT Messenger
Wikipedia Beta
What's better than Wikipedia? Wikipedia
Beta, that's what. Live life on the informational cutting edge
with all the latest features the Wikipedia team has to offer. The
biggest difference right now is the awesome new native design on
Wikipedia Beta.
Never sound ignorant again with Wikipedia: a world of information at
your fingertips. © ES FIle Explorer
ES
FIle Explorer is the undisputed king of file managers. If you
spend any time downloading files, managing music or images, then a
good file explorer is an essential Android app, and they don't come
any better than ES File Explorer.
No app manages files on Android better than ES File Explorer.
Dropbox
Dropbox lets
you expand your internal storage into a cloud based backup of
everything that's important to you. Music, photos, files and more can
be saved, accessed on all your devices and restored if you ever lose
your phone.
It only takes seconds to sign up to Dropbox and protect your
precious files.
Speaking of photos, it doesn't get any better than Instagram
if you love life through imagery rather than text. Follow your
friends and celebrities to see the whole through someone else's eyes.
Be warned though, it's addictive.
Instagram: seeing the world through someone else's eyes. / ©
Instagram, AndroidPIT Pushbullet
Pushbullet is
a fantastic app that means you'll never miss another notifiaction
again. Pushbullet can display your notifications direct on your
computer screen or share links, photos, files and more between
multiple Android devices.
Pushbullet can even be used to reply to text messages via your
computer.
QuickPic
Let's face it: most stock Android gallery apps are pretty sucky.
That's where QuickPic
comes in. QuickPic is a nice clean gallery app that foregrounds your
images, has plenty of sorting options and is also connected to the
cloud.
QuickPic is a darn sight better than most Android gallery apps.
Google Keep
Google
Keep is like the Android version of Post-Its on steroids. Any
time you have something quick to record you can note it in Keep
and, well, keep it for later. You can set reminders, save images,
audio notes and more.
Google Keep is the best way to keep track of text, images and
audio notes.
Feedly
If you like to keep up to date with the endless stream of news in
the world of Android and beyond then you need an RSS reader, and
Feedly
is the original RSS champ, in case you didn't already know. All your
favorite websites in one place.
All the websites you like in one place. What's better than that?
Helium
Helium
is a must-have app for anyone that has ever lost data or never done a
backup before. It works great with root, but even without, you can
simply connect your Android to your computer and use Helium to backup
everything. Use it.
Helium is your one-stop backup solution, whether with root access
or without.
Microsoft Office Mobile
Microsoft
Office Mobile finally made it Android for free and we couldn't be
happier. If you ever use a mobile device for reading or editing Word
documents, Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations, then you
know you need this app.
Microsoft Office looks great, works perfectly and is totally free.
Falcon Widget (for Twitter)
While there's not really anything wrong with the official
Twitter app, I still like Falcon
Widget better. But I'm a fan of full-screen widgets, sooo...
Still, if you like your Twitter feed front and center you can
certainly do worse than Falcon Widget.
Falcon Widget for Twitter is easily the best looking Twitter
widget around.
What did we miss? What would you say is the best free Android apps
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