Still, after repeated interactions, I have managed to list down 15 apps I consider to be useful in an everyday scenario and must be checked out.
1. Solid File Explorer
Had it been 2015, I would have recommended ES File Explorer. However, developers have messed up the app so much that it should not even be a part of Play Store now. Solid File Explorer is a must have on all the devices as a file manager, one that manages to do so much more than just transferring files from one folder to another. The app comes with a 14 day trial period after which you need to purchase the pro version, which I strongly feel you must buy after checking out its features. The app is based on material design and supports FTP, SFTP, WebDav, SMB/CIFS clients along with cloud storage like Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive, Sugarsync, and much more. Root access makes Solid Explorer a fully functional root explorer and Indexed Search finds your files in a couple of seconds. The app also has the ability to read and extract ZIP, 7ZIP, RAR and TAR archives, even when they are encrypted.
2. SHAREit: File Transfer, Sharing
Need to transfer files, videos, photos to another Android, iPhone or even Windows Mobile at higher speed? Then this is the go-to app for the task. SHAREit creates a local Wi-Fi network and by creating a hotspot on the sender’s phone. The receiving phone also needs to have the app installed. The speed is so much better than what you get on Bluetooth and works on all most all the major OS’ for a smartphone these days. You can also use the app to transfer files from PC to phone or vice-versa. It’s very easy to establish a connection and if there is no Wi-Fi network to connect to, the app creates one from the connecting phone. Cool Tip: Need to transfer all the contents from old Android phone to a new one? Try CLONEit from the same developers for the task.
3. Universal Copy
How do you feel when you cannot copy/paste certain text on your Android like the IMEI number, Twitter status updates or YouTube video description? I am sure it’s irritating especially when it’s important to share the text with other apps and because of developers imposed restriction you are not able to do that. But then, there’s an app to solve the situation and Universal Copy can help you copy any un-selectable text to clipboard and then paste it to the destination app. You just need to activate the app and tap on the notification icon, when there’s an app you wish to select text from. The app works on OCR technology and will recognize the text from the screenshot taken and then copy it to the device’s clipboard. We have already done a detailed review of the app you might want to check out.
4. Boomerang Notifications
Android notifications are so poorly managed on Android and once you clear them or tap to open them, they are gone and getting them back is quite a task. However, with Boomerang Notifications, you can save individual notifications for later and optionally set a reminder for a more convenient time to read them. This can be useful when you receive a text or email you have to reply to, but at the moment you didn’t have time to get that done. Just add the notification to view later and the app will remind you at the appropriate time to take care of it.
5. Smart Tools
Smart Tools is one-of-its-kind app on the Play Store which is a complete package of 6 app sets. It includes 6 Pro sets for a total of 15 tools. You can use your phone as a ruler, leveler, compass, sound meter and much more. The readings of the ruler and distance calculator might not be accurate as it uses the camera, but still, you will get a rough idea. The app is $2.99 on Play Store and works without any internet connection. A perfect companion to all the DIY tasks at home.
6. CamScanner
I don’t think this app needs any instruction. CamScanner utilizes the powerful camera of your device and power image processing software to help you scan your document right from your camera in detailed quality. This app can be used to scan receipts, notes, invoices, whiteboard discussions, business cards, certificates, etc. and the processed photos will be sharp and detailed. These scanned documents can easily be shared as PDF or JPEG files via email or cloud share links. Premium users can also extract text from the scanned pages using the OCR technique.
7. MacroDroid – Device Automation
This app is for advanced users out there who love to get things automated on the device, but hate Tasker because of its complex interface. Adding a macro is an easy task, just select a trigger and then configure trigger specific settings. Optionally you can add a few constraints as well, for the task. The best thing about MacroDroid is that there are more than 100s of preconfigured templates that you can use to automate tasks on your Android. The free version of MacroDroid is limited to five macros and displays adverts. You can upgrade to the premium application to allow unlimited macros and remove all adverts.
8. CM Lock and Fingerprint Lock
There are quite a few apps available to lock other apps on Android, but the feature to lock apps with the fingerprint sensor is the reason CM Lock and Fingerprint Lock makes it to the list. Using this app, you can lock any other app along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings and use fingerprint hardware on Samsung phone or any other Android phone running on Android Marshmallow. The app is without any ads which make it even more preferable than other similar apps and the themes support gives you the power of customization.
9. Maps.Me
We recently covered this app in our article on top 5 must have apps to survive offline without an internet connection. Maps.me not only downloads the map data of a given area on Wi-Fi to be able to access offline, but also downloads the navigation data. This helps to navigate even without cellular data connection which can really help you at times. The app also gives info about local shops, ATM, gas stations which can help you survive on a holiday without an internet connection. All you need to do is download the map data on the Wi-Fi before you leave home.
10. Dumpster
This app has become by recent favorite and to explain the app in the easiest possible way, all I can say is it’s like a recycle bin to Android. After the app is installed, each time you delete a file, image or a video, it will be stored in Dumpster for a few days before it gets deleted automatically. This way, you can have a failsafe for all the files on your Android and can be very helpful if you realize that you have deleted any file by mistake and restoring it back would be of a huge help to you.
11. KinScreen
This app is great for readers who constantly struggle to keep the Android screen awake by using their thumb or extending the screen timeout period. KinScreen is a simple app which records orientation or movement of the Android device and keeps the screen awake even without any interaction with the device. There are a few additional options in the app to check out and we have already done a detailed review of the same which you must check out.
12. Flynx Browser
Flynx Browser is a useful app for those who open links on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and other apps and hate leaving the current apps they are working on. The app can help you by providing floating link bubbles every time you click on a link. These link bubbles are much like Facebook Chat Heads that can be minimized as floating icon and you can tap on them over any app. The link bubbles can load the page in the background and once done, you can just tap on them to read the web. Simple yet helpful.
13. Parallel Space
If you would like to use two WhatsApp, Clash of Clans, or Snapchat, this is your answer. Parallel Space app can clone any other app in a sandbox environment so that you can two parallel instances of the same app which don’t share data between them. This means you can activate and use the official WhatsApp app using two different numbers on the same Android device.
14. Twilight
Twilight acts as a blue light filter for the devices which don’t come with a built-in reading mode. The app makes your screen warm (fluorescent) which makes it easy for your eyes while reading in low light before going to bed. Just open up the app and turn on the filter for the settings to take effect. You can also configure specific time to turn on the blue light filter. This is a must have app if you suffer from loss of sleep or eye strains after prolonged smartphone usage. The app is free to use and come with ads to support the developer.
15: Clip Stack
Last but not the least, we have Clip Stack to conclude the list. The app makes Android clipboard better by adding some memory to it. So let’s say, you want to copy more than one thing on to your Android clipboard? Well, there’s no direct way to get this done. However with Clip Stack, you can collect everything you copied to the clipboard and bring it to the front, while pasting, using a floating button. We have already covered the top 4 similar apps available on Play Store, but due to it’s free and open source nature, Clip Stack remains my personal favorite.
Know More About These Apps in Our Video
Conclusion
So those were the top 15 must have apps on any Android, or you can say top 15 useful apps for Android in my opinion. If you know about a lesser known app which can really help in day-to-day Android usage, do let us know. ALSO SEE: 10 Things You Perhaps Didn’t Know Your Android Phone Could Do
