It is estimated that an average smartphone user has between 25 and 30 apps on their phones. It is also suggested that, while there are 2.5 million apps in existence, we tend to spend 70% of our phone time on the most popular 200 of these apps. Having so much choice from so many different aspects can be difficult – do we want game apps, entertainment apps, or useful apps to enhance our day-to-day lives? Here is a handy round-up for some of the apps you might not know about that can really enhance your Android experience.
Productivity Apps
Teachers loved telling us that we wouldn’t be able to carry a calculator in our pockets when we grew up so we needed to learn the quadratic formula, but it turns out they were wrong. As well as being able to sync to our desktop PC and laptop features, our phones can be incredibly useful themselves. They can enhance our productivity with time management apps. This can maximize how we use our Androids. First off is the Todoist app, which presents an easy to use task manager. Gaining rave reviews, the app helps us take a jumble of tasks and see them in a clear manner.
HourStack is a useful app that allows us to segment our tasks by time and see how long they are taking to complete. The overview option allows you to see what is consistently overrunning and what you are doing quickly. This information can help you manage your time better. For a more professional time-tracking app, try Hubstaff. The PomoDone App allows you to connect with other time management apps to use the Pomodoro Technique or frequent breaks to make you more productive.
Emergency Apps
While we might not want to think of the worst happening, it’s always good to be prepared just in case it does. The police are suggesting that people download the What3Words app. The app has segmented the world into 3m squares and gives each 3m square a unique three-word combination. This allows emergency services to pinpoint your exact location – or could be used with friends to find exact meeting points. Studies estimate that 5,761 phones are dropped and broken every hour. Sometimes, these physical accidents can lead to software accidents. Our phones might delete chunks of data, including media, app settings, and contact information.
There is a handy tool that lets you restore contacts on Android devices, as most online data leaves a shadow. This can give you peace of mind in case your phone does decide to try to wipe itself. You will be able to retrieve numbers of friends, but most importantly you will be able to get back any professional or business-related numbers. Friends can be tracked down on social media, but professional numbers might be harder to find again. It also allows you to use Easy Backup to ensure there is a saved copy of your data.
Entertainment Apps
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” so it’s important to have some apps that give us some reprieve. Of course, our go-to streaming services are key. With everything from Spotify to Netflix and Disney+ offering free trials before committing to an account, you are able to sample the streaming sites to find the one most suitable for you. There are also game apps that are specifically designed for smartphones. There are the classics based around Mario, which take the characters and themes of the franchise and update them for mobile play. There are also the AR games such as Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which theme the game around your direct environment.
Square Enix ported many games from the consoles to be playable on Android phones, including Final Fantasy. There are also the more intensive games, including Blizzard’s Hearthstone and Fallout Shelter by Bethesda. Fortnite and Minecraft remain popular for Android phones, especially given how invested you can become with the games.
Finding the right combination of apps can give us a more enjoyable and productive experience with our phones. We might fill our homepage with apps that help us live more streamlined lives. Or, we may plan ahead and ensure we have the tools at our disposal for any number of emergencies. Or, we may simply want to max out on games and other activities that don’t make us any smarter but do give us a dose of much-needed fun.