Key Takeaways
- The Google Play Retailer is crammed with high-quality apps, a few of that are fully free.
- Subscription and commercial fatigue is an actual factor, and so I cherish the instances once I stumble throughout an excellent free app.
- These apps are excessive on my record for set up as quickly as I arrange any new Android-based machine.
Nothing feels fairly as satisfying as getting one thing free of charge, and this could definitely be stated about smartphone apps. In a world saturated with in-app purchases, subscriptions, microtransactions, and ‘freemium’ enterprise fashions, free software program looks like an absolute breath of contemporary air.
There are a selection of apps on the market that I think about to be non-negotiable at any time when I arrange a new Android cellphone, and, fortunately, a few of them come for free of charge in anyway. Listed here are 5 apps that I personally at all times set up on day one.
1 KineStop
The go-to app for decreasing movement illness
KineStop: Automobile illness help
A well-built app for decreasing movement illness when in a car.
Again in Could, Apple introduced plans to include a brand new ‘Automobile Movement Cues’ characteristic into each iOS and iPadOS. The characteristic embeds quite a lot of animated dots onto your display, which shift in accordance with car movement to scale back automotive illness in these with the difficulty.
Fortunately, Android customers are in a position to expertise a really comparable characteristic utilizing the fully free KineStop app from the Play Retailer. The idea is roughly the identical, and the interface is straightforward and simple to arrange. Should you’re liable to feeling movement illness when utilizing your Android cellphone within the passenger seat of a automotive, KineStop is solely a must-download.
2 Feeder
A beautiful and open supply RSS reader
Feeder
A free and open-source RSS reader app that works with out fuss.
Actually easy syndication readers, often acronymized as RSS readers, are streamlined methods for viewing information articles throughout your favourite publications. Within the age of social media, these apps aren’t as widespread as they as soon as had been, however they’re nonetheless a great tool for if you wish to cut back distractions whereas nonetheless maintaining with present occasions.
Feeder is one such RSS reader out there on Android, and it is fully free and open-source. For an open-source app, the interface is genuinely beautiful, and the consumer expertise is equally intuitive. The one caveat right here is that it forces you to manually enter RSS feed hyperlinks to get began, however that is a reasonably small grievance total.
3 AntennaPod
A wonderful resolution for streaming your favourite podcasts
AntennaPod
A free and open resolution for all of your podcast streaming wants.
In the identical vein as Feeder, AntennaPod is a totally free and open-source Android software — however as a substitute of aggregating information articles, it is designed with podcast streaming in thoughts. The interface is clear, easy, and efficient, and I’ve no usability complaints.
Necessary inclusions like shownotes, casting assist, and a sleep timer are all current, which makes this a reasonably full-featured expertise. Should you love listening to podcasts however wish to avoid main gamers like Spotify, Apple, and Google, then AntennaPod is a wonderful selection that I would extremely suggest.
4 VLC
The notorious Home windows program can also be at house on Android
VLC for Android
A widely known native media participant that is appropriate with all kinds of file varieties.
VLC requires no introduction — the enduring media participant is a favourite amongst Home windows desktop customers, because of its open-source nature and its spectacular file format assist. If there’s ever an audio or video file in your pc that merely refuses to open, you’ll be able to depend on VLC to play the file with out skipping a beat.
VLC on Android is equally open-source and highly effective. Should you’re in search of a no-nonsense multimedia participant for native playback, then it is a must-download. The interface lacks a few of the refinement of another rivals available on the market, but it surely’s nice sufficient and makes up for this in its sheer flexibility.
5 Cloud Backup Checker
A useful utility for confirming whether or not apps are backed up
Cloud Backup Checker
A easy software for checking which apps are being backed as much as your Google Account.
Google gives a local cloud backup resolution for its Android working system, however many app builders additionally provide an ‘choose out’ selection. Sadly, it could get considerably complicated to maintain observe of which apps are backed up and which of them aren’t.
The place Google does not provide an excellent native software for checking the standing of backups, the free Cloud Backup Checker app steps as much as the plate. The software program is light-weight, speedy, and does precisely what it says on the tin. If and if you improve to a brand new Android cellphone, it is value downloading this app so you are not left blindsided.
