Essential Android Apps?

I'm new to the Android scene. What the essential Android apps (for phone)?

On the go, my data limit is very very low, so apps which can work offline are the most suitable.
Also, apps which have small disk space footprint are appreciated (my phone only has like 7GB free).

I installed
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.navigation.offlinemaps.gps&hl=en_US

Other things I am looking for:
1.
Something to navigate directories and create small text files for notes. On linux, I use a console, cd to directory, ls, ls -l, mv, and vim. What would be the equivalent for Android?

2. How do I transfer files in between my phone and my linux computer?

3. Something to check email (not gmail).

4. A scanner app. Is camscanner the best?

5. An alarmclock with adjustable alarm volume.

6. A scientific calculator.

7. A music player, that has good frequency manipulation features and bass boost.

 

Microsoft Outlook is a good email client if you don't want to use the Gmail app.

Alarm Clock Xtreme has a dumb name, but it's a good alarm clock.

 

I like ColorNote for creating small to-do lists, and keeping notes.

 

Hi Kyle,

For file manager use "FX explorer", Root is also free as an add-on. Can use Termux for Console or if you have a Custom ROM, you can enable in Developer settings -> enable local terminal. Google Keep is an amazing app for notes, your choice to use it or not but its fantastic.

For email try "K-9 Mail", Open source, Google creates scaremongering with less secure bs and all, don't worry. That's just their proprietary nature to force to use Gmail app.

For Alarm clock. I don't know whether your phone can handle "Timely" App's GPU/CPU demands, since great visuals and cool animations, made during KitKat era. But you can check the visual options as you please. Superb neat app nice Alarm tunes that you won't find in any app or phone in the world. Has sync as well, Unfortunately Google bought them and since then no update. Works great on N, 7.1.2 ROM here, but can't expect flawless since no update..very unfortunate.

Music Player is hard to recommend one but I suggest you to look at "Neutron Player" (Paid app needed for better) "Power Amp" (paid again I guess for more features) & my favorite is "Blackplayer" this even runs great on 2008 phone running Cyanogen Mod 10. For DSP Engine use "Viper4Android" (YMMV since Viper4Android needs some tuning, but I bet you will love the custom tuning options, if you can root (Magisk on XDA) you can flash Dolby Atmos + V4A with custom options and it greatly increases the sonic performance. Esp Dolby Atmos, look for "ARISE Sound systems" mod on XDA.



Sent from my lightspeed Resurrection Remixd N - OnePlus 3 using Tapatalk

 

I can definetly recommend ColorNote. As a music player I sticked to PowerAMP years ago (it's not free but the best music player app around imho). It also has all your required features.
Depending on your Android version (8+) you need to install the new beta build.

 

Few days ago PowerAMP was free of charge. Its price was struck out and I was able to install it for free, and now have it in my library.

 

Thats how I got my license too. They sometimes have this kind of "promo" I guess.

 

Another for list (was reminded by the "Emergency FEMA Alert" today):

-Some kind of blocking app that can block unwanted calls/txts.

 

To me most essential Apps are Gmail, Slack. Facebook, Skype

 

One app I cannot live without is Textra because when you get spam SMS from a name not a number (ie. PIZZAHUT) you cannot block it with the default Android app since it cannot detect a number but Textra can block no number/only name SMS and block them

 

It's asking for way too many permissions...

 

whoa! I didn't notice that! Thanks for the heads up.

I will try Pulse SMS now to see if it can block text spam like Textra

 

^ This. I even sync mine between laptop, smartphone and PDA.

Some additions:
* AFWall+ - using VPN is pretty much pointless without a properly setup firewall
* F-Droid - to get Yalp Store (see below)
* Hacker's Keyboard - my favourite keyboard
* Perfect Viewer - for reading books, comics, PDFs
* Syncthing - very fast and flexible decentralized personal cloud/backup solution
* TuneIn Radio - online radio
* Yalp Store - best Play Store client, extremely flexible!

 

I wish the android play store had an night mode, I only use my 10.5" Samsung Tablet before i go to sleep and the play store is all white, I hurts my eye`s and uses a lot of power on my oled display.

All my other apps i down have night mode, why not the store itself.

John.

 

Have a lot of Android devices but a few of the third party apps that are installed on all devices are:

Magisk - awesome SU manager.
Titanium Backup - freezing and backing up apps.
Dropbox - very handy to transfer files between desktop and smartphones/tablets.
Lastpass - with fingerprint integration it manages passwords nicely.
Whatsapp - don't much like it but everybody I know uses it and it makes keeping in contact easier.
Joey - for wasting time.
Netflix - for wasting even more time.
eBay - to waste cash.
Firefox - because the Chrome app isn't as good, IMHO.
Nova launcher - a great launcher - hiding apps from app drawer is also nice.
Greenify - I actually don't use this on my newest Android One Oreo device because the OS seems to do a good job by itself. On older devices it's worthwhile.
Skype Lite - International calling via Skype is cheaper than my cellphone plan.
F-Droid and XDA Labs - for app installation outside of GPlay.
Naptime - enhanced Doze for better battery. less useful for Oreo in my experience.
Moon+ Reader - Ebook reader.

 

Pretty much the only su manager nowadays. \=

Yalp store does if you are willing to consider an alternative.

 

I would like to add more. The fact that Yalp is an alternative that spoofs Google account and makes Playstore alternative, which doesn't have Google Play Services framework. Bypassing them called MicroG. I never tried it tbh one reason being this, the stunts they pull Some people who are having privacy issues might use, but ironically the same people who bash Google, don't even take a look at how the trio of the Silicon valley show their users options, we have a new player tho, the bulldozer, Amazon

Google dashboard, allows you to control every bit of information that goes out of their Google services, I don't use most of their services because I don't want to disable by brain capabilities, guess you've understood which service it is. Much better than the other M$ (Win10 we know how disaster it is) Apple, even the basic bare minimum application like settings asks for location. Adding to this here's a great piece of article that further asserts what I mentioned (note this is old 2016 article) but not that It's a green light. In this age of big data where data>>oil you should be knowing most of the things that you either paid for or using them here's another one. For me It doesn't matter, I use Firefox with tons of add-ons which make it like a truly OS like experience tuned for you and obeys you, works as you intended Save the PR face of Apple for later

Add this app too, VPN Hotspot,
A helpful link if anyone is interested in the "Yalp Store" (Nanodroid from XDA). And to check for the network in and out of your phone, check out the Netguard from F-Droid, Netstatplus from Playstore, Netmonitor from F-Droid. For the permissions people, why not check out the most powerful mod ever in existence. Xposed, and the module AppsOpsXposed Re, add XPrivacyLua. Since we are now in the Xposed realm. Let me make your life more cool and put you in charge.

Checkout the following Xposed modules -
Gravitybox (Consider it an AIO toolkit, dev is still active and good).

Lockscreenwidgets (After the death of them since 5.0 I've been using this, fantastic app for those who like UCCW widgets which are now not updated and world has moved on to KWGT etc. I use BobClock3D app, the xposed framwork wasn't updated for 8.x, since Xposed for 8.x stable isn't there (beta atm) so many people at XDA bash it too, rovo is doing hardwork to make Android more powerful which it was to be intended. A shame, no wonder when people are only drinking kool-aid nowdays).

Maxlock (App locker), MinMinguard (Mega ad blocker which blocks in an app beat that Apple fans).

Networkspeed indicator which has more solid robust controls and display options.

Statusbardownloadprogress a neat line on the length of statusbar, scales very well, like any progress bar for instance made by same dev from GravityBox.
Brightlockscreen (removes the dark overlay for making the wallpaper crisp and interesting and unfortunately the dev is inactive but cheers, the app was updated to 8.x to remove that FUGLY tint on 8.x) And a fun app called Eggsterdroid (enjoy all easter eggs in every version of Android from the start to the psychedelic Pie ) Just a quickie, checkout Minty Icons, Moonrise icon packs. Free and one of the best ones out there and to a few - Amphetamine, Andromeda vintage, Delta, Antimatter, Mellow Dark, Glim, Magme, Halo. Instead of the rubbish feat that google pulled off (one of many)

For those geek hunger satisfaction check this out, liveboot of log during boot-up, recently updated for Magisk, works great here, Same dev has Recently app which is great and makes the Android multitask work properly. Also the new app called Migrate that helps you to take a backup from ROM to ROM app data. Add the TWRP Tipatch for the same, very powerful apps right ? I know Oh one last one, this app ( Appchecker) is super neat to check the applications that are targeting which Android on your phone, this is how the OS should be, backwards compatible no matter what, instead of that Jail iOS Draconian filth.

 

Didn't try yet either, I have to use Google stuff for one of my jobs at the moment so not an option right now.

Google ignores user preferences and collects tons of information without user consent, even when user deliberately denied it in dashboard.