Looking for the absolute best Android apps, utilities, and games, the Play Store has to offer? You've come to the right place!
There are a lot of Android apps out there, and we've rounded up the very best across each of the Play Store's major categories. Keep in mind that these are our subjective choices, and are always welcome to hear about what you're digging in the comments, so don't be shy!
Best book & reference app for Android: Kindle
Amazon's Kindle remains the de facto standard for e-reading and offers the widest marketplace for books and reference materials. The app includes a wide range of features, including definition look-up, text scaling, contrast adjustment, and location memory. You can even load Mobi and PDF files to be read in the Kindle app (though not ePub).
Download: Kindle (Free w/ IAPS)
Best business app for Android: Splashtop
Splashtop is a remote desktop access app that allows users to get access to everything they need on your home or work PC. So long as your computer is on, the desktop client is running, and you have an active subscription, you can use your Android device to click around your desktop, open applications, browse files, and make use of touch shortcuts to get more done faster. Encryption is enabled for business customers concerned about security.
Download: Splashtop (Free w/ subscription)
- Need more app recommendations to make your business run smoother? Check out these apps to help streamline collaboration.
Best comics app for Android: Comixology
In no uncertain terms, Comixology made comics on mobile popular. Issues are made available to purchase the same day they're out on print. There are a bunch of free issues available, and the selection spans major publishers like Marvel, DC, IDW, and Disney. You'll also find related news and podcasts tucked away in there.
Download: Comixology (Free w/ IAPs)
- This recommendation just not cutting it? Check out Best comic reader apps for Android for more options.
Best education app for Android: Lynda.com
Lynda remains a top source for current, high-quality instructional videos. Though the bulk of the service relies on a hefty $25/month subscription fee, there are a lot of free videos available. Many of the areas of subject matter are technical and surround certain types of software, but you'll also find photography, music, art, and other major topics covered.
Download: Lynda.com (Monthly subscription required)
Best entertainment app for Android: IMDb
IMDb is an invaluable tool for figuring out which films and shows actors are from, digging up obscure quotes, and seeing which shows are topping the charts. After watching an HD trailer, you can find showtimes at theatres near you, or mark it on your watchlist to catch it later. Between the full photo galleries, recent news, and information on every movie under the sun, IMDb is insanely useful.
Best finance app for Android: Mint.com Personal Finance
Mint.com is an outstanding organizational app to stay on top of your budget. It plugs directly into your existing bank accounts and identifies transactions across broad categories so it can visualize the information in helpful way. You can set monthly budget limits for different types of activities, and manually add in transactions that aren't using any of your bank cards. Investment totals made through your bank are displayed here as well.
Best health & fitness app for Android: Endomondo Sports Tracker
Endomondo is still one of the best all-around fitness trackers available on Android. You can track speed, distance, and time for running, walking, cycling, or any other overland activity and share the results to your friends on Facebook. If you're willing to go with the pro version, you're able to enjoy goal setting features, an audio coach, and view detailed graphs for your progress throughout a workout. You'll also find that a wide range of popular fitness bands and accessories will feed data into Endomondo.
Download: Endomondo (Free w/ IAPs, or $4.99 for Pro version
Best lifestyle app for Android: Tinder
Tinder is a hugely popular location-based dating app. Users log in with their Facebook credentials, which populates a Tinder profile with all of their interests and a profile image. You're then presented with a stream of potential matches based on those nearby and with overlapping interests and common Facebook friends. With a swipe, users anonymously decide if they like someone or not, and they get a notification when someone they picked has picked them as well. Then it's just a matter of using the chat system to taking things from there.
Best media & video app for Android: Plex
Plex is a widely-respected media-sharing app that helps you get content on your Android device from your PC. Just run the media server software on your computer, and you can access music, video, and pictures from anywhere. Extra features, like Chromecast support and cloud saving, are available with a PlexPass subscription.
Download: Plex (Free w/subscription)
Best medical app for Android: Medscape
Medscape is a rich medical reference library that allows users to pour over thousands of procedures, drugs, and news articles. Specialities can be tagged so that relevant information can be made more prominent. The data is pulled in through WebMD, which is highly reputable in the sphere. One of the more useful sections for everyday users is a drug database and cross-referencing for potential interactions. For those really into medicine, there's an educational section where you can read up on the latest research and catch embedded videos going over the content.
Best music & audio app for Android: Spotify
Spotify is arguably the best music streaming service out there, featuring a massive library of tracks, as well as a station generator and some curated, mood and genre based offerings if you don't feel like making a playlist yourself.
There's also a social emphasis with Spotify, giving users the option to share and play friend's playlists to help them discover music and share what they're listening to on social media sites. You can stream shuffled music for free (with ads) or subscribe for unlimited access to everything Spotify offers.
Download: Spotify (Free, $9.99/month for premium)
- Need more recommendations? These are our other favorite streaming music services.
Best news & magazine app for Android: Flipboard
Flipboard has become the new way people take in web content on their phone. Users build up a list of subscriptions, and content is fed into a beautiful interface. Swipes cause each page to turn smoothly, and a single tap on the header image takes you into the full text of an article. Though reading through your favorite sites is great, you can build your own magazines built from web content and share them with the Flipboard community at large.
- There's more than one way to stay informed. Check out the best news apps for Android for other great app options.
Best personalization app for Android: Action Launcher 3
Action Launcher brings a ton of thoughtful features plus lots of additional tweaks that you expect from a custom launcher. Replace the traditional app drawer with a slide-in Quickdrawer, maximize on-screen real estate with Shutters and tweak the home screen search bar with the customizable Quickbar. Beyond that, Action Launcher also offers theming options, suggestions for app icon replacements and a beta feature to normalize icon sizes.
The best features of Action Launcher 3 require a paid upgrade to the Plus version, but it's worth every penny.
Download: Action Launcher 3 (Free)
- Looking for different launcher options? Check out the best launchers for Android for some other great recommendations.
Best photography app for Android: Snapseed
Snapseed is a highly polished photo editing app built smartly for touch input. Tapping navigation buttons along the bottom allow users to switch between tools, such as rotating, cropping, color correction, and filters. Then, swiping up and down on the picture lets you select the type of adjustment, and going left and right changes the amount of adjustment. It's a great interface for smaller screens, and provides all the major editing you might need to do.
- There's plenty of great photography apps for Android. Check out the best photography apps for Android for more great options.
Best productivity app for Android: Trello
Trello is a task app the can scale as large as company-wide project handing, to as small as grocery lists. Set reminders, add labels, organize in collections called boards, assign other members, attach pictures and documents, and much more. Trello has a very good-looking web client too, making it easy to manage your tasks by PC as well.
Best shopping app for Android: Amazon Shopping
Amazon is the granddaddy of online retail. If you're shopping for anything at all, it's worth checking out to see what Amazon's offering. They have crazy deals all the time, just about every physical object you could possibly want to acquire, and with Prime, you'll get it on your doorstep lickety-split. A separate price check app can help by scanning barcodes of physical products and seeing if you can get it any cheaper on Amazon.
Best social app for Android: Facebook
Like it or not, Facebook is the most ubiquitous social network out there. Everybody's on it, sharing everything they do. With the Android app, you can quickly post status updates, share links through the browser, upload and tag pictures, send instant messages, and leave likes on your friends' status updates. On many devices, Facebook information is tied to your address book, ensuring that their information is up-to-date and the image is their latest profile pic.
Best sports app for Android: theScore
theScore remains a high-quality, broad-field sports app that helps you get all the news you could possibly want. NFL, NBA, NHL, EPL, UFC, and more are covered with news, scores, pictures, and video clips. Users can mark teams or players as favorites so they can track what's up more easily.
Best tool app for Android: Tasker
Tasker lets you set up a wide range of tasks to execute automatically given certain circumstances. You can set antenna to go off when you leave a certain location, turn on an app after tapping an NFC tag, or mute your ringer after connecting to a specific Wi-Fi network. With the help of third parties plugging into Tasker, you have a ton of options for if/then statements here.
Best transport app for Android: Uber
Uber has become such a force in the sphere of transportation that it has displaced the entire taxi industry in many major cities. Uber acts as the go-between for pedestrians looking for a ride and a legion of private drivers. Uber drivers are vouched for by users to ensure security, and thanks to GPS, you can find the closest one easily. Prices are dictated by supply of drivers, which means you can get some very reasonable fares, though there are occasionally surges in pricing during busy periods. Payments are made through Uber, so there's no need for cash at any stage. If you're lucky enough to be in a city with Uber service, this is hands-down the way to get around.
Download: Uber (Free, plus fare)
Best travel & local app for Android: TripIt
TripIt lets you store all of your travel plans, including information about your itinerary, hotel, and car rental bookings in one convenient location. It can import this information direct from your email box, and you can easily share your travel plans with your family and friends. It'll even add your trips to your calendar.
TripIt is a free app and service for a basic set of features, but the real benefits come in when you subscribe to TripIt Pro for $49 per year. You get updates on any changes to your flights such as delays or gate changes, and it will also inform you when a better flight becomes available and will let you change your flight plans in-app.
Download: TripIt (Free or $49.99/year subscription)
- Are you a jet-setting world traveller? Check out the best travel apps for Android for more great apps to help plan your next great adventure.
Best weather app for Android: Accuweather
You might be using Accuweather right now on your Android, whether you know it or not. The longtime weather service powers the weather data on many apps and widgets, including those pre-loaded on many handsets by manufacturers. They use Accuweather for a reason: it's dependable and damn accurate.
And why should you use Accuweather? That accuracy here is combined with a clean, concise app that is easy to navigate and easy to understand.
Download: Accuweather (Free, or $2.99 for premium)
- Not satisfied? Check out the best weather apps for Android for more great app recommendations.
Best widget for Android: Beautiful Widgets
Beautiful Widgets is a full complement of home screen widgets, including weather, time, and battery. Though Android includes many of those natively, the real selling point with is that Beautiful Widgets has a whole store full of styles to chose from. Combination widgets which include multiple data types, such as weather and clock, can use different themes together to create a really unique look.
Download: Beautiful Widgets ($2.69)
- Want to customize the look of your phone? Check out the best theming apps for Android and tweak to your hearts content!
Best live wallpaper for Android: Muzei
Muzei is a simple, gorgeous way of livening up your wallpaper rotation. By default, the background is blurred, and with a double-tap, it leaps into focus. You can set how long it takes for a new wallpaper to come in, or decide to leave the wallpaper permanently in focus. An open framework allows other extension apps to find and pick wallpapers for you, either based on your location, social network, cloud collection, and many other sources.
Best keyboard for Android: Gboard
Google originally designed the Gboard for the iPhone, and they took their time making it available for Android. The wait was worth it, as Google Keyboard has been rebranded and updated with great new features including integrated web search. The Gboard is completely free, supports gesture typing for both individual words and entire sentences, a bounty of languages, and a modest choice of themes.
- Want more options to keep your thumbs happy? Check out the best keyboard for Android for more info.
Best podcast app for Android: Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts does what any good podcast player should do: it loads quickly, has great discovery tools, has effects for cutting down on silences, and it looks great doing it. Shifty Jelly, the company behind Pocket Casts, has put a lot of love into making the app as full-featured as possible without alienating beginners just looking for an easy-to-use podcast app.
With tablet support, Chromecast output, and easy ways to store content on microSD cards, Pocket Casts is our pick for the best podcast app on Android.
Download: Pocket Casts ($3.99)
- Looking for more podcast app recommendations? Check out the best podcasts for Android for more sound options.
Best arcade game for Android: PinOut
PinOut is a brilliant reimagining of the classic pinball action we're all familiar with into an endless arcade format, created by the award-winning developers behind Smash Hit. The game features sharp, futuristic graphics and smooth controls as it pits you in a race against the clock to see how far you can make it on one ball.
PinOut is a free download from the Google Play Store, but you might want to spend $2.99 on the one-time upgrade to premium to unlock the ability to start from previous checkpoints you've reached.
Download: PinOut (Free w/ IAPs)
- Yearning to relive the golden era of arcade gaming? Check out the best arcade games for Android — no quarters required!
Best action game for Android: Sky Force: Reloaded
Sky Force Reloaded is, simply, one of the finest games on Android. Featuring frantic gameplay, dazzling graphics, and a deep upgrade system it will have you coming back and playing for hours on end.
The story picks up after the events of Sky Force 2014 with General Mantis' daughter picking up the cause of her fallen father. Most stages feature an epic boss battle with her in a massive warship, but first you have to shoot and navigate your way through intense waves of laser-blasting tanks, turrets, and helicopters. New missions are unlocked by collecting medals, which are earned by saving all the humans, destroying all enemies, and staying untouched through a mission.
Download: Sky Force: Reloaded (Free)
- Want more action in your life (or on your phone, at least)? Check out the best action games for Android for more great game recommendations!
Best cards and casino game for Android: PokerStars Poker: Texas Hold'Em
Fans of Texas Hold 'em will be familiar with PokerStars. It stacked with features you'll love: millions of online players, frequent tournaments, multiple game styles to choose from and in-game table chat. Actual gambling apps aren't available through the Google Play Store, so you're playing with play money here — which you can buy through in-app purchases, or you can hold out for a free spin at the slots to get some starting funds once you're out.
Download: PokerStars Poker: Texas Hold'em (Free w/ IAPs)
- Looking for more card games to play on the go? Check out the best card games for Android for more recommendations.
Best racing game for Android: Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8 is an over-the-top, white-knuckled racing game for Android. Power-ups litter the fantastic courses set in real-world locations, which can help you launch off ramps for amazing (and physically unlikely) stunts. Hopefully in the process you can trash some of the competition in explosively cinematic crashes. Some freemium elements are employed, such as purchasable currency and premium power-ups, but on the whole, the game is entirely playable without spending a cent.
Download: Asphalt 8: Airborne (Free, IAPs)
- Got a serious need for speed? Check out the best racing games for Android for more recommendations.
Best sports game for Android: FIFA Mobile
FIFA Mobile offers all of the excitement of a live footie match to your Android device. There are four game modes to choose from: you start out with Live Events and Attack Mode, and unlock Leagues and Season once your profile reaches level five. Controls include the standard virtual button and joystick layout, or you can try out some great finger-friendly gesture controls. No doubt soccer fans will appreciate the top-notch graphics and real player models.
Download: FIFA Mobile (Free, IAPs)
- Are you a sports fanatic? Check out the best sports games for Android for more great options.
Your favorite Android apps?
Those are our picks for the very best apps for Android, but there are a lot of apps out there and new ones are coming out all the time. Leave a comment with your favorites!
Reader comments
The Best Android Apps
Hi
Click the Endomondo link and it takes you to a "Sorry! This content is not available in your country yet." page which is strange since a) I am in the US and b) I am already a paid subscription Endomondo user.
I've now whittled my phone down to just 25 apps (excluding the ones you cant get rid of but most of them are disabled). Years ago it would have been 200+. Less is more.
A few substitutions:
- Best comics app: ComicRack, with Challenge coming in a close 2nd due to solid archive support and recent updates (CR hasn't been updated since 2014).
- Best news & magazine app: Google News & Weather.
- Best social app: Fenix by 5 light years. 2nd would be Slide Pro for Reddit & 3rd would be Friendly for Facebook.
- Best transport app: Lyft. Same features as Uber (for the most part) and less expensive.
- Best weather app: Weatherbug. No other app gives you hourly windchill forecasts, which are crucial if you live in a cold area.
- Best keyboard: Swiftkey Beta. Neural network-powered double word prediction.
- Best podcast app: Player.fm. 99% of Pocket Casts' features, for free.
- Best tool app: ES File Explorer Pro. I've yet to find a file manager with more features than this baby, and it's far more accessible than the bewildering, obtuse Tasker.
Totally agree with this list! Es file Explorer is a must!
would add:
Solid Explorer
The comments on this post need to be purged. Some of them are literally 5 years old and they refer to apps no longer available.
that was helpfull
Great diversity of apps! I surely like it!!!
They got paid because your stupiity
All of these apps are top in their respective categories- seems there are a lot of up and comers. Seems like launchers have gained in popularity... How does this impact the list if you were to re work it today?
dots looks interesting and please thescore is not the best sports app although it updates are much faster lol. i got cbs sports and bleacher report as well but man thescore updates right away on the score immediately so i admit thats good.i aslo use fotmob and nfl and nba gametime apps.
i also use the app keep to make my to do lists and stuff like that. I didnt try cardboard app yet so i will have to check that out right now.
Facebook is an essential part but cant be said as the best social app out there lol. vine, instagram and twitter are there as well. again it depends on what you mostly use.
and among games quizup is one of the best triva ones out there and aslo flow free although for the latter you have to pay for hints. smh . yes imdb is the best movie/shows app out there hands down.
Hi, the beast Android Music App is Launched, get it free here->bit.ly/1bfq9EI
daClub- Your PERSONAL DJ, Social internet Radio, Using daClub like you owned a Club, have your personal DJ play only music you'll love and meet the others love same music like you.
daClub is an android music app that combines customize internet radio and music social network. get it free here->bit.ly/1bfq9EI
Hi! I have been using "Checkbook" on my Android phone for some time now, and I have tried emailing digitallifesoftware repeatedly to ask questions regarding changing/deleting transaction categories and I can't get anyone to answer. Is anyone else using this app and if so can you tell me how to change or remove a category? Thanks,
Hi everyone I'm new here.. Good afternoon.
I'm using Samsung s5 please share me what is new for.. Thanks
Thanks. I like to get medical app for treatment of patient.i am internist.can you help me?
I don´t find Smart Suite to Alcatel One Touch Pop1
I was searching for the matter you shared through blog. It is quite interesting and obviously very informative for me. The reason is i am using some application but not aware of lot apps but i find my solution and i am ready to install one by one now.
Best brain and puzzle game for Android: Dots,
it is so funny and want someone else to share experience with me .
Hello, what about a real fm radio player ? Does anybody know if it exists ?
What's the best Flashlight app for Samsung Galaxy Note 3?
A simple game. Deer Hunting 2015. I like this game. Not complicated but very exciting and combine shooting skills with accuracy to win the game.
By far the best keyboard on the googleplay market is touchtext. It is easy, fast and accurate. With a little practice you will be much faster than any other keyboard. No crazy rules and it is so easy to use.
If you are a movie buff, then IMBD app is for you. It helps you become updated of all that movies that are going to be on the screen and the ones that are coming. IMBD app lets you guess who the celebrity is in the blurred photo and get points for how quick you get it done.
I've been using Plume (Premium) for I don't even know how long and I love it!! I've tried a ton of other twitter apps but always go right back to Plume.
Meh... double-posted.... Sorry.
2 disagreements: I'd rate both Dolphin and Opera Mobile over Chrome Beta, and PowerAMP and WinAmp over Google Music. That's like saying Google Reader is better than MoonReader. No way in Hell, unless you don't like to actually customize your experience. That's why I like Android: Customization. And Google Music is clown shoes on that front compared to PowerAMP.
Had IM+ on my last phone and it was pretty nice. I don’t use it now but if they included a Corporate Exchange IM feature like Office Talk Free, I’d be all in.
Google Play Music may be nice for cloud storage and their new free scan and match service is a big +1, but the app itself is not even as good as the stock Android Music Player. No folder view?! Garbage.
Surprised that PowerAMP didn't get best music player...
This list of apps are amazing. I got my new Android phone last month and still discovering and update my android phone. Trying lot of apps since i have this android phone and still searching more apps that suet my needs.
HELP I have the Samsung Galaxy S2 by Sprint. And my texting is horrible still. I used Swipe on it and double checked my settings. Had this phone for 6 months and I still mispell words with I text really fast. Sometimes I do not have time to check for if I misstouched a letter and go back and fix it. It have been so annoyin gto me is there a Keyboard you suggest APP that would fixed my problem? I have used Iphone before had no problem with texting on a Iphone. Any suggestions please respond.
IMO the best Launcher for ICS is Apex Launcher because it has all the functionality of Nova Launcher plus more, and it's al free.
For Music player I vote for PowerAMP. Google Music would be nice if Google would put more countries on its map...and this goes for a bunch of other Google apps :(
PowerAmp (the paid version), in my opinion, the greatest music app on the market. I have been useing it (almost everyday) for a couple years now and have never had any issues. I curently own the Rezound and the first thing i loaded on it was PowerAmp. It has so many high level customization settings, its unreal. It also has a beats audio setting to utilize the beats audio on my Rezound. Again...my opinion....PowerAmp blows em all outa the water.
I don't agree with Pocketcast being on this list. I tried it and it was a headache to deal with. I'm sure it's been updated since I used it but I would urge people to try Doggcatcher. I've been using it for a while and I am really pleased with it. It has everything I've ever looked up(pocketcast didn't)and the customer service is great. They've fixed my one or two issues I've had very quickly and they are very friendly. UI is great and it also has auto update so I never have to lift a finger and my new podcasts are there waiting on me.
Just my .2 cents, I use Fancy widgets which has about 5 Stock ICS widget clocks with a battery level indicator for those who are not rooted. It also has customizable weather widgets as well. For all you Star Wars fans out there, I'm using the Star Wars theme which has the twin suns from Tatooine and the Death Star as the moon.
I would also like to mention a useful video monitoring/recording app by Seedonk. You can use your IP web cam to stream video to your Android Device. It's really easy and convenient to use. I can view activity of my home while I'm at work to make sure no unexpected intruders are around. It's my most used on the go app.
GO SMS mucks up my Visual Voice Mail on Sprint. I had to uninstall it.
Cluster fuck comments going on. Should wipe em out. The old with the new is confusing.
dont agree with nova launcher,should have been apex as that is free and offers all the features of the paid version of nova.
I think most of these picks are spot on but the only thing that makes Play Music better than PowerAMP is the fact that cloud storage is supported. Other than that PowerAMP is miles ahead of Play Music. I wish they would implement some more features into Play Music such as the ability to search for album art and a full EQ like on PowerAMP.
I'll take Power AMP over Google Play Music any day...
chck ou my reply to "zguy" above
For a launcher, I use ssLauncher. It's very different. HIGH level of customization. It's fairly new and at this point is just above 1000+ (paid version). The free has 100k downloads. Give it a try, but don't get frustrated at the beginning. Take your time and play and customize. I used GO Launcher until I started flashing Gingerbread roms on my OG Droid. I had to get rid of it because it was too slow. I went to Zeam, Rocketlauncher then finally I stopped with ADW. ADW was the only one lightweight and feature rich enough to make me happy (Zeam is extremely lightweight, but it doesn't have a lot of features).
For a podcatcher, I use BeyondPod. When I first got my OG Droid, I found this and have never looked back. I have checked out a few other podcatchers, but none have the polish and usability of BeyondPod. This one does have a tablet version, too (BeyondPod for Honeycomb).
That's my $.02
Chrome is nice, but it won't launch built in apps from web links; links like Wikipedia and Youtube.
That was so 10 minutes ago.... ;)
http://www.androidcentral.com/google-chrome-android-updated-better-bookm...
In same apps I agree with you but like Google play music, plume Twitter app, and chrome beta are not one of the best adnroid app. May be we can say good apps.
Finally I really appreciate you for your wonderful article coz I got two best apps from here.
Great article! I just downloaded Go SMS and chrome beta. I've always used Handcent and Dolphin (easily among my most frequently used apps) but these might be suitable upgrades, at least to try. I didn't think anything could beat Dolphin but damn, chrome is nice!
As usual, most of these apps won't run on tablets. Anyone still wondering why Android tablets can't compete with the iPad?
You should also mention the the best keyboard app : Swiftkey X....Swiftkey 3
I cannot believe google music player beat PowerAMP...smh
Agreed!!! PowerAMP is much more powerful, and the EQ settings are fun and fully featured.
Call me paranoid if you wish, but I'm not about to trust all my login credentials to an app that has full Internet access; it's part of my caution and common sense approach to keeping safe on Android. That's why I passed on mSecure, even when it was available for $0.49 during the Play Store rollout.
I love 1Weather, I just wish it would support HD resolution screens.
Prefer Handscent for SMS had several issues with GO SMS on my Bionic had to uninstall...
Plume is pretty awesome, but at the rate Boid is getting developed and updated, it might take the crown from them.
Definitely, it has done one of the best ICS interface integrations I've seen thus far. Very very impressive Twitter app and the one I'm currently using.
How about Chomp SMS? It has done me well.
HD Widgets and SBSH Safewallet for me....
Poweramp for music player, hands down.
can poweramp stream from online content and native music files?
For everyone's comments on launchers the one main thing for me that makes Go Launcher EX stick out from the rest is it allows folders in the app drawer... When you have over 100 apps I don't want to be constantly flicking through pages. Until the others allow this I'm not switching.
Google Music. Can you get that outside of the US yet?
Yes. Google it yourself, there're some workarounds. Supposed to be illicit, though.
Browser: Dolphin is the only one I have found works with Lastpass bookmarklets so I don't need to subscribe to lastpass premium for the once a month I need to use it.
Launcher: I haven't used Nova, but Go Launcher does most (or all?) of the things that Nova has listed on their website as features. And it's completely free.
People use Nova because they like the look/feel of the stock ICS launcher...which Nova retains. Go Launcher is great for Android 2.* versions, but not so much for ICS phones...unless you want your phone to look like it's running an older version of Android.
I would vote for Keepass as the best PW manager. It also uses dropbox for sync purposes and it's free. Roboform is almost a tie with Keepass however.
To any one curious, I believe the weather/clock widget in the Nova Launcher screen shot is Beautiful Widgets' SuperClock. I may be wrong and it may be something packaged into Nova, but I can make Beautiful Widgets look just like that.
what is the clock widget? i was looking for a clock with roboto font for such a long time
Great article. What about the best launcher and browser that is not exclusive to ICS? Most android users still don't have ICS so I think it would be fair to write about those categories. IMO I love Go Launcher HD. It's buttery smooth, visually appealing, and simple. As for browsers I do prefer Dolphin Browser HD but I just can't stand the icon. I wish it was just a regular globe icon or something that makes it look like it is a browser.
Why not download the icon you want to use (or extract one from an apk) and use desktop visualizer to create a custom shortcut to dolphin...just an idea
If you are using Go Launcher, just long press the icon and press "replace". I just used the one built in to my theme.
Woah, anyone know what weather widget that is on the nova launcher screen shot?
Beautiful widgets with a custom icon pack downloaded.
Beweather also lets you use beautiful widget icon packs in their widgets.
So Josh thinks an app with a widget so fugly he has to go download a seperate app just to have a good widget is the best andriod app. *facepalm*
Thanks for the quick reply!
*jumps on the play store*
*facepalm*
You don't get it. Beautiful widgets is only intended to be used as a real-time weather monitor/clock widget. 1Weather has much more detailed information with Radar, hourly breakdowns, warnings, and much more. I, like many other users I know, use both apps.
Truth, sir!
I would also like to know, I quite like the wallpaper and the digital clock too, so if anyone knows then please let us know
Google Play Music still needs to be available here in Brazil
OK what weather widget is that? Its not 1weathers because 1weathers widget is round and ugly! But I really like the one in the picture above
i agree with most.... however, my favorite launcher is apex because it has every single feature listed above, it's easier on ram, and it's free. my favorite weather is weatherflow....it has everything 1weather has and it's more my taste....that's just up to preference ;)
I use Go Launcher EX, and I found MyWeather to be a pretty decent weather app. It moves pretty fast and you can have multiple places. Best part it is a free app
Google Play Music and Chrome Beta? Both got lukewarm reception by users. Yikes. Give me Music Pro and Dolphin HD browser!
Definitely like Dolphin better than Chrome. Chrome doesn't even support Flash. Unless its been updated since I uninstalled it :)
PowerAmp (the paid version), in my opinion, the greatest music app on the market. I have been useing it (almost everyday) for a couple years now and have never had any issues. I curently own the Rezound and the first thing i loaded on it was PowerAmp. It has so many high level customization settings, its unreal. It also has a beats audio setting to utilize the beats audio on my Rezound. Again...my opinion....PowerAmp blows em all outa the water.
I agree. The most important feature to me is the folder choice for media files. I'm not one who uses playlists a lot, so it's nice to let the app cycle through and not hit my ringtones.
Also, I don't rely on cloud-based storage for most of my music, so the killer feature of Google Music isn't all that killer for me. Power Amp is simply the best app out there for me.
Doggcatcher is the best podcast app
BeWeather is the best weather app (1weather widget is fugly)
Doggcatcher is really the best podcasting app period.
Best weather imo is WeatherBug Elite.
Here's what I love about Android - I disagree with all of these "Best Apps" and that's fine. I'm not going to argue because with Android "Best" is subjective - I can use whatever is best for me, and you can use whatever is best for you. Choice, customization and control. The 3 C's of Android!
You are correct but this article is presenting it as fact. If this was titled "My Favorite Apps" then I wouldn't feel the need to argue.
OI Safe is a great and also free password manager. It is Holo themed also so it fits perfectly with ICS.
ppl, the android stock browser isn't chrome. the chrome beta browser is a separate download app and only works in ICS.
I wish I could use GoSMS or Handcent on my HTC Evo View. I liked both them.
Why is it. So diffult to root a phone
Android isn't intended to be rooted at all. Therefore, if it was easier, malware would be an even bigger problem than it is.
There's a valid debate about whether or not users should have full admin rights on their own devices; power users say yes, networks say no, and ordinary users are probably happy to trade away admin rights for a device that Just Flippin' Works, all the time.
Wouldn't be "open source" if it wasn't to be rooted!!....IJS
Agree with most but stock browser can only go so far. Dolphin or Miren browser are way better. Started on Dolphin and now I am on Miren browser.
Best Launcher, Launcher Pro really!
You better update this rating, that launcher is so dated and not much development and support. There are other way better ones now. GO Launcher, Regina, MX Home come to mind that are all free and beat LPP hands down.
LPP is not on the list...it's Nova Prime, lol.
LPP was on the original list, when this was first published in Sept. check the date of the comment 29 weeks ago. No idea why they kept the original comments when a majority of the apps that people commented on aren't even on the list anymore.
I have an Evo 4G running 2.2 and my browser doesn't look anything like the image you show here. It also doesn't have tabbed windows like I believe I see in your image. Am I missing something? I much prefer the other browser (such as Dolphin) features but they are just too slow. I would love to have tabbed browsing in the stock app if I can get it.
If you're looking at the stock browser picture, those aren't tabs. You see up at the very top of this website, the top bar that shows Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, etc? That's what you see that looks like tabs on the phone. Hope that helps!
First off... why is your EVO running 2.2 and not Gingerbread? It was released a year ago for the EVO. And I think you're talking about the Chrome Browser... which is only available on ICS
I think you failed to realize that the comment you're replying to is several months old.
AndroidCentral kept all the old comments and re-released this blog entry with a different list of apps...... for some unknown reason.
Check the comment dates.
Its the Google Chrome beta for phones. Only for ICS though which is probably why you've never seen it.
where can i get that wallpaper ?????(the android one)
Without a doubt "GOSMS Pro" out does Handscent on every aspect ESPECIALLY customisation, it's fast, smooth, and ridiculously customisable with Emoji plugin, Wallpaper creator, Lots of themes, list and bubble chat view etc etc etc etc etc and then much more!
Android Market Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jb.gosms&feature=search_result
i use all the GO products except contacts
same here. GOContacts is SLOW!
Absolutely: Go Launcher EX dominates (better than LauncherPro or adw or tw or any others). And all the scrollable widgets and many other things that say they "require" LauncherPro or ADW, for example, run just fine on Go. I also use their SMS. They just know what they are doing. Smooth. Customizable.
I'm with you on that as well...Go Launcher EX and SMS Pro are just that damn good! I was using LPP for a very long time and made the switch and haven't looked back. Now if they can get Go Launcher HD up to the EX level...which I know they will.
I uninstalled Go Launcher EX awhile ago, to make place for Nova. Never regretted it. Go L EX is slow, uses a lot of resources and the spam (even in the paid version) is annoying.
Meh...its cool. No, it is not as customizable. I like the iPhone-like bubbles Handcent has....I dont see an easy way to make GOSMS look like that.
I do use GoLauncher and I do like GoContacts(Just like the dialer part mostly).
Have you seen the iPhone Go SMS theme?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jb.gosms.theme.goiphon...
I don't know about you, but GOSMS asked me in the setup when I installed it if I wanted regular conversation style or bubble conversation style.
I'm pretty sure you can go into the settings and change it back and forth whenever you want also.
My issue with GOSMS has always been that their pop-up would not show up on top of the HTC Sense lockscreen on Sense 2.0+ roms. Handcent made a workaround option that you can select to make it work.
I haven't used GOSMS in a few months, have they added this functionality yet?