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It's good apps that bring smartphones to life but app stores have unfortunately become somewhat of a jungle over the years. Many apps require far too many permissions while others cram home screens full of ads or become usable only after features have been unlocked through in-app purchases. That's why I like to look for open-source alternatives. Their source code is freely available, commercial interests play a minor role (contributors appreciate donations though!) and quality control is achieved through community participation. So let's look at 8+1 apps that deserve your attention!
A slightly drunk computer scientist once remarked nothing was more fleeting than love - except decent WLAN. And even if your philosophical ambitions are lower, you'll likely still be all too familiar with WiFi issues. Which spots offer the best reception and how many walls are in the way? Where would a repeater make sense? There are dozens of apps to this effect that require just as many permissions or get bogged down by a myriad of ads - and then there's WiFiAnalyzer. Naturally, the app is open-source, includes no ads and just does what it's supposed to do. Signal strengths, fluctuation or channel usage? It's all here, fully adjustable and customizable for best results. Even if you're already content and merely curious, you'll find loads of information about neighboring networks, router performance and a lot more.
What better way to pass pesky waiting times than with a little game? Since I like classics, all of my phones have the good old Frozen Bubble installed. You play as Tux (a cute penguin and Linux mascot) who shoots colored frozen bubbles to form groups of the same color. Simply tap to shoot. Every time a group contains at least three bubbles of the same color, the group disappears. The object is to clear the whole screen before a bubble passes a line at the bottom. What may sound easy can quickly lead to serious addiction - and the occasional cursing and swearing. The game isn't mindless fun either since, especially in later stages, a decent amount of strategy is required. Frozen Bubble requires only a minimum of permissions and space and is also light on your traffic contingent due to the total absence of ads.
Would you like to browse the mobile web fully anonymously? Meet Orbot. What may sound like a disgruntled robot is an easy gateway to the already discussed Tor network. If you're okay with slightly slower loading times (it can get quite slow sometimes), you'll find this a great way to safeguard your privacy on the go and for free. Your network traffic is routed through multiple encrypted servers which makes tracking you incredibly hard even for seasoned snoops. Orbot works perfectly with the Orfox browser, both made by the same developers, which remains particularly guarded whenever websites or service providers try to gather or collect data from you. As with all apps of this kind, it pays to take a look at the tutorial first (also available on YouTube) to avoid unnecessary frustration.
Alright, I'll admit it. Sometimes when I'm installing apps, I go a little overboard. Like when I installed Kodi just to watch a couple of videos on my phone. That's like putting a skyscraper in an allotment garden - trust me, it's great fun. Made by XMBC, Kodi is a full-fledged media center application with all the bells and whistles both visually and feature-wise. Once you've mastered the quite complex handling, you can embed, stream, customize and play anything and everything media-related. A true revelation on PCs (some Ashampoo staff members would gladly name their sons Kodi), the phone app offers a comparable feature set on the go. If you simply want to watch videos on your phone and would rather not spend ample time learning the app, you should go for VLC instead. Already a favorite on PCs, the program's also available for Android phones and can handle all your video playback needs with ease.
Whenever I see my boss use his phone, there's a fair chance he's reading an ebook on it. If you're looking for a fast compact solution that doesn't want to sell you additional features or take over your device in terms of permissions, ReadEra will be perfect for you. It's a lesson in just how simple a decent reading app can be. The app quickly scans your phone and lists all supported files with a small preview. Supported formats include the popular EPUB, PDF, DOC, TXT and even less common types like DJVU, FB2, MOBI and many others. It not only obviates the need for a separate PDF viewer but also makes for hours of stress-free reading due to its great program stability. The only drawback is that the program doesn't support DRM-protected files for licensing reasons. For that, you'll have to look elsewhere.
You can't have a computer without passwords and phones are no exception - quite the opposite if you use them often. While there's no shortage of commercial password apps, there's at least one good free alternative: Keepass2Android. It's an open-source password manager with strong encryption and support for all browsers I know of. The developers even took security one step further by providing their own software keyboard for password inputs because default software keyboards aren't protected enough against access attempts from other apps (like spyware). As far as permissions go, the app restricts itself to the bare minimum. That's very laudable indeed. And if you have any questions about a required permission, a short Internet research will quickly reveal why it is needed - there are certainly no data thieves at work here! If you're looking for a password manager, go check it out - unless you expect an ultra-snazzy user interface (apparently, some want eye candy even from their password managers).
Here's where you can get all these great apps
There a times when you might wonder what hardware is built into your phone. CPU Info will give you this information along with many other details. Not only does it list every single component and its properties in great detail, it also tells you everything about your available disk space, installed Android version, battery status and built-in sensors. Installed apps are also included along with live CPU and battery temperatures. Admittedly, the app is as thrilling as a ring binder visually, but it does what it says with speed, reliability and accuracy.
It's now time for one of my all-time favorites: Open Camera. If you're not satisfied with the out of the box photo experience your phone provides, feel free to try your luck with the dozen different settings this app has to offer and make the most out of your shots. You won't regret it! Different color effects, scene modes, white exposure modifications and face recognition are a welcome bonus on top of the usual standard features. You can also drag your favorite features into a side bar to avoid lengthy menu navigation. Trying out the various settings and optimizations is great fun and the results definitely beat the default automatic mode. Realistically speaking, the app won't turn your budget phone into a professional camera but the difference is noticeable. And if your phone is compatible, you can always install Google's Cam HDR+. Apparently, the app won't stop processing until your photos look decent - with truly impressive results.
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May I present another uncommon app? I surely hope so! DailyArt is a treat for all art lovers. Every day at 7 pm, it presents me with another masterpiece. Works range from classic and famous paintings to modern pieces and always include a brief summary about the artists and their lives. They app just recently received a major update and the dedication of its makers shines through at every corner. Some may find the app unnecessary but I tend to enjoy the few minutes of peace and beauty DailyArt gives me every day.
This week, my question for you is very easy: which free software gem is missing in this article? If you're interested, I will gladly extend the list and I can't wait to see what pearls you have on your phones!
If you're wondering why there was no mention of iOS apps: frankly, I'm not an expert on this matter. Since I only recommend what I've tried myself, I'll leave iOS articles to others. So Apple users: go easy on me! Next week's article will cover a different topic, I promise.
Ic 2:guardianproject.info Pic 3: appuals.com
Hello
Thanks to the programmer, able, always, success and win.
It is incredibly wonderful, thank you, I am also proud that this is your nation's victory.
Your developers did an extraordinary job. I really am happy with all the kids.
Anyway, it's fast and flawless.Ashampoo
My excellent support with the response time was very fast.
I wish our developers to maintain their servers and users like us. 100% Downloder
All software. Ashampoo
Hello Sven,
It is good that you included FOSS, which is largely ad-free and stayed away from the thousands of free-top-play, until they aren't (add ons and lockboxes) games. My Samsung phone does not have Google Play, so I suppose there's less Google stalkware installed. I think that it would be great if companies supplied their APK files direct from their website or a secure and open repository rather than Google Play, which takes a large precentage of any sales that paid apps sell for. It's just another example of a Google walled garden and monopoly on app distribution.
It might be worth mentioning a couple of add ons for Firefox that block ads and block scripts: uBlockOrigin and uMatrix.
uBlockOrigin is detected less by anti-adblockers. uMatrix requires intervention from time-to-time to allow some scripts, but it is an extra layer of protection from trackers.
Hi,
Calculator N+, Simple Gallery, Omni Notes, Pong, 2048(ads free), K-9 Mail, Sky Map, Vanilla Music, Lichess, Antenna Pod, Minimal Open Source Flashlight, Ankidroid Flashcards.
Thanks for your contributions, these and the ones suggested by the other readers will go a long ways to reduce my frustrations with Android phone issues. Now for your next challenge: How about repeating this blog for Linux operating systems? I am having major issues with Windows 10 since every time I turn it on or try to perform a function, it stops/slows while it decides to install some new update or other. Task manager says it's using 100% disk space, 85% RAM, and 60% CPU, so nothing gets done until Microsoft says so. Then it starts again in a few minutes. I have acquired a replacement computer, equipped it with Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon, and am loading it with all the essentials that I use on the Windows unit, and so far it's great. It would be nice, however, to have recommendations for this system since I'm new to Linux.
Hi Sven,
Your initial sentence is the truth.
Apps (annoying abbreviation of application which means a method of performing a task.) the plethora of which are more of a nuisance than use with the exception of a few for safety, security, location and navigation aid.
t’s already been established that the smartphone is probably sharing an alarming amount of personal information with various third party sites that are so well established, that most people seem to more or less brush it off, because they assume that this data sharing is just a necessary evil , but in truth it is not.
Much of the data transferred to and from the 500 most popular free applications for Google Android mobile phones makes little or no difference to the user’s experience, therefore that data that’s being handed around all over the world mostly serves little to no purpose for the user, but they may want to start asking a few more questions about what’s going on behind the scenes.
I have eight applications on my "smart?-'phone" including the basic camera, one is for connecting Chromecast the TV to watch movies on a larger than thumb-nail 'phone-screen.
I love life in the real world without wanting or needing several dozen applications which I can physically manage without annoying, brainwashing advertising, and not sharing the technological ether with Facebook to spread individual likes, dislikes and personal information.
Hello Sven,
As interesting as ever, only this time -- given the sheer quantity of apps out there, as well as the so varied "taste" of each & every user -- you probably opened quite a (well-behaved) Pandora box here; readers are likely to "invade" the talk-back area with recommendations ...
Quoting Julie Andrews (Sound of Music), "here are a few of my favorite things":
1. App Search+ ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rjt.appsearch ):
As I am running several hundred apps on my S7, finding them in order to launch them would be a nightmare without this little gem: just enter a few characters of the app's name and there it is, ready to be clicked on for launching, or long-click-on for getting to its properties page. All this, without replacing the stock launcher of the smartphone.
2. Smooth Calendar ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=se.catharsis.android.calendar ):
So easy on the eyes to have your to-Do tasks and appointments orderly in a widget on the front page and have the opportunity to get to any of them by a simple click without ever entering the Organizer (but for setting-up new schedules, of course) - it perfectly integrates with the stock organizer.
3. Calendar Snooze ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitfire.development.calendarsnooze ):
Speaking of which, a nice reminder app which -- unlike the built-in snooze, which allows you only to cancel or snooze for 5 minutes -- actually enables you to snooze for any unit of time (including "until" settings) is so much more efficient.
4. Waze - guess no one is going without it (or one of its alternatives, such as the not-less-known Google Maps) nowadays ...
5. Call History Manager ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pa.calllog.tracker ):
The stock phone manager has a memory of up to two weeks (?), and is not the best tool to discover a previous call.
This one's memory is only limited by the phone's abilities, and provides very orderly access to all previous calls / messages and more. Great!
4. Call Recorder - ACR ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nll.acr ):
In my humble opinion, one of the best and most flexible Call Recorders around.
5. Torque Pro ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque ):
Want to know how the health of your car is doing and to supplement your car's gauges with much more info? Then Torque Pro is the tool for you (there is also a Lite version of it, but the US$5.00 to be paid for upgrading to Pro is really worthwhile).
6. Carista: ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prizmos.carista ):
If you really want to know what's "bugging" your car and how to get about it, as well as to setup various configurations (such as for how long should the lights in the car be on after you open the door, or whether you want your car to beep continuously while driving backward), then Carista is the tool for you :)
7. No phone nowadays should be some kind of security tools installed. Personally, I am loyal to Norton (though -- in all fairness -- the competition does its job just as well.
I do complement the suite however with a few more tools, such as Norton Snap ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.symantec.norton.snap ), which checks the Web site to which a QR code is linking, to prevent getting to infected sites.
8. The smartphone can be used as a very useful tool too.
Apps such as Gauss Meter ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keuwl.gaussmeter ) which tell you just how much radiation is around you (very useful to check electrical reclining beds' motors or your various Wi-Fi equipment), or the Compass Level & GPS ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jee.level ) to check your fridge is level or what direction you heading to are must-have in my arsenal.
9: INKredible Pro ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.viettran.INKrediblePro ):
Have you ever tried to take hand-written notes or sketches on a smartphone (not Samsung Note, which is designed for this purpose)? Surely you discovered there should be better ways and that the technology is -- apparently -- not yet up to it.
Enter INKredible Pro: you won't believe just what your smartphone is able to do, given the right interface ...
10: AppMgr III ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.app2sd.pro ):
If you are -- just as yours truly -- always trying to save some bytes of your precious smartphone's limited memory, then this app is a boon: it just moves (manually or automatically - your choice) every app (that can be moves) to your SD card, without affecting functionality! It can also hide / freeze apps, should you wish it to.
11. AppMonster Pro ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.think_android.apps.appmonster.cloud ):
If you ever had to struggle with a bad app update which practically crippled your phone, you'll get to appreciate this one: it automatically (when correctly configured) backs-up each app's APK as it is installed and keeps as many generations of the app as you ask it to.
Should Mr Bug strike, all you have to do is uninstall the harmful app and reinstall its previous (or more generations back) version from the Monster's archive (obviously, kept on your SD card, to save on native & scarce memory).
12. RouterCheck ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Sericon.RouterCheck.client.android ):
While Wi-Fi Analyzer can tell most of the WiFi's net story, it has no clue of whether the home-router is secure & secured (besides showing if it is password-protected).
This is where RouterCheck comes in, doing a thorough vetting of the router to which you are currently connected.
13. Ampere ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gombosdev.ampere ):
Have you ever felt that your phone is getting hot or not reacting fast enough? Believed (but couldn't prove) that something is eating-up your CPU cycles?
Well, Apmere is just a small app, sitting like a horizontal thin non-intrusive bar at the top of your screen, showing you just how much CPU / RAM is in use at every given moment.
You will know if you were right (someone IS gobbling your CPU and memory), or the phone is due for a technician inspection (or simply too old ...).
There are other apps which -- when launched -- can break-up for you which apps are running and what resources they are using. Ampere just gives you the "heads-up".
14: PrintHand Premium (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dynamixsoftware.printhand.premium ):
Who hasn't wished / tried to print something directly from the phone to the local printer.
While some printers currently offer this functionality, via dedicated apps, not everyone has a "current" printer ...
PrintHand is able to print to just about any printer, for as long as it is connected to the same base router as your phone.
Even better, it can print (nicely formatted) contact lists, e-mails, schedules and many more (it does integrate with the relevant apps).
Fair warning: while the app can print to just about any destination, the odd lack of support for some printers may be there. There is a free version of the app, which allows for a few printing attempts, just to see that everything is working smoothly, prior to actually paying for the fully-fledged app.
15. Quick Message (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bytesizebit.nocontactwhatappmessage ):
Most of us know about WhatsApp. The trouble with it however is that -- should you wish to send a quick message to someone NOT in your Contact list -- you just can't!
Quick Message, allows you to do JUST that! Moreover, you can send a message to YOURSELF as well (clearly not a WhatsApp feature ...)!
16. CarFind ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.carfind ):
Who hasn't forgotten where the car was left on a street or parking lot?
Open CarFind: Click on it when you leave the car, and click again to bring you back to it when you need to find it - just as simple as that!
As I said, these are just a few of my favorites; many more can be found on Google Play for each taste and request :)
All the best,
Eric
Whoa Eric, better than my blog. :) Thank you so much!
Thanks Sven, an interesting blog!
I thought I already had WifiAnalyser downloaded but realised the one I have is called Wifi_Analyser. Comparing the two I noted your preference does not have a 'meter'? The one I have does have this feature and I find it most useful to see the signal strength variation as I walk around the home! It helps place the wifi booster in the best place.
I´ll take a look at it! Thank you!
This is only the tip of the iceberg.
What are your thoughts on download sites for APKs other than Google Play?
There's a little risk for Android users, downloading apps via Google Play is the safest option. Based on the data released by the Android security team, you're about 10 times more likely to have a potentially harmful application on your device if you're not just using Google Play. I'd like to keep it safe. :)
Hello.Hie ho are you yes l have sewn all the apps on recommendation for my phone ,may you kindly help. I had to rest my phone sometime and the camera is upside down now and it's the front not the back ,what must l do to function right now .Thank you God bless you
To be honest, I've never heard of an issue like yours. But you can always use another camera app or uninstall Open Camera if it does not work properly. Or take a look here: http://opencamera.org.uk/help.html
"Rotate preview - this option rotates the on-screen preview by 180 degrees (i.e., upside down). Most users won't ever need this, but this option can be useful if you are using Open Camera with equipment such as zoom lenses which invert the image. Note that this doesn't rotate the resultant photos/videos - you'll still have to rotate those yourself afterwards - but this will correct the preview so that you can still see what you are shooting properly."
"My pictures are being rotated/cropped! - This likely means the auto-level option is on. (If they're being rotated even when the phone is held level, it may mean the accelerometer sensor on your device isn't calibrated.) It's off by default, but you may have accidentally switched it on. To turn off, go to the "popup" menu and untick Auto-level."
Nice one Sven. That was a lovely write up. I think it is important to have a simple app that keeps a check on wifi and of course one that has no ads. I live in a place called Cidral which is in Monsanto central Portugal and the wifi out here is pretty bad and dominated by Meo Altice and they are to say the least the pick of a bunch of crap.
I must say you have given me food for thought and I will go play with the cute Penguin lol. Although i really need to be looking for a virus checking app for my phone that has no ads and no back doors to allow the buggers in lol. Thanks for the lovely read Sven
Nice article. I had a very similar WiFi analyser but the one mentioned has some nice little features. Will also check out the camera app. One to include for next time for the more techie crowd is
"Fing" great if you look after networks.
Thanks
Thank you for your interesting selection.
I already have WiFi Analyser and VLC.
I would not be without Fing which details what is on my network.
My other 'must have' is Folder Player. Its straight forward and plays my (classical) music collection the way I like to hear it, in order and with tags clearly visible. It does it straight from the folders I copy to the memory card. No frills, no fuss. It just works!