Are you looking for android apps to help your business? Perhaps you’re interested in apps to secure your device and, more importantly, the data on it. Maybe you want to communicate freely (and privately) with colleagues, family and friends because it’s integral to your lives; wherever in the world you and they are. Or you want to access photos and music on the fly; knowing everything’s safely backed up. Because, who doesn’t enjoy being entertained?
If you’re looking for apps to run your business, you’ll want solutions you can use on any device. Zoho CRM, Mail, Invoice, Vault & Campaigns manage core aspects of a business (read Zoho Suite). Smartphone apps complement the desktop apps, and sync with your account to let you manage your business from anywhere. We use the Mail and Vault apps daily because they make it easy to send emails and securely access online accounts from any device.
If you use Microsoft Office on your desktop, you’re probably familiar with the improved functionality of the Outlook, Excel and Word apps over recent years. And Office Lens (read Paperless Office) is a lesser-known app which effortlessly turns your phone into a scanner. However, most phone cameras probably do a better job, so test your hardware before needlessly downloading extra software.
Cloud storage allows businesses to automatically backup, read & edit documents across devices, meaning documents are safe and easy to access. Options include: Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Sync and Filen.
Evernote is great for taking notes and making lists, including photos. Pocket is ideal for saving web pages to read later on any device. And control presentations using your phone and Remote Mouse.
If you want to surf anonymously, you should consider a VPN. (Read What is a VPN? for further details.) Filen offers zero-knowledge end-to-end encrypted cloud storage across devices for free if less than 10GB, and very reasonable prices if you need more. We recommend protecting all cloud-storage accounts with two-step authentication (2FA); as such, Authy is an excellent 2FA code-generating app, which works on smartphones and desktops. For further details about end-to-end encryption and 2FA; read Data Security.
Video messaging apps include: WhatsApp, Messenger, Skype, and Zoom. WhatsApp encrypts all messages and calls by default; however, the backup feature saves unencrypted messages to cloud storage. Messenger doesn’t offer encryption by default, so many won’t know it’s available or simply forget. Skype encrypts all forms of communication but, according to arsTECHNICA, the NSA cracked the encryption. Zoom uses end-to-end encryption but there are limitations. If privacy is that important to you, consider using Signal (used by Edward Snowden) or Wickr.
A common complaint is a smartphone running out of memory. This means you can’t take more photos, download more music or install more apps. Often, a phone runs out of memory because of too many photos on the device. Luckily, there is a simple fix. Google Photos backs up your memories (which is reassuring should you lose your phone) and gives you 15GB of free storage (and 100GB is reasonably priced). The app has a simple ‘Free up space’ option, deleting photos from your phone storage (once backed up), which often solves the issue of low memory.
CloudPlayer streams your music from a cloud storage account. You can save music offline but it will use your phone’s storage.
Journey is a journal and a great way to take a trip down memory lane: revisiting thoughts, photos and videos. It has a cool map feature highlighting entries from all over the world.
And a few Android apps we love. WGT Golf: very playable golf game, which has all the world’s top courses; incredibly realistic graphics and easy-to-master gameplay. Google Cardboard: assemble a cardboard headset to explore the world like never before, using a growing number of fun VR apps.
We know there are thousands of Android apps available and just wanted to bring your attention to those we find useful and fun. We asked our readers to suggest their favourites. Steve from Reading (a VW Campervan enthusiast) suggested Cozi Family Organiser as a great way to keep mum, dad, and the kids organised, without the need of a PA or Duck Tape. And Allan, flying the flag of Fife in Epsom, suggested Life Hacks & WikiHow. We’re now fans of the former, as it’s taught us how to deal with mosquito bites (relief!) and getting extra bacon using water (Jesus 2.0). WikiHow is an online wiki-style community consisting of an extensive database of how-to guides and animated images.
