As of May 2016, there are more than 1.5 million programs in the Google Play store for Android. Among them are system utilities, multimedia applications, widgets, games and many other categories. But definewhat are the most needed android apps, a simple user is not easy. After all, many programs are a kind of "Hello World", that is, a test of the pen of amateurs and novice programmers. Another part is functionally duplicates of popular software with similar functionality, but differs in the implementation method (creators simply write applications that are more convenient for them than mass analogues). Selectmost needed android apps 2016our material will help.
The top 100 includes software for solving the most popular tasks.organized into categories to make it easier to choose among them. There are no antiviruses and similar utilities in the selection. Whymost needed apps for androiddo not include anti-malware tools - we wrote earlier.
The most needed applications for Android, which play media files, are simply necessary if the "native" player in the smartphone does not suit you. 
- TTPod . An advanced player from Chinese developers that supports changing themes, working with online services, searching for covers and lyrics, as well as showing lyrics in karaoke mode.
- AIMP . A high-quality audio player that supports all popular formats, interface customization, work with playlists, control from the "curtain" and work with streaming audio.
- YouTube . The official video player from a popular video hosting. Against the background of the web version, it features improved optimization, simple setup, supports full-screen mode in one click (which is important for weak smartphones, where the web version is “stupid”).
- Daroon Player. A multifunctional player for audio and video that supports playlists and work with DVD files (with a graphical menu).
- Radio Ukraine . Program for online listening to Ukrainian radio stations. It has more than 100 all-Ukrainian and local channels in its database.
- MX Player . A powerful video file player with support for hardware (including multi-core) decoding.
- KMPlayer . Another computer video player program ported to Android. It differs from the "big brother" in more modest functionality, but equally good optimization.
- BSPlayer FREE. A free video player for Android that supports hardware decoding, work with archived videos and the contents of OTG drives.
Office software
It was unfair not to include inbest apps for androidand office tools for working with documents on a smartphone or tablet. 
- Microsoft Word . The mobile version of the world-famous word processing tool for Windows.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader . The official tool for working with PDF documents.
- Google Docs . Adapted for smartphones version of the online service for working with office documents.
- Microsoft Excel . Another official Microsoft Office application, this time for working with spreadsheets.
- CamScanner . A program that will turn your Android smartphone into a scanner. With its help, you can scan and digitize a paper text document.
- Cool Reader . Powerful e-book reader in most popular formats.
Typing and printing
Comfortable work with instant messengers and office documents is impossible without a good keyboard. For those who are not satisfied with the standard "clave" of Google - a selectionbest apps for android,for typing. 
- touchpal . Customizable input with support for smart typing and emoji. For those who can't get used to YTSUKEN after a push-button dialer, the ability to turn on the T9 keyboard will be an invaluable option.
- Flexy . Customizable keyboard with large buttons for faster typing than standard.
- Kika Keyboard . A keyboard that features a wide range of customization options for functionality and interface. Supports various fonts, dictionaries, animated emoji and keystroke sounds.
- Ginger Keyboard . An interesting keyboard for Android that supports, among other things, the text translation function.
Working with finance
To manage finances without leaving home, modern banks and payment systems offer software for remote access to accounts and wallets. 
- Credit history . A program from UBKI that allows you to see your credit rating and assess the chance of success in obtaining a loan.
- AndroMoney . A free program for managing the budget of a family or a small emergency, the strict reporting of which is not required by law.
- bitcoin wallet . A program for managing the wallet of the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
- Vitrat magazine . A program for managing a family budget that allows you to keep track of income and expenses.
- Exchange rates Ukraine. An application for monitoring foreign exchange rates in Ukrainian banks.
Navigation
The best free apps for Android2016, responsible for working with navigation, will be useful to those who travel a lot and often visit unfamiliar cities, using a smartphone or tablet instead of a navigator. 
- Google Maps . The official navigation application from Google, which, unfortunately, is not always preinstalled on smartphones.
- Android GPS Test . A program that allows you to test the operation of the navigator, shows the number and type of detected satellites, determines the speed, coordinates and height above sea level.
- Yandex maps . An alternative to the standard Google service. It is distinguished by a better elaboration of the detail of satellite images of Ukraine and neighboring countries.
- Navitel Navigator . A shareware application with support for online maps, display of traffic jams, cameras and traffic police posts, as well as 3D display.
- Google Earth . A program from Google that supports 3D navigation and shows all corners of the Earth in the form of satellite images.
- Roads of Ukraine . Atlas of highways of Ukraine, which maintains a user database on the state of coverage of important highways.
Transport and travel
This category contains applications designed to make life easier for both travelers and those who simply do not know the city well enough. 
- Car DVR & GPS navigator . A program that allows you to use a smartphone fixed in a car as a DVR.
- Train timetable Ukraine . Program for viewing schedules of commuter and passenger trains in Ukraine.
- Foursquare - Best City Guide . A program for travelers that allows you to search for short descriptions of world cities and find information about infrastructure facilities ((cafes, hotels, clubs, shops, stations) in them.
- Easy way public transport . Detailed information about public transport routes in major cities of Ukraine (56 cities), Russia (20), Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Serbia and Croatia.
- Airbnb. A program designed to find affordable accommodation for travelers around the world. The database contains more than 35 thousand cities of the world.
- Booking.com. Booking hotel rooms around the world. More than 750 thousand hotels in the database, with filters and descriptions.
Internet
Web surfing is one of the main features of an Android smartphone.The most needed apps for Android2016 in this category includes a selection of good browsers. 
- Opera . A mobile version of a well-known computer browser that has extended functionality (compared to Opera Mini), but also supports information compression.
- Google Chrome . A popular browser from Google, adapted for mobile devices.
- Adblock Browser . A browser from the creators of the popular extension that allows you to enjoy browsing sites without annoying ads.
- UC Browser . An application from Chinese developers, featuring support for traffic compression, a powerful downloader and a user-friendly interface.
- UTorrent . Mobile version of the popular torrent downloader for PC.
- Firefox. A fast cross-platform browser with sync, extensions and a powerful bookmarking tool.
Communication and social networks
L best free apps for androidcannot be imagined without online messengers. 
- Telegram . A popular online messenger from the creators of Vkontakte.
- Skype . The official client of the popular messenger from Microsoft, which supports text, voice and video communication.
- Viber . Another popular cross-platform service for communication.
- Kate Mobile . Vkontakte client with advanced features: support for downloading audio and video, as well as stealth mode.
- Dialer One . An alternative to the stock Android dialer with a customizable keyboard and other cool features.
- Swarm - by Foursquare. The application allows you to share your location with friends and find out where they are now.
- facebook messenger. Free messenger from the creators of the world's largest social network, with contact integration.
- Facebook. The official client for communication in the world famous social network.
- In contact with. The client of the popular social network, without downloading music, but official.
Photo and video
The selection includes the best Android programs for working with photography and video, as well as related online services. 
- Adobe Photoshop Express . The mobile version of the world famous professional imaging tool.
- Z Camera . An alternative to a standard camera, featuring an abundance of filters, rich settings and good performance.
- Camera MX . Another alternative camera that supports "hot" image processing, many filters and shooting "live photos".
- Instagram . A well-known online service for posting photos in real time, as well as viewing galleries of other users.
- Pics Collage . A tool for editing and combining multiple pictures into one collage.
- Pencil Sketch . A program that converts ordinary photos from the camera into graphic drawings "a la pencil".
- . A feature-packed and completely free alternative to the stock Android camera.
- Google Photos . The official tool for working with the popular photo hosting from Google.
- Coub. The application allows you to create short looped videos and share them with friends.
- pinterest. Photo service for uploading images to thematic collections and viewing images of other users.
Purchases
To make shopping on the Internet not only convenient, but also profitable, we present the mostessential apps for android, in trade. 
- Price.ua . The official application from one of the largest price aggregators in Ukraine, which allows you to compare prices in online stores.
- AliExpress Shopping App. The official client of the largest Chinese trading platform, which allows you to shop at a discount.
- eBay . A client of a world-famous online auction that allows you to shop around the world.
- Barcode Scanner . Program-scanner for strip and QR codes to determine information about goods.
- Shopping list . A simple application that will come in handy before going to the supermarket.
- shopping list. Program for compiling a shopping list before going to the store.
Delivery Services
In the era of the development of online commerce, programs that allow you to track the status of parcels and monitor the work of delivery services become essential for Android. 
- TrackChecker Mobile . A program that supports tracking the location of parcels of many logistics services from around the world.
- Where is the parcel . Another tracker that allows you to track the location of mail items by number.
- 17TRACK. Tracker program for tracking postal items. Supports work with more than 200 delivery services in China and around the world.
News and Media
Always keep abreast of current events in Ukraine and in the world will help programs for reading news. 
- XSPORT . All sports news in one application, with photos and discussion.
- Ukrainian Truth. The application allows you to follow the news of politics, economics and finance in Ukraine.
- Google news and weather. The official news aggregator from Google, working with more than 75,000 sources from around the world.
- Yandex.News. All news by category - in one place, in Russian or Ukrainian.
Personalization
Not everyone likes the standard interface and basic functionality of the Android OS. The best Android personalization programs will allow you to customize your smartphone for yourself. 
When choosing programs for your Android device, many, especially beginners, get lost in the choice. Below is a list of applications that can be used on similar devices. Naturally, everyone has their own view on the set of applications.
Office, Calculators, Converters
Office Suite Pro- viewer for DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX and PDF files and attachments.
Smart Office+- office suite for Android, a very good application: user-friendly interface, multilingual. View and edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel of all versions: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, 2010. View PDF, view images in JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WMF, EMF formats.
ezPDF Reader- convenient and functional reading of PDF files with excellent interface. You can add bookmarks, select text with copying to the clipboard. The language is English but easy to learn.
notepad+- notepad with autodetect encoding.
RealCalc Scientific Calculator- one of the best calculators for Android, not too fancy, but functional.
Scan2PDF Mobile- the program allows you to convert a photo to a PDF file (for example, I photographed a document and converted it to PDF). The result may not always be excellent, but you can read.
QR Droid Private- an application with the ability to create QR codes, as well as scanning QR codes with a camera and then switching to a browser.
Finance, e-clients
QIWI Client- convenient, simple and fast for a mobile wallet in the presence of terminals around the city. Interest-free replenishment of the account, payment for mobile communications, and much more can be done with. If you have a wallet on the QIWI website, a QIWI Visa Virtual card is issued in 5 minutes, then you need to link it to Google Checkout and you can make purchases in almost all online stores.
PayPal- client for PayPal allows you to make purchases in different countries of the world. You can view recent transactions in your PayPal account, including money requests sent from your device.
WebMoney Keeper Mobile - a client for a mobile wallet, a universal tool for making payments on the Internet.
Planners, Alarms, Notes
Birthdays- Widget for birthdays and reminders. A small transparent widget displays a photo of a contact from the phone book. It has a number of settings for a reminder of the date, playing melodies, etc.
Go shopping - the application allows you to create a list of necessary purchases indicating the weight, quantity. Purchased items can be deleted. Convenient for going to large supermarkets.
Control optimization
root explorer- root user rights are required. Allows you to view system partitions, hidden folders and files, edit them, copy, move, etc.
A few more similar applications:
ASTRO File Manager does not require root rights
EStrongs File Explorer is a complete alternative to Root Explorer if you have Root rights, the manager is free.
Total Commander- a well-known file manager for PC and now also on Android.
SPB Shell 3D- in the recent past paid desktop and Yandex.Shell, currently free. A beautiful 3D desktop with a luxurious set of fullscreen widgets.
Go Launcher EX- fast desktop launcher with a lot of settings.
Apex Launcher Powerful - fast new launcher for ICS, the undisputed leader with many settings. Root rights are required to select widgets from the application menu.
CircleLauncher- a small widget that allows you to group applications and contacts, very convenient on a small screen.
Dock4Droid- a pop-up dock bar with icons of applications added to it and the last ones opened. The application works on the principle of RocketDock.
SystemPanel- task manager/task killer. The application monitors a resource that consumes a lot in order to destroy it, provides data, graphs and information about loading, battery consumption, total memory, network traffic (currently). One of the best applications of this kind, but it itself consumes a lot. It is recommended to be used to detect "eating" applications when the battery consumption is high.
System Applications
Green Power- a fully automatic application for saving battery life, after setting it works and saves charging in the background, turning off mobile data transmission if it is not needed.
Autostarts(requires root user rights) - the application allows you to remove unnecessary applications and widgets from autorun at system startup, which can always be launched from the desktop. Thus, resource savings are achieved at startup and their complete absence in background processes.
Titanium Backup(requires root user rights) - the application allows you to backup applications and user data (sms/mss/contacts).
Lucky Patcher by ChelpuS(requires root user rights) is a patcher for most programs and games.
AnTuTu Benchmark- the ability to test the performance of memory, processor, 3D graphics, read / write speed of the SD card.
SCleaner- an application for cleaning the device from garbage, has programmable settings for the processes of monitoring and cleaning garbage, creating backup copies of deleted data, etc.
Shoot Me(requires root user rights) - the program allows you to take screenshots by shaking the phone, the pictures are saved on / sdcard / ShootMe.
Internet, communication
Vkontakte Amberfog- client for Vkontakte.
Jasmine.IM- short message client, supports ICQ, Mail.ru, Jabber, VK, Ya.Online, QIP, GTalk. The latest versions have the ability to transfer data, a rich selection of settings, themes, including transparent ones, now also support the widget.
Palringo Group Messenger Multi protocol IM client. Facebook Chat, windows Live Messenger, aol, yahoo messenger, gtalk, icq, jabber, iChat, gadu-gadu. The most interesting thing is of course voice and photo messages, you can create interest groups or chat in existing ones.
2.0. - the new official application Odnoklassniki 2.0 allows you to constantly stay in touch with the social network of the same name.
Internet, communication
Kaiten Mail- email client, supports IMAP Push, POP3, Exchange 2003/2007 (with WebDAV), and supports multi-user folder synchronization, search, custom notifications, and more.
K-9 Mail- one of the few POP and IMAP email clients for Android.
w3bsit3-dns.com- an unofficial client for viewing the site w3bsit3-dns.com. Browsing topics, reading-sending personal messages (PM), QMS, catalog of applications and games, always at hand.
3G Watchdog- the application allows you to track traffic consumption, has a small transparent widget on the desktop. The program not only monitors traffic consumption, but also sets up a cycle with the volume of your tariff plan with notification of its excess.
Swiftp- FTP server with the ability to receive and transmit data via wi-fi. Works great in conjunction with Totall Commander on PC.
airdroid- control the device from a computer web browser using Wi-Fi.
Server for storing data on the network. For SGS3 users, the amount of free space has been increased to 50 gigs.
Yandex Disk- cloud service with 20 GB.
HD Widgets- clock and weather widget, customizable colors, transparency, has a large number of widgets displayed on the screen, both individually clock and weather, and together.
Multimedia
DicePlayer- player with hardware acceleration for 720p video. Supports formats: AVI,MOV,MKV,FLV,AVI,3GP,3G2,ASF,WMV,MP4,M4V,TP,TS,MTP,M2T.
Supports video codecs: HW: MPEG-4,H.264,H.263
SW: MPEG-4,H.264,RMVB,XVID,MS MPEG-4,VP6,H.263,MPEG-1,MPEG-2
Supports audio codecs: DTS,AC3,AAC,Vorbis,FLAC,MP3,MP2,WMA
Supports subtitles: SSA,SMI,SRT
poweramp- audio player with a lot of possibilities, plays MP3, MP4/M4A (including loseless ALAC), FLAC, OGG, WAV, TTA, WMA, APE/WV. Optimized 10-band graphic equalizer for all supported formats, separate tone control, equalizer presets (presets), the ability to edit and add presets, assignment for songs / audio outputs. Skin support, automatically download song covers, tag viewer and editor, support for .cue files, read flac image, etc.
Shazam- the application determines the songs and the artist. To determine the melody, you need to bring the phone to the speaker and in 15 seconds it will become known what kind of composition and who the artist is.
TuneIn Radio- internet radio with recording function.
QuickPic- fast and easy image viewer with multi-touch. Can be used instead of the standard gallery.
Camera360- camera with many effects. It has a lot of applied effects to the frame after shooting, the ability to save both the original and the processed frame.
HDR Camera+- a good camera for shooting static elements such as backgrounds, landscapes, macro photography. To achieve the HDR effect, the application takes three shots with different exposures and combines them into one, preserving the detail in the dark and light areas of the photo. After shooting, you can choose the saturation of the frame.
Zedge Ringtones & Wallpapers- a program for viewing, downloading and installing high quality wallpapers, as well as ringtones. More than 380.000 ringtones, about 6000 wallpapers.
Navigation (GPS)
2GIS / 2GIS Mobile: 2GIS - free electronic organizations with a city map.
More than 11,110,000 PC users in 140 cities of Russia and Ukraine regularly use 2GIS to find the necessary information. Convenient application: you can search, you can get directions. Also, the application will be convenient for walking searches around the city. After setting the destination, you get detailed information on the map, indicating the location of public transport and route numbers.
Navitel- navigator for android is a navigation program with offline maps, routing and traffic support. The program is paid.
PROGOROD- GPS/GLONASS navigation with up-to-date maps of Russia.
phone, sms
Handcent SMS- a utility for SMS with a large selection of various appearance settings.
GO SMS Pro- convenient SMS communication. Designed in iPhone style.
cluBalance- widget for monitoring the funds on the account with detailed statistics. Does not support Beeline and Tele2.
Book Readers
Cool Reader- a ported version of the famous Cool reader e-book reader.
Supports formats: .fb2, .fb2.zip, .txt, .rtf, .doc, .epub, .chm, .pdb, .prc, .mobi.
Moon+ Reader- support for fb2.zip, txt, html, epub, umd and chm files.
FBReader- program for reading electronic books, supports formats: epub, fb2, fb2.zip, rtf, html, mobi, txt. It also supports working directly with .zip archives.
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The basic equipment of the smartphone includes not only pre-installed applications, but also those that you can download for free from Google Play, including in the form of APK files.
Our "Must-have-apps" are intended primarily for those who have just received a new smartphone with the Android operating system. At the same time, application experts from the editors of CHIP thought about all areas of smartphone use: managing files, reading news, downloading YouTube videos, and even watching TV.
30th place: Clean Master
Clean Master removes unused files from your smartphone - this way you maintain order and get rid of the garbage that devours the memory of your Android device.
The utility will remove the application cache and also free up memory from unused running applications.
Also, there is a function to analyze the performance of the device and files on the SD card. In the full version, the program has a built-in antivirus.
In addition, the application has the AppLock function, with which you can block access to Facebook, SMS, contacts, photo gallery, as well as any other applications.
29th place: AirDroid
With AirDroid, you can sync your Android device with your PC wirelessly.
The only thing you need for this is the appropriate version of the program on your PC.
28th place: RIA Novosti
It is worth always having an idea of the picture of events in the world. With the free RIA Novosti app, you will always be up to date with the latest news.
27th place: Adobe Reader
With the Android version of Adobe Reader, you can now open and view PDF documents on any Android phone and tablet PC.
26th place: Navitel Navigator 9.6
The navigation system Navitel Navigator has a high accuracy of positioning on the ground, a unique system for plotting and guiding along the route, and also has a convenient search for objects on the map. Moreover, the program does not need the Internet for laying and maintaining the route. All infrastructure facilities are already integrated into the map database, including gas stations, workshops, banks, shops, cafes, theaters, etc.
When connected to the Internet, data on traffic jams, as well as current gasoline prices at many gas stations, become available.
The user can purchase the program with a map of Russia or individual districts (from 800 rubles). It is also possible to buy cards from other countries.
Those who do not intend to spend money on a fully functional version, after a 7-day test mode, can use the program for free and further, but already in the freemium mode. At the same time, he will not have access to: laying routes; voice guidance; 3D map mode; information about traffic congestion (traffic jams) and traffic lane indicators.
25th place: MAPS.ME
The free "MAPS.ME" package will help you plan your trip from your current location to a train station, metro station, a specific address, or another place of interest to you.
24th place: Evernote
For those who place a high value on being well organized, the free Evernote app will be a welcome addition. It allows you to create, edit and retrieve notes for offline use, as well as compose voice memos.
In addition, you can import the resulting images into the application and then process them using Skitch.
23rd place: Snapseed
Snapseed is a versatile image optimization app for beginners and experienced photographers alike.
22nd place: Spotify Music
From the Spotify streaming service, you can listen to several million songs legally and for free.
21st place: TripAdvisor
In order not to end up in a hotel that will disappoint you, just check the numerous ratings of users of the TripAdvisor app in advance. At the same time, you can choose not only hotels. Here you will find ratings of restaurants and other leisure activities.
20th place: Instagram
Upgrade your photos: There are 20 effects available to give your images a style like Gotham. During the test, it worked seamlessly and quickly.
Then the photo is given a short name, the current GPS location is assigned, and now friends can already see the photo news in your Instagram application.
19th place: Translate.Ru translator
Free Translator Translate.Ru gains points primarily when translating whole phrases and expressions. The history saves the last 50 transfers that are available offline. The dictionary is especially helpful in translating texts.
18th place: Gismeteo lite
With the free Android application Gismeteo lite you will be aware of the weather in your area and the forecast for 10 days. With the GPS positioning function, you are immediately informed where you are.
17th place: Runtastic
The best running app on the market.
16th place: Amazon App Store
In "Amazon App-Store" every day you get one paid application for free.
15th place: Netflix
Even if there is no huge TV nearby, Netflix works on both smartphone and tablet.
14th place: QR & Barcode Scanner
Take pictures and compare: thanks to the company's QR & Barcode Scanner, you will quickly receive independent product information directly to your Android smartphone.
Using the integrated scanner, you can take a picture of the code that is located on almost every product. This can be a European Barcode (EAN), a 2D Barcode (QR) or an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).
The product and all available information about it, such as price and customer reviews, will quickly appear on your smartphone.
13th place: OneFootball
The OneFootball app can't be missing on a football fan's mobile phone: it will give you information about individual matches and much more.
Here you can also get detailed reports on all major European championships, Champions League, Europa League and cup competitions.
Install Toralarme if desired. The application will signal you about the starting whistle and you will never miss the game.
12th place: Chrome
Almost everyone knows the desktop version of Chrome. Google itself has released a mobile version of the popular browser for Android smartphones, which, however, only works on devices with Android 4.0 (“Ice Cream Sandwich”) and later.
11th place: VLC for Android
The Android version of "VLC Media Player" - like the original - stands out for its support for a variety of audio and video formats.
10th place: Snapchat
Through Snapchat, you send photos to your friends. The trick is that all the pictures you sent will appear only for a few seconds, and after that they will be automatically deleted.
So, through Snapchat, you can seamlessly send the most daring selfies, and then not worry about the consequences.
9th place: WhatsApp messenger
Without further ado: you need to install WhatApp, if only because all your friends have it.
8th place: Dropbox
The Dropbox online service gives you 2 GB of online storage free of charge, which you can use from anywhere. Including, of course, from your mobile phone. Is there any reason to refuse such an offer?
7th place: ES Explorer
"ES File Explorer" is one of the best file manager for Android. Additionally included are the following features: copy, cut, move, image thumbnails, multiple selection, text editing, program management, search, work with ZIP archives and access to an FTP server.
6th place: avast Mobile Security
Viruses lie in wait for you not only on door handles and handrails in a tram - there are plenty of them on the Internet. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to protect your mobile phone.
The free app "avast Mobile Security" offers a scanner that will check your apps for malware. It also gives you a web screen that warns you about dangerous websites.
Among other things, there are call and SMS filters, as well as a practical task manager. Moreover, as the owner of the "hacked" (gerooteten)??? smartphone, you can benefit from a built-in firewall as well as a practical anti-theft function.
5th place: Skype
With the Skype VoiP app, you can make free calls and chat online with millions of other Skype users.
Thanks to the ability to purchase "Skype credits", you can also make calls to landlines.
4th place: Facebook / Messenger
Without the official application from Facebook, perhaps, a smartphone would bring only half the joy. Messenger gives you direct access to your profile and contacts. In addition, it shows who sent you a message and status updates of friends.
With Messenger for Android, you can quickly send a message without having to launch the Facebook app.
3rd place: Plus Messenger
The upgraded version of the Telegram messenger.
2nd place: SPB TV Russia
The free SPB TV Russia app gives you access to many domestic TV channels.
1st place: TubeMate YouTube Downloader
TubeMate YouTube Downloader allows you to download YouTube videos to any Android device. It is also possible to download files in MP3 format.
Photo: manufacturing companies
A combine for SMS and messages from messengers, the best offline maps, the largest library of GIFs, a convenient and concise player with free music, a mobile document recognition, mail and a smart calendar in one bottle, an award-winning photo editor and an unlimited VPN with ad blocking . These and others are not well known, but very useful applications - Vesti.Hi-tech included in the New Year's selection.
Backdrops (Android)
This application collects hundreds of background images to decorate the home screen of your Android smartphone. The wide and constantly updated collection of Backdrops includes "wallpapers" for every occasion: whimsical geometric patterns, landscapes, abstraction or food.
Users of the program can synchronize backgrounds between different devices, create their own drawings, download images of other people, add to favorites, rate and share them with friends. High-quality "wallpapers" appear in Backdrops daily. An in-app purchase will get rid of ads and also unlock the premium background pack.
Snapseed (Android, iOS)
Snapseed is a logical and easy-to-learn photo editor owned by Google. The program will help you quickly edit a photo by cropping it, applying a filter or sharpening it. "Serious" tools of the program (color correction, spot adjustment) coexist with unpretentious ones - aging effects of pictures, scratches and frames. The original image can be immediately compared with what happened.
Snapseed allows you to work with both JPG files and DNG "digital negatives" without quality loss. The Brush tool is used to refine specific areas of an image, while the Adjustment tool is used to automatically adjust exposure and color. Also, the photo can be rotated at any angle, level the horizon, add vignetting, graininess, vintage, noir, frames and other effects. The finished picture can be immediately sent to social networks.
Photo Scanner by Google Photos (Android, iOS)
In November, Google released a mobile "Photoscanner" that allows you to easily scan old photos taken with a "soap box". The process of scanning and processing images is arranged so that the quality is as high as possible. After launching the application, you need to "catch" the photo to be taken in a frame on the screen and take the first frame. After that, four white circles will be displayed on top of it - you need to alternately combine the circle in the center of the screen with them.
Next, the smartphone will automatically take four pictures, from which it will then compile the final image, free from highlights and shadows. A quick test of "Photoscanner" showed that the application copes with the stated task quite successfully, along the way adjusting the brightness and colors of the image, except that automatic cropping can in some cases remove too much at the edges of the image. However, the application provides manual crop adjustment. In addition, the picture can be rotated. The result is uploaded to the Google Photos service.
MAPS.ME (Android, iOS)
Offline maps from Russian developers, which have repeatedly been included in the lists of the best Android applications according to Google. Users can download a detailed map of almost any city in the world (345 countries in total, including islands, winter resorts, etc.) and get directions without an Internet connection.
In addition to basic information such as roads, streets, and buildings, MAPS.ME displays cafes, ATMs, gas stations, museums, local points of interest, and other places that may come in handy while traveling. MAPS.ME is compatible even with old smartphones and tablets. In the new version of the application, released at the end of December, data on traffic jams were added. The situation on the roads can be viewed in 36 countries, including Russia. Moreover, information about traffic congestion is compressed (about 1 megabyte per hour of travel), which is especially useful when roaming.
Google Photos (Android, iOS)
"Google Photos" is a standalone internet search engine application, separate from the Google+ social network. Its main advantage is that users are provided with an unlimited amount of space for storing images, but only if their maximum resolution does not exceed 16 megapixels (for video - Full HD).
With Google Photos, there's no need to create albums, tag or label your photos—computer vision technology does it all for you. The user will be able to find any photo he is interested in by simply entering a search query - for example, "pizza" will display all the pictures with this dish, and "St. Petersburg" will show photos taken in this city.
And the "Assistant" built into the program will save you from manually sorting pictures taken during a vacation or going to a concert. This function will independently create a thematic album and put the most successful (from the point of view of computer algorithms) frames into it without any human intervention.
Phonograph (Android)
Phonograph (formerly Gramophone) is a simple, minimalistic and very beautiful player for Android, made in the spirit of "material" design. After recognizing a track, the program automatically downloads data about the artists, including their photos, album covers and biography.
There is an equalizer widget, a "sleep timer" that turns off the program after a specified period of time, the ability to create playlists, a widget for the Android home screen, and support for editing tags. Phonograph also supports a scrobbling feature that marks music as played on Last.fm to improve personalized recommendations.
Microsoft Outlook (Android, iOS)
Outlook mobile is often cited as the best email app for both Android and iOS devices. The reason is simple: the program from Microsoft automatically sorts incoming emails into subject folders, allows you to delete and archive messages with one touch, and add them to your Calendar, OneDrive or Dropbox. In addition, Word, Excel, and other attached Office documents can be opened directly within the application.
In addition to Microsoft mail servers (Exchange, Office 365, Outlook.com, including Hotmail and MSN), the program supports Gmail, Yahoo Mail and iCloud, and calendar integration allows you to learn about scheduled events and meetings directly from your mail.
FlyChat (Android)
The Flychat aggregator allows you to read messages without leaving the program you are currently using, from any messengers, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Twitter, Facebook Messenger and Slack. The application notifies you of an incoming message with a pop-up bubble right on the home screen. By clicking on it, you can immediately write the answer. A clear disadvantage of Flychat is banner ads, which, however, can be disabled using an in-app purchase.
Giphy (Android, iOS)
Opera VPN (Android, iOS)
Opera VPN provides free and unlimited virtual private network (VPN) connections. The new tool allows you to bypass firewalls and geo-restrictions on access to Internet content, as well as block ads and online bugs.
For example, Opera VPN can be used to access blocked sites, hide your IP address, and surf the web safely while connected to public Wi-Fi. Unlike the vast majority of other VPN services (such as TunnelBear), Opera's service is completely free and Internet traffic is not charged.
In addition to the VPN connection service, the new Opera has an integrated ad blocker for Safari, Chrome and other browsers. She also knows how to block trackers - online bugs that monitor user actions. You can enable these features in the settings. In addition, the program determines the level of Wi-Fi network security, connection encryption and threat protection. The developers call Opera VPN "one of the fastest and most reliable VPN services", but the connection speed is not always as fast as we would like. The application also does not always choose the optimal server for connecting. However, in the future, the creators of the service promise to expand the number of virtual locations, which will expand connectivity options.
Surely most people are thinking about how to make their gadget as useful as possible. Those who say that a phone is just a dialer have no idea how useful and effective a multimedia device their device can become. Today we will talk about what applications for Android are the most necessary.
Antivirus
Since we are going to create a powerful working platform from a common gadget, we will start by protecting it. Whether you will be surfing the Internet, downloading data (music and movies) from there, or just surfing, reliable antivirus protection is important for any device. Of course, such programs eat up the lion's share of resources even on personal computers, so you need to carefully install them on mobile gadgets. However, if resources allow you to install these applications, you will have to. These are almost the most needed apps for Android.
Dr.Web Light is a simplified version of the world famous antivirus. Perhaps the best solution to protect your device. Programs from this manufacturer are distinguished not only by reliability, but also by low requirements for device resources.
Avast! Mobile security is a relatively new antivirus. Nimble and good quality. However, judging by user reviews, finding a good version will be problematic. The Internet is full of links to installers with viruses.
Browser
No matter what gadget manufacturers say, browsers preinstalled on phones and tablets are almost never convenient to use. Despite the fact that these are the most necessary applications for Android, developers treat them clearly carelessly. To replace less successful programs, you can use the following applications.
Google Chrome is the leader among browsers in terms of speed. It is small in size and reproduces information on the screen with high quality. In addition, it supports account synchronization. Thus, if you sign in to your Google account on another device, all bookmarks and history will be transferred to it. In addition, this application can use voice search, which is very convenient for people who have their hands full all the time (for example, drivers).
Opera Mini - once this browser was number one among analogues. The ability to work with many bookmarks bribed. And reliability with the absence of failures attracted more and more fans. But now, these "gadgets" will not surprise anyone. The only unique advantage that this application guarantees is that it works only with the Tele2 operator. They have a tariff that allows you to use unlimited Internet for 3 rubles per day, but only if you surf with Opera Mini.
Manager
The next item is the necessary applications for "Android" called file managers. Most mobile devices do not have any utilities for managing files in memory. You just download a picture, music or movie, and it gets lost in an infinite number of folders on your gadget. To organize and not lose the necessary data, there are file managers.
Actually, the choice here is small. Despite the fact that such a utility simply must be on every gadget, developers do not please us with a variety. You can download File Manager or File Manager HD, but they almost completely copy each other. These utilities allow you to not only view, but fully manage all data, including archiving.
Social networks
It is difficult to imagine a modern person who does not use social networks. Housewives look for recipes in public, teenagers just communicate and organize meetings, and respectable businessmen exchange information. Accordingly, what applications for "Android" are the most necessary? Of course, these are programs that allow you to use social networks without a browser, which means they save a lot of time and traffic.
Downloading such a utility is outrageously simple. All of them are named similarly to sites - Facebook, VKontakte, and so on. Free, and most importantly safe, versions are available on PlayMarket. By the way, this is another mandatory program that will be one of the answers to the question: "What applications should I install on Android?"
Navigator
You can discuss and argue for a long time what applications are needed for "Android" devices, but not a single driver can do without a navigator, even if he knows the city perfectly. Taxi drivers, company cars - everyone will need such a program to know how to get to a specific entrance.
The leader among the programs of this series is Navitel Navigator. This application has the ability to download multiple maps, voice notification. The positioning system works quite clearly and without overlays. Of course, professional navigation devices are much better, but for those who currently do not have the funds to purchase a separate device, they will be quite satisfied.
Cards
Any person who loves to travel cannot do without a roadmap. The times when we used a hefty paper medium are long gone, since the digital version is much more convenient, and there are no problems with recharging the gadget in a cafe or car. It's safe to say that maps are almost the most needed applications for a tablet. "Android" - a device of a smaller size, of course, can also work with them, but due to insufficient screen sizes, this will not always be convenient.
Google Maps is the world leader in interactive maps. It allows you not only to explore the area, but contains real pictures of cities, so you can always find yourself "live" in the desired area and orient yourself. The main problem of the application is the large volume and the need to connect to the Internet to download data.
"2GIS" is a worthy competitor to the previous version. If you are going on a tourist trip to another country, you can download a map of the city you need in advance. At the same time, you will have on your device not only a road map, but also a complete list of city organizations, their location, public transport patterns, and much more. "2GIS" is a real mobile guide, useful for any traveler and not only.
Connection
Let's look at the necessary applications for Android in a slightly different way. Namely, programs designed for alternative communication. Mobile operators can advertise favorable rates for sending SMS and calls as much as they like, but the fact remains that if you have unlimited Internet (via Wi-Fi or just from a SIM card), it is much more profitable to communicate through it.
Once the instant messaging system - ICQ - was especially popular, but now most people prefer Viber. But what is the most necessary application is Skype.
This program provides you with a conditional opportunity of free video and audio calls to any other digital device on which the client of this program is also installed. If you are unable to speak, you can always just send a message. In addition, Skype allows you to instantly share any files without uploading them to file sharing services.
Additional programs
Despite the fact that we have already considered the necessary applications for Android, there remains a small list of programs that are still worth installing.
- Adobe Flash Player - for greater convenience of working on the Internet and not only.
- MX Player is a great replacement for the built-in video player on any device, simply because it includes more codecs, is able to open a huge number of file types, and has a handy library to organize your video files.
- Cool Reader is a great "reader" for your smartphone or tablet. With it, you can open most of the known text formats with books.
That's all. Our list of "Must have apps for Android" is running out, but that doesn't mean you don't have anything else to install. You can certainly find plenty of other apps on the internet that will be useful to you in your particular area of work.
