If you’ve got a new Android phone and are looking to install apps beyond the boring ones, I’ve got some interesting apps for you to check out. These apps are aimed at power users and help you do a lot more than the regular ones on your device.
Shortcut Maker
Shortcut Maker, as you can guess by the name, is an app that allows you to create shortcuts. These aren’t your regular app shortcuts; these are shortcuts to pretty much everything on your device.
For example, you can create shortcuts to app activities, contacts, folders, files, intents, setting options, websites, inner links, and so on. One example is that you can create a shortcut that opens a private window in the Mozilla Firefox web browser.
Another example is you can create a shortcut that opens the Watch Later section on YouTube. This allows you to skip directly to that section; no need to open the app and then manually navigate to that section.
IFTTT
IFTTT stands for “If This Then That,” and this app allows you to perform actions based on specified triggers. This is an automation app that automates many of your daily tasks. For example, you can get the app to put your phone in silent mode when it’s bedtime. Here, bedtime is the trigger, and putting the phone in silent mode is the action.
You can create many types of automation with this app. You simply choose the trigger, which could be a system action or an app, and then specify what the action should be. For example, you can create an automation that adds the songs you like on YouTube to your Spotify account. The possibilities are endless, as there are many triggers and actions available to add.
Tasker
Tasker is another automation app that offers even more granular options for automating tasks. In this app, you can very precisely specify triggers and their associated actions, which lets you automate pretty much anything.
For example, you can get the app to rotate given images automatically. You do this by creating a task that loads an image, rotates the image, and saves the resulting image. You can add as many or as few options as you want.
Tasker is available as a 7-day trial app on its official website. If you get the app from the Google Play Store, you pay $3.49. The app is included in the Google Play Pass subscription.
Cx File Explorer
Cx File Explorer is an advanced file manager that lets you view your phone’s files, folders, search items, and so on. You can quickly get to your installed apps, downloaded files, and even deleted files with this app.
It also has a space analyzer to help you find what items are using your phone’s storage space. In addition, it has a Network tab where you can link your cloud storage accounts (such as Dropbox and Box) and access their files. You can also use this app to turn your phone into a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) host, which allows you to access your phone’s files from another device.
DuckDuckGo Private Browser
While web browsers like Chrome and Firefox are common, you might want to use DuckDuckGo Private Web Browser if you’re privacy conscious. Unlike other browser apps, this browser focuses on users’ privacy, offering users the option not to have their data tracked when they access the web.
This web browser allows you to block trackers on various sites. The app also has a “fire” button that quickly clears all your tabs and browsing data. It also enables HTTPS, wherever available, to secure your connections.
AccuBattery
As your phone ages, its battery performance degrades. Using an app like AccuBattery, you can find out the current health status of your phone’s battery. The app first calibrates the battery and then gives you the stats.
It tells you the current health of your phone’s battery in percentage. It also shows you how long your battery will last in various usage patterns. You’ll also find information like charges, battery wear, discharging status, and so on in this app.
CPU-Z
To find your phone’s various technical specifications, CPU-Z is the best app. This app gathers every little detail about your phone, like the CPU, its model, and so on, and presents you that information in a nice, readable format.
You can use the app to find your phone’s processor, clock speed, GPU model, RAM capacity, Android version, and so much more. If you’re ever looking to check whether your phone is compatible with an app or a game or just want to compare the phone with another phone, this app is how you do it.
Nova Launcher
If you aren’t a big fan of your phone’s default launcher, Nova Launcher is an excellent replacement. This launcher replaces your current phone launcher and offers several advanced features that you might not find in many stock launchers.
For example, this launcher offers several options to customize your phone’s interface. You can also integrate various icon packs with this launcher, enhancing your phone’s look. You also get a backup and restore feature with this launcher to back up and restore your custom options anytime you want.
The launcher is free, but you can upgrade to the premium version to get access to features like gestures, notification badges, and drawer folders.
Android once allowed you to add widgets to your phone’s lock screen, but that feature no longer exists. Luckily, Lockscreen Widgets and Drawer exists, which allows you to add widgets to your phone’s lock screen.
Using this app, you can add widgets to your phone’s lock screen, move the widgets around, resize the added widgets, and even customize them. The app doesn’t do many jobs but it does one job very well—which is what it was created for.
SystemUI Tuner
As the name suggests, SystemUI Tuner allows you to fine-tune various system options on your Android phone. For example, you can use the app to customize your phone’s status bar, navigation bar, and so on.
You can also change how various system options work on your phone using this app. This lets you change your phone’s features to your liking.
And those are some of the apps you can install to get the most out of your Android device. Happy using your new phone!
