Mobile Apps I Use The Most; The Android Edition

Today I’m going to talk about the Android apps that I use most often on my device or along side of my device. I was inspired by jcrabapple’s post that he did titled: More of my Favorite Apps. These are apps that I highly recommend to others to use for various reasons. These apps are often apps that I’ve used for several years now, though some are apps that I’ve just recently started using that work best for me personally. All of these apps I currently have installed on my Pixel 8 Pro running Android 14 Beta QPR3.

Nova Launcher And Nova Launcher Prime

Nova Launcher and Nova Launcher Prime are two apps I’ve been using for 11+ years. For that don’t know, Nova Launcher is a 3rd party home screen replacement app so that you don’t have to use the stock launcher on your device. Along with Nova Prime, Nova Launcher provides a lot more customization for you to get the look and layout that you want. If you’ve never given Nova Launcher a try, it’s an app that I personally install as the very first app on any new Android device I get.

Solid Explorer

Solid Explorer is a file management app inspired by the old school file commander applications. Solid Explorer lets you navigate to files stored on your device and automatically organizes them into collections. You can view, delete, move, rename or share any files. It also allows you to quickly find the files you need through indexed search with filters. This is another app I’ve used for well over 10 years and is one of the first apps to get installed on any device I own.

Vivaldi Web Browser

Vivaldi has become my browser of choice as of about 6 – 7 months ago. For me, it does so many little things that other browsers don’t do when it comes to browsers on the web. While I don’t use a web browser often via my Android device, I choose to use the same thing on my mobile devices that I use via the PC. Vivaldi allows me to sync everything from the PC to the mobile version and that just makes using it that much easier.

Trunks For Mastodon

Trunks for Mastodon is the best way to experience Mastodon any of your devices, at least on the Android side of things. With its rich features and intuitive interface, trunks makes it easy to stay connected with your friends, follow your favorite topics, and discover new content. The developer is constantly adding new features and fixing bugs. Trunks is also available via the web as well as iOS, which is something a lot of users enjoy as they can use it everywhere.

Proton Mail

Like Vivaldi above, Proton Mail is something I just recently switched to within the last couple of months or so. I switched from Gmail to Proton Mail because I wanted something a bit more secure and something that would allow me to have a bit more control over my email compared to what Gmail offers. Proton Mail is encrypted email from Switzerland. Used by millions worldwide, our all-new email app protects your communications and has everything you need to easily manage your inbox.

Aegis Authenticator

Aegis Authenticator is a free, secure and open source app to manage your 2-step verification tokens for your online services. Similar to Authy or Google Authenticator that most people are familiar with, Aegis is another two-factor authentication app that helps you keep all of your online accounts safe and secure from possible intruders. The number one thing I like about Aegis is that you can import/export your information to and from other similar apps, assuming those apps allow you to export things. Aegis is one of the first 5 – 7 apps I install on any new device as I often need it to be able to log into other accounts as I’m setting things up.

Final Thoughts

There are many other apps that I use daily and would suggest others to at least give a try as well. The ones above are usually my first set of apps that I install as soon as I possibly can any time I get a new device. Be it because I need them to be able to log into other apps, or because it makes things easier and quicker for setting up a new device.

Also to note here, is that some of these apps are paid for apps, or also have a paid version. I urge everyone to support the developers of the apps you use often and regularly. This helps ensure those apps continue being developed and updated on a regular basis.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and do not represent any official endorsement by Nova Launcher, Solid Explorer, Vivaldi, Proton Mail, Trunks for Mastodon, Aegis or any other apps mentioned.

Image Source: Google Play Store