This is my list of Android applications that I recommend everyone to have and install on own phones and phones prepared for clients. Of course everybody will need more apps for specialized purposes, but these ones should be relevant for every user.
Selection criteria for this list:
- only one selected best app for every purpose
- any functional open source alternative is preferred to a polished proprietary software; proprietary licences are marked in red to indicate looking for a free & open replacement still
- decentralized open communication protocols (e-mail, XMPP, SIP) are preferred to commercial centralized applications (Skype, Facebook)
- communication apps should be privacy-enabled
- the app selection should enable self organization and group organization, esp. for grassroots movements like social change activists
The "state" column contains my personal installation state info – just ignore 😉
| state | name | FDroid | Google Play | description notes |
licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x | 3G/4G Speed Optimizer | Play | Allows settings for faster 3G download and upload speeds, and for adjusting distribution between both. | freeware | |
| x | 4EXT Recovery Control | n/a | Play | For managing the 4EXT Recovery mode from inside an app. 4EXT Updater is a simpler, gratis alternative. | commercial |
| x | AdAway | F-Droid | Removes all the pesky in-app advertisements. | GPLv3 | |
| Advanced Task Killer Free | |||||
| ADW | |||||
| x | Alarm Klock | F-Droid | Full-featured alarm clock to help you wake up. | Apache2 | |
| aLogcat | |||||
| AnaCam | |||||
| AndroSS | |||||
| AndStatus | |||||
| x | Angulo | F-Droid | For measuring angles and distances, also useable as a water-level. | GPLv3 | |
| AnyMemo | |||||
| AnySoftKeyboard | |||||
| x | APV PDF Viewer | F-Droid | GPLv3 | ||
| x | Arity | F-Droid | Scientific calculator. | Apache2 | |
| x | Barcode Scanner | F-Droid | Complete barcode and QR code scanning app, employed by other apps as well. | Apache2 | |
| BLUE LINE | |||||
| n/y | BlueGps | F-Droid | n/a | Allows to connect an external GPS device and make it usable in e.g. OsmAnd~ via the "mock location provider" option. Means faster, more precise and higher coverage GPS, longer battery runtime, and allows placing the GPS receiver outside the car. To be evaluated. | GPLv3 |
| x | Bluetooth GPS | n/a | Play | Same as BlueGps, but non-free. Good quality though. | freeware |
| Busybox | Play | Installer for Busybox, a boiled down version of GNU Core Utils. Needed for many other root apps, incl. 4EXT Recovery Updater. | GPL 2 | ||
| CamPainter Lite | |||||
| x | ChatSecure | F-Droid | Encrypted XMPP chat client, including off-the-record features. | Apache2 | |
| x | Clock | n/a | n/a | This app (com.android.deskclock) comes pre-installed with Android and is well done, including clock, alarm clock, countdown clock and stop watch. Only the alarm clock misses some features, so we also have Alarm Klock. | open source |
| ColorDict | |||||
| Compass | |||||
| ConnectBot | |||||
| Cool Reader | |||||
| Diktofon | |||||
| x | Evernote | Play | Note taking and organizing system that syncs to desktop and web. | freeware | |
| Every Locale | |||||
| x | F-Droid | F-Droid | Package manager / marketplace for all the Android open source software recommended here. | GPLv3+ | |
| Fake Dawn | |||||
| FAST App Search Tool | |||||
| x | Faster GPS | F-Droid | Enables getting faster GPS fixes by selecting a NTP server near you. | GPLv3 | |
| x | Firefox | F-Droid | Web browser, mobile edition. | MPL2 | |
| FolderSync | |||||
| Freemind Viewer | |||||
| x | GetBack GPS | F-Droid | Finding a way back to a "home location" with GPS guidance. Hopefully better than Point, which can be inaccurate. | GPLv3+ | |
| Google Play services | |||||
| x | Google Play Store | ||||
| x | K-9 Mail | F-Droid | Full-featured e-mail client. | Apache2 | |
| KeepTrack | |||||
| Ki Freemind | |||||
| Maniana | |||||
| x | Mathdroid | F-Droid | Handy calculator with history. | GPLv3 | |
| MobileOrg | |||||
| MobileWebCam | |||||
| x | MrWhite | F-Droid | |||
| x | Network Discovery | F-Droid | A network utility: discover hosts inside a network you are connected to, and open ports on these hosts. | GPLv2 | |
| Notification Plus | |||||
| Obsqr | |||||
| Offline Calendar | |||||
| OS Monitor no-gmaps | |||||
| x | Osmand~ | F-Droid | Super great offline map viewing and routing application. Uses OpenStreetMap data. | GPLv3 | |
| x | OSMTracker | F-Droid | GPX tracker that allows note-taking, esp. also meant as a help for OpenStreetMap mapping work. | GPLv3 | |
| x | Pedometer | F-Droid | GPLv3 | ||
| Blockchain | |||||
| QuickDic | |||||
| Remuco | |||||
| Ruler | |||||
| x | SatStat | F-Droid | GPS, sensor and network status information. So for most purposes, a more low-level graphing app like Sensor Readout is not needed. | GPLv3+ | |
| Sca Lite | |||||
| Search based launcher | |||||
| Search Light | F-Droid | Flashlight using the camera LEDs. Screen is on at the same time, so MrWhite is also installed as a less energy hungry alternative. | |||
| Speech Trainer | |||||
| Super Ruler Free | |||||
| TallyBee | |||||
| Tallyphant | |||||
| Terminal Emulator | |||||
| Theme Chooser Themes | |||||
| Timesheet | |||||
| Units | |||||
| Vanilla Music | |||||
| Who Has My Stuff? | |||||
| WiGLE Wifi Wardriving | |||||
| WikiDroyd | |||||
| Wikipedia | |||||
| x | Word Lens Translator | n/a | Play | Travel app that translates words recognized in the live camera view between five languages and English. All happens offline, no network connection is used for anything. | commercial |
| n/y | WordPress | F-Droid | GPL | ||
| YAAB | |||||
| YouTube |
I am still looking for apps for:
- SMS backup application (there is SMS Backup+, but it cannot save to SD card)
- accessing microblogging services incl. Identi.ca and Twitter
- App for power saving while travelling: switch mobile network off (airplane mode) while the phone moves by car or train, as determined by GPS from speed and location. And only check every 30 min for missed calls.
- Find a powerful, high usability text editor for Android. Ideally with hierarchical mode that is compatible with Freemind's double-indent text exports.
- Find or develop an app that unifies all possible action on clipboard content, can be called from every app and stores clipboard history, and analyzes clipboard content and history to suggest relevant actions (like "send wire payment to").
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