10 Must-Have Android Apps You Should Have on Your Phone (Even If You Rarely Use Them)

Our Android phones are filled with apps we use constantly, but every so often, a unique task demands a specific app. Here are the essential Android apps to have at your fingers, even if they aren’t for daily tasks.

Good to know: learn how to stop Android apps from running in the background to save battery life and memory.

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1. A Food Delivery App

Ordering food at home has become second nature to our generation. We’ve become accustomed to indulging our cravings after a long day at the office and thanks to food delivery apps, it has never been easier to do so.

While you’re probably not going to order daily, having an app like Glovo or Postmates on your phone ensures you can easily have sushi delivered to your door whenever the mood hits. I tend to prefer Glovo because it has the most options in my region, but depending on where you are you might want to give DoorDash, Grubhub, or whichever the app is for your region, a try.

2. A PDF Reader

Sometimes you might want to entertain yourself with a quick read. Or you need to check a form or a bill you’ve received via email. That’s when having a mobile PDF reader comes in handy.

While most Android phones these days come with Google Drive which you can use to open PDFs, if you tend to read articles or full books on your phone, you might want to opt for a dedicated PDF reader app.

Note: mobile browsers such as Firefox or Microsoft Edge can also open PDFs.

In my case, I use the PDF Reader App for my PDF reading needs. It has an Eye Protect feature and a Listen tool that reads the text out loud. There’s also a minimal Edit mode in the free version that can come in handy.

3. A Rideshare App

You never know when you might need a ride home. Maybe you had a few too many with your friends at the local bar or the meeting that you thought would last just an hour stretched well into the night.

Having a ridesharing app on your phone ensures you can get home safely. If you don’t like taking regular taxis (in my region, that always spells higher prices and sometimes rude drivers), having a rideshare app is a real saver. I usually tend to use either Uber or Bolt – depending on availability.

4. A Digital Wallet/Payment App

Paying with your phone is super common these days, and so is doing various bank transactions from the convenience of your mobile device. My assortment of banking apps on my phone includes the Revolut app, as well as my bank’s dedicated app. This way I don’t need to visit the bank each time I need to make a money transfer or pull out a bank statement.

Newer Android phones may also come with Google’s own Wallet app which allows you to pay and shop (it integrates Google Pay), as well as store things like loyalty cards or digital passes. In case you prefer taking advantage of the native options on your phone, our post provides detailed instructions on how to use Google Pay to track your spending and budget your money.

5. A Note-Taking List App

Many years ago, I used to always carry a notebook with me. It came in handy for writing down reminders and tasks that I needed to get done throughout the day. Fast-forward to the present, and I’ve replaced it with an app on my phone for more convenience. I still like going the pen-and-paper route sometimes, but it’s just a lot easier to use your phone for quick note-taking since it’s the one object that I always carry with you everywhere, without exception.

I tend to switch between Google Keep and OneNote when it comes to writing notes. Google Keep has almost any feature I could possibly need, from handwriting transcription to note dictation and reminders. On the other hand, I like that OneNote syncs with my Sticky Notes on my Windows PC.

FYI: for more tips on what Google Keep can do, check our post

6. A Photo/Video Editing App

Since Instagram and other social media apps have become such a big part of our daily lives, it’s natural that you’d want the photos or videos you post to look their best. Even if you’re not constantly posting, you should still install a photo/video editing app. Then, when you finally snap a promising image, you can easily edit it and make it look even better.

I prefer using InShot because it doesn’t only allow me to edit images, but it has some great video editing options too. Unfortunately, InShot adds a watermark in the free version, but I can usually remove that through cropping. Another robust photo editing app I’ve tried and tested is Snapseed.

7. A Better Weather App

Your Android phone usually comes with a baked-in Weather app and widget, but it might not always offer the best results. I suggest switching to a more robust option like Windy.

The app offers detailed weather forecasts, an interactive weather map, and multiple weather models. In my experience, it has proved very accurate, compared to my phone’s native offering. If you’re into wind sports, you have another reason to install Windy since the app delivers an accurate wind compass, wind meter, wind gusts, and more. Some other worth-noting alternatives include AccuWeather and The Weather Channel.

8. A Song Identifier App

Great songs can always appear out of the blue – you might hear them when you’re watching a movie or while you’re hanging out with friends at your favorite bar. If you don’t want to check the credits or go ask the bartender, try using a song-identifying app while the music is playing.

I use Shazam for this purpose and it usually has no problem identifying whatever is playing – with some exceptions. There are a few other methods to identify that song if you are not into Shazam.

9. A VPN App

When you’re in cafes, restaurants, airports or other places offering public Wi-Fi, a VPN protects your data from getting intercepted by malicious players on unsecured networks. I find it particularly useful when making payments or accessing sensitive accounts. At the same time, when traveling to other countries that apply heavy censorship laws, having a VPN app will enable you to access the services you usually use at home.

In my case, I use NordVPN, but there are many other worthy VPN alternatives out there, depending on your budget and needs. Usually, a VPN app comes with a subscription.

10. An Easy Phone-to-PC Transfer App

We all need to transfer stuff from our phones to our computers. Be it photos, videos, songs, or documents, having an easy transfer tool that can make that happen instantly is a major time saver.

Since I have a Windows PC, I use Microsoft’s own Link to Windows app which lets me sync up my two devices. Then I can easily access calls, notifications, messages, and media directly on my PC. For those with a Mac, you might want to try using MacDroid. Google also has its own QuickShare functionality baked into Android, which lets you share wirelessly from a phone to a computer, but in my experience, it doesn’t always work smoothly.

Related: for other ways to remotely transfer from your phone to a Windows device, check here.

Moving further, if you’d like to customize your app experience on Android, you can learn how to set custom icons for your Android apps to make accessing them more fun. You might also like to learn how to install Android apps directly from your PC.

Image credit: Pexels All screenshots by Alexandra Arici

Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.

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