10 Must-Have Android Apps for 2018
Whether you're brand new to Android or a longtime enthusiast, the Google Play store's catalog of 3.5 million apps can be intimidating. Our list is a great place to begin for anyone looking to jump-start their collection. Read about our selection process below, or if you're really eager to download these essentials, go ahead and skip down to the list itself.
What's Here
We openly admit that this list doesn't even begin to approach the seemingly infinite variety of apps on the Google Play store. We also know that everyone has different priorities when it comes to their Android device, so we encourage you to fine-tune it to suit your needs.
For example, Evernote is an enormously versatile tool, but it might not meet your needs for to-do lists, in which case, you should move to a refined organizational app like Any.do. Or maybe after reading lots of comics in Comixology, you're curious to read the massive backlog of Marvel titles available for a single monthly fee via Marvel Unlimited. That said, this collection of apps takes care of just about every need.
How We Choose Android Apps
We test tons of different Android apps over the course of the year and many of us here at PCMag use an Android phone as our day-to-day device, so we are no strangers to the app landscape. When compiling this list, our first choices go to those that are necessary to get work done, such as Google Drive and LastPass. The former lets you access files and retrieve important items off your phone with ease, while the latter stores all the passwords you need to gain access to critical apps and services. Next, we think about what kinds of apps are popular and how we can fill those categories. Everyone takes photos with their phones nowadays, so Snapseed, an excellent photo-editing app, makes the list, as well.
People also stream all sorts of content to their devices. While there are many options for watching movies and TV on Android, Netflix takes the honor with its exciting range of content and offline viewing capabilities. In the music-streaming space, Spotify offers a near-peerless experience, and it's a great mobile fitness app, too, smartly integrating features like beat-matching to keep runners on pace. Another one of our picks hails from the oft-ignored mobile device security category. With the ever-increasing chance of a malicious attack over an unsecured network, a mobile virtual private network (VPN), like NordVPN, is now a must-have for everyone.
What's Not Here
First, there are no games. We hear you moan, but Android games deserve their own roundup. There are simply too many of too great a variety. If you want games (and we know you do), you should read our guide to the best Android games. That'll take care of all your thumb-twiddling, screen-swiping needs.
Second, there are only a few Google apps on here. It's really easy to just default to them since many are, well, default on Android devices. Regarding the Google apps that did make the list, we've carefully balanced their utility against that of competitors in the space to make sure they really are the best. For example, Google Drive, an excellent mobile office suite, also gives access to Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.
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