12 Free Apps Every Android User Should Have Installed
Many of our teachers told us we wouldn't have calculators in our pockets when we grew up, and they were half-right. We don't have calculators, but we have Android smartphones that are more powerful than the first supercomputers. You probably spend a lot of your phone's battery life on social media apps, but this list is set to change that. It's time to make the most of your supercomputer with the best Android apps that the Play Store has to offer.
There's an app on this list for every Android user, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or spend your weekends scaling mountains. Although most options will offer paid versions with additional features, the base versions of all these apps are free. And if you read until the end, you'll find a way to get the paid versions of the apps you love without spending any actual money. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to download.
Windy.app Windy Weather Map
The Windy.app Windy Weather Map is the be-all and end-all when it comes to weather apps. Forget about the vague general apps that say there's a 60% chance of rainfall in your city within the next hour. Windy puts you under the microscope. Based on a colored gradient, you can see whether you'll be stuck in the heart of the next downpour or escape it by a hair's breadth, and you'll know how many inches of rain to expect. What's more, you can follow the forecast for up to nine days ahead of time, which is great for adventurers planning their next escape.
As its name suggests, Windy also shows you the wind speed and direction at any given time for the next nine days in any area. Of course, it'll also tell you what temperatures to expect and even information about UV exposure. Whether you're a mountaineer, motorcyclist, or just like to explore, Windy is a must-have app. This is all for free, but if you upgrade to the pro version, you'll have plenty more information at your fingertips about swells and currents, too.
CapCut
We consume more video content than ever, and that shows no sign of slowing down. For the longest time, you needed After Effects or a degree in graphic design to stand out on YouTube, Instagram, or any of the other top social media platforms. However, that's all changed thanks to CapCut. High-end features, normally found on subscription-based video editing software, like tracking, masking, speed ramping, and lock-on are all included. Best of all, it couldn't be more intuitive.
CapCut has been around for nearly four years and continues to grow in functionality. There's an array of templates to choose from, and the app will even suggest ones based on what you upload from your camera roll. Other features include auto-captions, body effects, chroma key, and 3D zoom, making it stand head and shoulders above the editing capabilities built into any social media platform's app.
You can follow other creators on CapCut, but this isn't the main draw to the app right now. When it's time to export files, CapCut maxes out at 4K/60, and everything is in MP4 format. This was the third most downloaded app in the U.S. in March 2023, so rest assured that it won't be long before most content creators are on the CapCut train.
Samsung Food: Meal Planning
In an age where we work more, have less time, and most of the quick snack options in the store contain ingredients you can't pronounce, keeping a healthy diet seems more difficult than ever. Thankfully, the Samsung Food: Meal Planning app features just about everything a home chef could want, apart from the hardware.
This app has more than 160,000 recipes in eight languages, and you can narrow down what you see based on a variety of filters, like time constraints or ingredient preferences. Even if you find a recipe you like, but a couple of ingredients aren't to your taste, you can change it to suit you using AI.
Once you've dialed in your preferences, use the Meal Planner feature to lay out your meals for the rest of the week and then create a shopping list based on what you've chosen. If you have any Samsung smart appliances, simply integrate them with the app to make cooking and restocking your shelves that much easier. Finally, after you've made something, the app enables you to share it with a community of home chefs and pick up some unique recipes that you won't find anywhere else.
Bitwarden
How many times have you been held at ransom by a password you can't remember? If you lose access to a social media profile, it's annoying, but if you're locked out of a financial app, it could be a crisis. It's not a good idea to use the same password for everything, and the people who do will sooner or later find it's been involved in a breach and need a new one anyway. Ultimately, we need to have multiple strong passwords, and Bitwarden is the one-stop-shop app for you to keep them all.
Unlike traditional password managers for Android, which offer severely limited functionality unless you upgrade to the paid version, Bitwarden's free plan is all most people need. It's an open-source app that gives you an unlimited number of entries and allows you to sync your vault across all your devices.
Bitwarden is end-to-end zero-knowledge encrypted, so you can rest assured that whatever you store is safe. At the time of writing, it's the only free password manager that offers multi-factor authentication, credential sharing, cross-platform syncing, and unlimited password storage. To top it off, it's incredibly easy to use.
Intuit Credit Karma
Keeping on top of your credit score usually feels more difficult than it needs to be. Calling that frustrating is an understatement because when the time comes that you need your credit score to be good, it's too late to make a significant change quickly. So don't let yourself get into that situation. Download Intuit Credit Karma to get on top of your credit today.
After you download the app and input your data, it'll show you your credit score. The app updates your credit score daily, and it's the first thing you see when you log in. The information is taken from two different credit bureaus. Of course, simply keeping you updated about your credit score is just where Credit Karma's features start.
The app's focus is to help you understand your credit score and improve it. It can track payments on existing credit cards and other loans and offers a checking account to help improve low credit scores. Finally, Credit Karma advises you on the best financial products to choose from, including mortgages, insurance, car loans, and credit cards.
Duolingo
Most of us know someone who learns new languages with relative ease, but for the majority of people, it's difficult. At the same time, it's never been easier to learn a new language, thanks to apps like Duolingo. This was the first Android language-learning app to go mainstream, and it's sat at the top of the hill ever since.
For speakers of English, Duolingo has courses in 37 languages. The quality of the courses varies from language to language, but in general, the courses all teach to a high standard. The reason this app works so well, as opposed to alternative ways of language learning, is how interactive it is. There are plenty of different challenges and levels, enabling you to get a basic grasp on a language relatively quickly.
The only thing to be aware of is that the free version comes with some limitations, namely, how long you can use it each day. You'll have to pause the app for a while if you get too many questions wrong in a certain period, whereas Super Duolingo allows you to use the app to an unlimited degree and keeps track of your mistakes so you can progress more quickly in your weak areas.
Untappd
Have you ever stood in front of a chalkboard listing more than 20 craft beers, totally clueless as to what one to choose? Then, you ask the bartender for some advice, which makes the situation seem even more complicated than before? Untappd is an app designed to put an end to those tedious problems.
The app keeps track of what beers you've tried and allows you to attach notes, ensuring you remember the ones you liked and the ones you didn't. This doesn't put an end to standing at the bar unsure of what to order, but thankfully, Untappd has another feature to tackle those situations.
Untappd connects you to a community of beer drinkers from all over the world. You can add other users on the app as friends, read their reviews on beers, and follow their recommendations. Once you've found a few users whose judgment you respect, you'll have a near-endless list of new brews to try.
ZocDoc
When you're sick, the last thing you worry about is making an appointment with a doctor who's not covered by your health insurance plan. Sometimes, even finding a doctor in your area and booking an appointment seems like an insurmountable task. ZocDoc aims to make your life easier when sickness takes hold.
Once you've downloaded the app and put in your information, ZocDoc shows you what medical and mental health practitioners are in your area and which ones accept your health care plan. You can read reviews on all the doctors and find and compare the top-rated ones in your area.
When it's time to book an appointment, you can do so instantly via the app and, if need be, cancel it just as easily. This isn't only an app for emergencies, as ZocDoc also keeps track of your annual check-ups, so all your healthcare needs are in one easily accessible place.
Songkick
It has never been easier to find new songs and music genres that you resonate with. It's arguably too hard to keep track of all the new artists we learn about every week, especially for users of Spotify's Discover Weekly. Now, this is nothing to complain about, but when you find out one of your newly-discovered bands just played in your area, and you missed the gig, that's a kick in the teeth. But you're just a few taps away from ensuring this never happens again, thanks to Songkick.
Songkick bridges the gap between the digital music you consume and live performances in your area. The app detects your location and shows you a list of upcoming shows in your city, including comedy gigs. You'll find out every detail about gigs via the app, including other acts that'll perform at the event, venue capacity, age restrictions, and ticket prices. But this isn't the app's most useful feature.
Most people are willing to travel to see their favorite artists, so Songkick doesn't limit results to just your area. You can sync Songkick with apps like Spotify to find out where all your favorite artists are playing and get notified if any of them announce dates near you.
Recorder
Recorder debuted on Google's Pixel 4 in 2019, and it was strange to see how much attention a seemingly simple recording app received — but that's all due to how good it is. Whether you're recording a lecture, an interview, or just a note-to-self, you'll never want to use another recording app after trying Recorder.
Recorder transcribes everything it hears in real time on your device, and unlike practically every modern app, it doesn't require an internet connection. In terms of comma and period placement, Recorder rarely misses a beat. It even does well with difficult accents.
For people working in creative industries, Recorder is a must-have app. You can speak a YouTube video script into existence while you're on the move and make minor or major tweaks to the text at a later date. Once you've recorded what you want, it's easy to share the audio file or transcript with collaborators. The only hang up for this great free app? It was designed for Google's flagship Pixel phones and is only officially supported on those devices.
Google Opinion Rewards
The fact that we have access to so many free apps that are genuine assets to our daily lives was almost unimaginable just 20 years ago. However, sometimes the free versions of apps just aren't good enough, and only the paid version will do. Google Opinion Rewards is a free app that gives you a way to download paid apps without spending any actual money.
The app sends you surveys and, upon completion, credits your Google Play account or PayPal cash. The surveys are short. On average, each survey takes less than a minute to complete, as opposed to the usual five to 10 minutes needed on other paid survey platforms.
The minimum withdrawal amount is just $2, but unfortunately, there aren't always a lot of surveys to take part in. Still, if you use a lot of Google products, you'll likely qualify for more surveys. It's also worth pointing out that this app isn't available in every country.
Transit
If only there was a bus that picked you up at your front door and dropped you exactly where you needed to go. Well, there's not, but there's Transit. Transit is your real-time urban travel companion, which makes public transport less stressful.
The app gives users accurate arrival times for buses, trains, and ferries from more than 80 domestic and international cities. Once you select your destination, Transit's integrated trip planner links all the necessary public transport services to get you from A to B. The app will also alert you to service disruptions and delays for your favorite lines.
Usually, you won't just get one route option. Instead, you'll get several and be able to compare travel times and costs. But the app doesn't just focus on standard public transport options. Transit incorporates information about local Citi Bike docking areas for when you're feeling energized. And, for when you're not, it also has Uber integration.