What are applications for? Necessary applications for Android. What are the most necessary applications for Android?

As of May 2016, there are more than 1.5 million programs in the Google Play brand store for Android. Among them - system utilities, multimedia applications, widgets, games and many other categories. But to determinewhat are the most needed applications for Android?, to a simple user not easy. After all, many programs are a kind of “Hello World”, that is, a test of the pen of amateurs and novice programmers. Another part is functionally a duplicate of popular software with similar functionality, but differs in the implementation method (the creators simply write applications that are more convenient for them than mass-produced analogues). Choosethe most needed Android applications 2016Our material will help.

The top hundred included software for solving the most popular problems.organized by categories to make it easier to choose among them. The selection does not include antiviruses or similar utilities. Whythe most necessary applications for Androiddo not include protection against malware – we wrote earlier.

The most necessary applications for Androidthat play media files are simply necessary if the “native” player in the smartphone is not satisfactory.

TTPod . An advanced player from Chinese developers that supports changing themes, working with online services, searching for covers and lyrics, as well as displaying lyrics in karaoke mode.
AIMP . A high-quality audio player that supports all popular formats, interface customization, work with playlists, control from the “blind” and work with streaming audio.
YouTube . The official video player from the popular video hosting site. Compared to the web version, it has improved optimization, easy setup, supports full screen mode in one click (which is important for weak smartphones, where the web version is slow).
Daroon Player. Multifunctional audio and video player that supports playlists and working with DVD files (with graphical menu).
Radio Ukraine . A program for online listening to Ukrainian radio stations. It has more than 100 all-Ukrainian and local channels in its database.
MX Player . A powerful video player with support for hardware (including multi-core) decoding.
KMPlayer . Another computer video player program ported to Android. From " big brother" has more modest functionality, but equally good optimization.
BSPlayer FREE. A free video player for Android that supports hardware decoding, working with archived videos and the contents of OTG drives.

Office software

It was unfair not to includebest programs for Androidand office tools for working with documents on a smartphone or tablet.

Microsoft Word . Mobile version world famous tool for working with text documents on Windows.
Adobe Acrobat Reader . The official tool for working with documents in PDF format.
Google Docs . An online service adapted for smartphones for working with office documents.
Microsoft Excel . Another official application Microsoft Office, this time for working with tables.
CamScanner . A program that will turn your Android smartphone into a scanner. It can be used to scan and digitize a paper text document.
Cool Reader . Powerful reader for e-books in most popular formats.

Typing and printing

Comfortable work with instant messengers and office documents is impossible without a good keyboard. For those who are not satisfied with the standard Google keyboard - a selectionbest programs for Android,intended for typing.

TouchPal . Customizable input with support for predictive typing and Emoji emoticons. For those who can’t get used to YTSUKEN after a push-button dialer, the ability to turn on the T9 keyboard will be an invaluable option.
Flexy . Customizable keyboard with big buttons, the printing speed of which is higher than the standard one.
Kika Keyboard . A keyboard that is highly customizable in terms of functionality and interface. Supports various fonts, dictionaries, animated emoticons and keypress sounds.
Ginger Keyboard . An interesting keyboard for Android that supports, among other things, text translation.

Working with finances

To manage finances without leaving home, modern banks and payment systems offer software for remote access to accounts and wallets.

Credit history . A program from UBKI that allows you to view your credit rating and assess your chance of success in obtaining a loan.
AndroMoney . A free program for managing the budget of a family or a small emergency, the strict reporting of which is not required by law.
Bitcoin Wallet . A program for managing the wallet of the popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
Vitrat Magazine . Management software family budget allowing you to keep track of income and expenses.
Exchange rates Ukraine. An application for monitoring foreign currency rates in Ukrainian banks.

Navigation

The best free programs for Android2016, responsible for working with navigation, will be useful for those who travel a lot and often visit unfamiliar cities, using a smartphone or tablet instead of a navigator.

Google Maps . Official navigation app from Google, which, unfortunately, is not always preinstalled on smartphones.
AndroidTS GPS Test . A program that allows you to test the operation of the navigator, shows the number and type of detected satellites, determines the speed, coordinates and altitude above sea level.
Yandex.Maps . Alternative standard service Google. It is distinguished by a higher quality of detailing of satellite images of Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Navitel Navigator . A shareware application with support for online maps, display of traffic jams, cameras and traffic police posts, as well as 3D display.
Google Earth . A program from Google that supports three-dimensional navigation and displays all corners of the Earth in the form of satellite images.
Roads of Ukraine . Atlas of Ukrainian roads, supporting a user database on the condition of the pavement of important highways.

Transport and travel

This category presents applications designed to make life easier for both travelers and those who simply do not know the city well enough.

Car DVR & GPS navigator . A program that allows you to use a smartphone mounted in a car as a DVR.
Train timetable Ukraine . A program for viewing schedules of suburban and passenger trains in Ukraine.
Foursquare - Best City Guide . A program for travelers that allows you to search for short descriptions of cities around the world and find information about infrastructure facilities ((cafes, hotels, clubs, shops, train stations) in them.
EasyWay public transport . Detailed information about routes public transport in major cities of Ukraine (56 cities), Russia (20), Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Serbia and Croatia.
Airbnb. A program designed to find affordable accommodation for travelers around the world. The database includes more than 35 thousand cities around the world.
Booking.com. Booking hotel rooms around the world. More than 750 thousand hotels in the database, with filters and descriptions.

Internet

Web surfing is one of the main functions of an Android smartphone.The most necessary applications for Android2016 in this category include a selection of good browsers.

Opera . A mobile version of the well-known computer browser, which has expanded functionality (compared to Opera Mini), but also supports information compression.
Google Chrome . A popular browser from Google, adapted for mobile devices.
Adblock Browser . A browser from the creators of the popular extension, which allows you to enjoy browsing websites without annoying ads.
UC Browser . An application from Chinese developers, featuring support for traffic compression, a powerful loader and a user-friendly interface.
UTorrent . Mobile version of the popular torrent downloader for PC.
Firefox. A fast cross-platform browser with synchronization, extensions and a powerful bookmarking tool.

Communication and social networks

L the best free programs for AndroidIt’s impossible to imagine without online messengers.

Telegram . A popular online messenger from the creators of VKontakte.
Skype . The official client of the popular messenger from Microsoft, supporting text, voice communication and video communication.
Viber . Another popular cross-platform communication service.
Kate Mobile . VKontakte client with advanced functions: support for downloading audio and video, as well as a stealth mode.
Dialer One . Alternative to standard Android dialer with a customizable keyboard and other interesting features.
Swarm - by Foursquare. The application allows you to share your location with friends and find out where they are now.
Facebook Messenger. Free messenger from the creators of the world's largest social network, with contact integration.
Facebook. The official client for communication in the world famous social network.
VKontakte. Client of a popular social network, without downloading music, but official.

Photo and video

The selection includes the best Android programs for working with photography and video, as well as related online services.

Adobe Photoshop Express . Mobile version of the world famous professional tool for working with images.
Z Camera . An alternative to a standard camera, characterized by an abundance of filters, rich settings and good performance.
Camera MX . Another alternative camera that supports hot image processing, many filters and shooting “live photos”.
Instagram . A well-known online service for posting photos in real time, as well as viewing galleries of other users.
Pics Collage . A tool for editing and combining multiple photos into one collage.
Pencil Sketch . Program that transforms regular photos from the camera into graphic drawings “a la pencil”.
. A feature-rich and completely free alternative to the standard Android camera.
Google Photos . The official tool for working with the popular photo hosting site from Google.
Coub. The application allows you to create short looping videos and share them with friends.
Pinterest. Photo service for uploading images to thematic collections and viewing images of other users.

Purchases

To make shopping online not only convenient, but also profitable, we present the mostnecessary applications for Android, in the field of trade.

Price.ua . The official application from one of the largest price aggregators in Ukraine, allowing you to compare prices in online stores.
AliExpress Shopping App. The official client of the largest Chinese trading platform, allowing you to make purchases at a discount.
eBay . A client of a world-famous online auction that allows you to shop around the world.
Barcode Scanner . Strip and QR code scanner program to determine information about products.
Shopping list . A simple application that will come in handy before going to the supermarket.
Shopping List. A program for making a shopping list before going to the store.

Delivery services

In the era of the development of online trading, programs that allow you to track the status of parcels and monitor the performance of delivery services are becoming necessary for Android.

TrackChecker Mobile . A program that supports tracking the location of parcels from many logistics services from around the world.
Where is the parcel . Another tracker that allows you to track your location by number postal items.
17TRACK. Tracker program for tracking postal items. Supports work with more than 200 delivery services in China and around the world.

News and media

News reading programs will help you always keep abreast of current events in Ukraine and in the world.

XSPORT . All sports news in one application, with photos and the ability to discuss.
Ukrainian Truth. The application allows you to follow the news of politics, economics and finance in Ukraine.
Google news and weather. The official news aggregator from Google, working with more than 75 thousand sources from around the world.
Yandex.News. All news by category - in one place, in Russian or Ukrainian.

Personalization

Not everyone likes it standard interface and basic Android OS functionality. The best Android personalization programs will allow you to customize your smartphone to suit you.

Previously mobile phones could only perform a limited set of functions. As a rule, these are calls and sending messages. Thanks to the development of the technical sphere, many interesting developments have appeared that have allowed manufacturers to turn simple “dialers” into a full-fledged PC. Just 15 years ago, few could have imagined that the functions of a large bulky computer could be performed by a small compact smartphone or tablet. Now all this has become an everyday reality. But the gadget itself will not provide such opportunities. It can be conditionally called a base, which creates certain conditions for installing various applications. And it is the latter that make it possible to use the full resources of multimedia devices as efficiently as possible.

Currently, the most popular operating system is Android. Most manufacturers install it on their gadgets. We are talking about such well-known brands as Samsung, Huawei, HTC, Xiaomi, etc. By purchasing new smartphone or a tablet, users most often wonder what applications are needed for Android? Of course, the level of functionality of the device will depend on their correct choice. When you go to Google Play Market, it’s easy to get lost in the wide range of applications. Not every user will immediately understand what exactly needs to be installed on the gadget. This article will describe exactly those services that, according to users, are the most necessary.

Top necessary applications for Android

Buyers, when purchasing a new gadget, notice that the manufacturer has already equipped it with various utilities. However, are they all really needed? Unfortunately, some applications turn out to be completely useless in practice. But, fortunately, such software can be removed and instead installed those programs that a specific user needs.

The Google store offers a wide range of paid and free content. Among this variety, there are applications that you simply cannot do without. modern user. In order for the owner of the gadget not to waste time on independent searches, below we present a list of them.

So, let's look at what are the most necessary applications for an Android smartphone in the top 10.

Antivirus. A modern gadget cannot do without protection. Currently exists large number viruses that can not only harm the device, but also completely disable it.
Managers. In order to put all the files in order (organize and distribute them into folders) available on your phone or tablet, it is recommended to use a special utility. It's called a file manager.
Browser. Currently, it is difficult to imagine a user who can do without the Internet. In order to be able to visit the World Wide Web, you need to install a browser.
Navigator. According to statistics, most of the Russian population has cars, so it is recommended to equip your gadget special program, which is capable of creating a route to any object. This will help save not only the driver’s nerves, but also gasoline.
Cards. Previously, when arriving in a foreign city, you could easily get lost. I had to ask people to show them the way, for example, to the train station or to the museum. Now everything is much simpler. If you install maps, you can feel at home even in a foreign city.
Social media. You can communicate with friends and relatives living in another country every day. To do this, just install the application and create a profile.
Video communication. How good it is during a call not only to hear the caller’s voice, but also to see him! To do this, it is enough to have a gadget with a camera and a special service installed. The application must be on two phones.
Adobe Flash Player- a multimedia platform that allows you to reproduce graphics, audio recordings and videos.
MX Player- an excellent video player that supports a large number of formats.
Cool Reader- a program for those who prefer to read e-books.

Of course, the most necessary applications for Android are not limited to this list. Each user can additionally download educational games, fitness programs, health services (fluid control, anti-smoking, etc.), weather and much more from the Play Market.

Protecting your gadget from malware

The Android operating system is considered quite vulnerable compared to iOS. Unfortunately, danger can lurk where you least expect it. Users who are going to turn their gadget into a powerful working platform simply cannot do without an antivirus. There are a lot of different things on the Internet malware. It is impossible even for the most experienced programmer to identify them without a special utility. You can get a virus on your device by downloading music, pictures, or simply visiting websites. Malware can greatly ruin a user's life. At first, minor malfunctions will appear, and then the device may not turn on at all.

It is much easier to prevent such a nuisance than to “cure” the device later. To do this, you will need to choose the right antivirus and install it on your tablet or smartphone. However, you must act extremely carefully. The fact is that such programs are resource-intensive, so they must be selected carefully, based on the technical equipment of the gadget itself. If the characteristics of the device are not powerful enough, this will lead to severe slowdowns in work processes and, as a result, to freezes.

So, what applications should you install on Android in order to protect your gadget from attacks by virus programs?

Dr.Web. The most popular application. Copes well with the assigned tasks. To install on a smartphone, it is recommended to use the simplified version - Light. According to users, this antivirus is the most reliable. It provides different functions: database update, blacklist, system check (quick, full), etc. A significant advantage of this program is the low hardware requirement. It is this utility that tops the list of necessary applications for Android. True, you can only install for free trial version for a period of several months, and the full one is offered by the developers for a certain price.
Avast! Mobile security. No less popular antivirus. Works efficiently and quickly. You can install it on your gadget for free. Protects against different viruses, infected codes and malware. Can track online activity. The interface is simple, the controls are well thought out by the developers.

File managers

Continuing to study the necessary applications for a smartphone on Android, we need to talk about file managers. Many gadget owners will ask, what are they for? Users download a large number of music, graphics and video files to their phones. For example, an exciting movie helps pass the time in a traffic jam. The way to work becomes much more exciting if you listen to your favorite music. However, not all devices have special utilities, which manage such files. Having downloaded data from the Internet, you can spend a day (or even more) searching for it in numerous system folders. To avoid this, a manager is installed. This application allows you to save downloaded files in a specific location so that the data is not lost.

Unfortunately, there is currently not a large selection of programs. This, of course, greatly surprises users, since interacting with the gadget without file manager quite problematic. Now the store offers you to choose one of two applications - File Manager HD or File Manager. The utilities do not have any significant differences. With their help, the user can manage all files installed on the device, view them and even archive them if necessary.

World Wide Web - browser installation

Of course, the list of the most necessary applications for Android includes browsers. Without them, the user simply will not be able to access the vastness of the World Wide Web. Today there are a lot of such applications. Each of them (according to the developers) is as convenient as possible. But is this really so? Unfortunately no. If, when purchasing a gadget, a browser is installed that the user does not like, it does not matter. It can be easily removed and replaced with another. There are a lot of offers in the Google store. After studying the reviews, we were able to identify two leaders.

Google Chrome . This browser is unrivaled in terms of speed. Doesn't load RAM, which has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gadget. Information is displayed on the screen in high quality. weighty Google's advantage Chrome is syncing. In order not to re-enter information, just log into your account. After this, the user will have access to all saved data: history, bookmarks, passwords, etc. It is also worth highlighting the option voice search. With its help, there is no need to waste time entering text from the keyboard, but simply say the request out loud.
Opera Mini. This browser has been familiar to users for a long time. It began to be installed in simple mobile phones to access the Internet. Now the developers have focused the application as much as possible on modern smartphones. This is currently the only browser that has a built-in VPN option. Some domestic operators cellular communication offer unlimited internet, if you use Opera Mini.

Navigator

Of course, the required Android applications for a tablet or phone cannot be specified unambiguously. They will be different for each user. For example, it is difficult to imagine a driver who does not use a navigator. You can purchase a DVR with this function, but it would also be a good idea to install the service on a smartphone or tablet. It will be useful even to those people who know the city well. Most of all, couriers, forwarders, and taxi drivers need it. This program will be able to plan a route taking into account traffic jams.

Among such applications, the leader is Navitel Navigator. This service paid. The program reads information from satellites. There is a voice notification option. Works only on gadgets that are equipped with a GPS receiver. Minimum requirements - takes up 14 MB of RAM. Supports graphics acceleration and display filters. The search is carried out by objects and addresses. The user can customize the interface at his own discretion. There are no comments regarding the operation of the application. The system functions clearly and without errors, although the quality is inferior to professional devices.

Cards

So, what are the most necessary applications for Android? In addition to the ones described above, it is also necessary to highlight the cards. At first glance, it may seem that only travelers need them. However, this is not true. Few people even in their city know all the streets, not to mention the numbering of houses and the location of service buildings.

Previously sold large cards, printed on paper. But using them is not always convenient. As a rule, they are not at hand at the most necessary moment, and then a smartphone with an installed application comes to the rescue. Based on this, we can safely say that maps belong to the category of necessary applications for Android. User reviews will tell you which of all the available ones you should choose. The undisputed leaders are:

Google Maps. The application allows you to get directions to a specific object. Provides information about the length of the journey and the time spent (by car, public transport and on foot). If you wish, you can view pictures of the area, work schedule, telephone numbers of office buildings, etc. All data is downloaded only with an active Internet connection. The only drawback of this application is its large size.
"2GIS". This application provides the user not only with city maps with house layouts, but also full information about organizations, even on which side the entrance to the building is located. You can also find out public transport routes, phone numbers, work schedules, etc. “2GIS” is not just maps, but a full-fledged reference book that is a worthy competitor to Google Maps, so if you still doubt what applications you need for Android, then be sure to install this program.

Social media

In life modern man social networks occupy an important place. Young people communicate with friends, housewives exchange experiences, men discuss politics, sports news, etc. Accessing the Internet only from a computer is not always convenient; it is better to use a smartphone for these purposes. You can access, for example, Facebook, Odnoklassniki or VKontakte in two ways: through a browser and through an application. As for the first, it can be called a costly method. Users must open a browser, enter a query, and follow a link, which takes certain time. It is also worth noting that such actions waste traffic. And those owners who have already installed the necessary applications for their Android phone can significantly reduce the time it takes to access their profile on social networks. The Play Market has special utilities that are downloaded completely free of charge. They are very easy to find as they have the name used on the sites. All versions are safe. You can use them without a browser social networks, saving Internet traffic.

Video calling

There are also necessary applications for Android (2017), which are repurposed for communication via video calling. Cellular operators They constantly offer favorable rates for calls and SMS, but if the user has unlimited Internet, then it is best to take advantage of an alternative offer.

Not so long ago, the ICQ messaging application was popular. The developers did not stop there and moved on. Now every owner of a tablet or smartphone can install Skype or Viber. They are offered to users completely free of charge. You can call or correspond with a subscriber who also has such an application installed. If there is no traffic limit, then you can communicate for an unlimited time without any additional costs.

The necessary programs for the gadget, according to users

Reviews from owners of modern gadgets will help you choose the right applications for Android. Most of them have already been discussed, but there are others. They deserve no less attention.

Cool Reader is a great app for those who love to read. It works with all known text files.
Adobe Flash Player. To watch videos on the Internet, you cannot do without this application. It also allows you to open all graphic images.
MX Player- a utility that can completely replace the built-in video player. The developers have provided a convenient library and a large number of codecs. The application works with almost all known file types.

Do I need to update applications on Android?

It often happens that when entering specific application, you may encounter a request to update the program. Not everyone knows what to do in such a situation. For example, user reviews often provide information that after updates the application begins to work with errors. However, in most cases, it is the new version that opens up many opportunities for the user. Therefore, if the question arises whether to update the program or not, then the answer can be one: of course, yes! Developers, having released the application, subsequently improve it by implementing new functions.

And one more thing you need to pay attention to: if you do not update the downloaded services in a timely manner, they may simply not start after a certain period of time.

Conclusion

In principle, this is where we can finish describing the applications that definitely need to be installed on the gadget. But this does not mean at all that the user should not download anything else from the Google store. There is a high probability that it will contain many more useful programs that will be useful specifically for specific activities. Everyone must decide for themselves which Android applications are the most necessary!

A combine for SMS and messages from instant messengers, the best offline maps, the largest library of GIFs, a convenient and concise player with free music, mobile document recognition, mail and a smart calendar in one bottle, an award-winning photo editor and unlimited VPN with ad blocking . These and others are not well-known, but very useful applications, Vesti.Hi-tech included in the New Year's selection.

Backdrops (Android)

This application contains hundreds of background images to decorate the home screen of your Android smartphone. Backdrops' wide and constantly changing collection includes wallpapers for any occasion: whimsical geometric patterns, landscapes, abstract or food.

Users of the program can synchronize backgrounds between different devices, create their own drawings, download images of other people, add to favorites, rate and share them with friends. High quality "wallpapers" appear on Backdrops daily. An in-app purchase will remove the ads and also unlock the premium background pack.

Snapseed (Android, iOS)

Snapseed is a logical and easy-to-learn photo editor owned by Google. The program will help you quickly edit your photo by cropping it, applying a filter, or sharpening it. The program's "serious" tools (color correction, spot adjustments) are side by side with simple ones - photo aging effects, scratches and frames. The original picture can be immediately compared with the result.

Snapseed allows you to work with both JPG files and DNG “digital negatives” without loss of quality. The Brush tool is used to work on individual areas of the image, and the Adjustment tool is used to automatic settings exposure and colors. You can also rotate the photo at any angle, level the horizon, add vignetting, grain, vintage, noir, frames and other effects. The finished picture can be immediately sent to social networks.

Photo scanner from Google Photos(Android, iOS)

In November, Google released a mobile "Photo Scanner" that makes it easy to scan old photos taken with a point-and-shoot camera. The process of scanning and processing images is designed so that the quality is as high as possible. After launching the application, you need to “catch” the photo you are taking into the frame on the screen and take the first frame. After this, four white circles will appear on top of it - you need to alternately align the circle in the center of the screen with them.

Next, the smartphone will automatically take four pictures, from which it will then create a final image free of glare and shadows. A quick test of Photo Scanner showed that the application copes with the stated task quite successfully, simultaneously adjusting the brightness and colors of the image, although automatic cropping can in some cases remove too much from the edges of the image. However, the application provides manual trim adjustment. In addition, the photo can be rotated. The result is uploaded to the Google Photos service.

MAPS.ME (Android, iOS)

Offline maps from Russian developers that have been included in the lists more than once best Android apps By Google versions. Users can download detailed map almost any city in the world (345 countries in total, including islands, winter resorts, etc.) and get directions without an Internet connection.

In addition to basic information such as roads, streets and buildings, MAPS.ME displays cafes, ATMs, gas stations, museums, local attractions and other points of interest that may be useful while traveling. MAPS.ME is compatible even with old smartphones and tablets. IN new version application, released at the end of December, added traffic data. The traffic situation can be viewed in 36 countries, including Russia. Moreover, traffic information is compressed (about 1 megabyte per hour of travel), which is especially useful when roaming.

Google Photos (Android, iOS)

"Google Photos" is an independent Internet search engine application, separate from the Google+ social network. Its main advantage is that users are provided with unlimited storage space for images, but only if their maximum resolution does not exceed 16 megapixels (for video - Full HD).

With Google Photos, there's no need to create albums or tag or tag photos—computer vision technology does everything on its own. The user will be able to find any photo he is interested in by simply entering search query- for example, “pizza” will display all pictures with this dish, and “St. Petersburg” will show photographs taken in this city.

And the “Assistant” built into the program will save you from manually sorting pictures taken while on vacation or going to a concert. This function will independently create a thematic album and put the most successful (from the point of view of computer algorithms) frames into it without any human intervention.

Phonograph (Android)

Phonograph (formerly Gramophone) - simple, minimalistic and very beautiful player for Android, made in the spirit of “material” design. Having recognized the track, the program automatically loads data about the artists, including their photographs, album covers and biography.

There is an equalizer widget, a “sleep timer” that turns off the program after a specified period of time, the ability to create playlists, a widget for the Android home screen, and support for editing tags. Phonograph also supports a scrobbling feature that marks music as played in Last.fm to improve personalized recommendations.

Microsoft Outlook (Android, iOS)

Outlook mobile is often called the best email app for both Android and iOS devices. The reason is simple: Microsoft's program automatically sorts incoming emails, putting them into thematic folders, allows you to delete and archive messages with one touch, and also add them to Calendar, OneDrive or Dropbox storage. Besides, Word files, Excel and other attachments Office documents can be opened directly in the application.

Besides mail servers Microsoft (Exchange, Office 365, Outlook.com, including Hotmail and MSN), the program supports Gmail, Yahoo Mail and iCloud, and calendar integration allows you to find out about scheduled events and meetings directly from your mail.

Flychat (Android)

The Flychat aggregator allows you to read messages without leaving your account. at the moment program from any messenger, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Twitter, Facebook Messenger and Slack. The application notifies you of an incoming message with a pop-up bubble directly on your home screen. By clicking on it, you can immediately write a response. An obvious drawback of Flychat is banner advertising, which, however, can be disabled using an in-app purchase.

Giphy (Android, iOS)

Opera VPN (Android, iOS)

Opera VPN provides free and unlimited Internet connection. private network(VPN). The new tool allows you to bypass firewalls and geo-restrictions on access to Internet content, as well as block advertising and online bugs.

So, Opera VPN can be used to access blocked sites, hide your IP address and surf the web safely while connected to public Wi-Fi. Unlike the vast majority of other VPN services (for example, TunnelBear), Opera's service is completely free and there are no Internet traffic charges.

In addition to the VPN connection service, new program Opera has a built-in ad blocker for Safari, Chrome and other browsers. It also knows how to block trackers - online bugs that monitor user actions. You can activate these functions in the settings. In addition, the program determines the security level of the Wi-Fi network, connection encryption, and threat protection. The developers call Opera VPN “one of the fastest and most reliable VPN services,” but the connection speed is not always as fast as we would like. The application also does not always select the optimal server to connect to. However, in the future, the creators of the service promise to expand the number of virtual locations, which will expand connection options.

When choosing programs for your Android device, many, especially beginners, get lost in the choice. Below is a list of applications that can be used on similar devices. Naturally, everyone has their own view on the set of applications.

Office, Calculators, Converters

Office Suite Pro- viewer for DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX and PDF files and attachments.

Smart Office+ - office suite for Android, a very good application: user-friendly interface, multilingual. View and Edit Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel all versions: 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, 2010. View PDF, view images in JPEG formats, PNG, GIF, BMP, WMF, EMF.

ezPDF Reader- convenient and functional reading of PDF files with an excellent interface. You can add bookmarks, highlight text and copy it to the clipboard. The language is English, but easy to learn.

Notepad+- notepad with auto-detect encoding.

RealCalc Scientific Calculator- one of the best calculators for Android, not too fancy, but functional.

Scan2PDF Mobile- the program allows you to convert a photo to a PDF file (for example, you took a photo of a document and converted it to PDF). The result may not always be excellent, but you can read it.
QR Droid Private- an application with the ability to create QR codes, as well as scanning QR codes with a camera and then going to the browser.

Finance, electronic clients

QIWI Client- convenient, simple and fast for a mobile wallet if there are terminals around the city. Interest-free account replenishment, payment mobile communications, and much more can be done with . If you have a wallet on the QIWI website, a QIWI Viza Virtual card is issued in 5 minutes, then you need to link it to Google Checkout and you can make purchases in almost all online stores.
PayPal- client for PayPal allows you to make purchases in different countries peace. You can view recent transactions for your PayPal account, including money requests sent from your device.
WebMoney Keeper Mobile - a client for a mobile wallet, a universal tool for making payments on the Internet.

Planners, Alarms, Notes

Birthdays- widget for birthdays and reminders. A small transparent widget displays a photo of a contact from the phone book. Has a number of settings for date reminders, playing melodies, etc.
Shopping - The application allows you to create a list of necessary purchases indicating weight and quantity. You can cross out what you bought. Convenient for going to large supermarkets.

Control optimization

Root Explorer - root user rights are required. Allows you to view system partitions, hidden folders and files, edit them, copy, move, etc.

A few more similar applications:

ASTRO File Manager does not require Root rights
EStrongs File Explorer is a complete alternative to Root Explorer if you have Root rights, the manager is free.
Total Commander - a well-known file manager for PC and now on Android.

SPB Shell 3D- in the recent past, a paid desktop and Yandex.Shell, currently free. A beautiful desktop with 3D graphics and a luxurious set of full-screen widgets.
Go Launcher EX- a fast desktop launcher with a lot of settings.

Apex Launcher Powerful - fast new launcher for ICS, the undisputed leader with many settings. Root rights are required to select widgets from the application menu.

CircleLauncher- a small widget that allows you to group applications and contacts, very convenient on a small screen.

Dock4Droid- a pop-up dock bar with icons of applications added to it and the most recently opened ones. The application works on the RocketDock principle.

SystemPanel- task manager/task killer. The application monitors a high-consuming resource for its destruction, provides data, graphs and information about loading, battery consumption, shared memory, network traffic (currently). One of the best applications of this kind, but it itself consumes a lot. It is recommended to use it to detect "guzzling" applications with high battery consumption.

System applications

GreenPower- fully automatic application for economical battery operation, after setting it works and saves charging consumption in background, turning off mobile data transmission if it is not needed.

Autostarts(rights required root user) - the application allows you to remove from autorun unnecessary applications and widgets at system startup, which can always be launched from the desktop. This way, resource savings are achieved at startup and their complete absence in background processes.

Titanium Backup(root user rights required) - the application allows you to backup applications and user data (sms/mss/contacts).

LuckyPatcher by ChelpuS(requires root user rights) is a patcher for most programs and games.

AnTuTu Benchmark- ability to test memory, processor, 3D graphics performance, SD card read/write speed.

SCleaner- an application for cleaning the device from garbage, has programmable settings for monitoring and cleaning processes, creating backup copies of deleted data, etc.

ShootMe(root user rights are required) - the program allows you to take screenshots by shaking the phone, the pictures are saved to /sdcard/ShootMe.

Internet, communication

In Contact Amberfog- client for VKontakte.

Jasmine I.M.- short message client, supports ICQ, Mail.ru, Jabber, VK, Ya.Online, QIP, GTalk. The latest versions have the ability to transfer data, a rich selection of settings, themes, including transparent ones, and the widget now supports them.

Palringo Group Messenger Multi-protocol IM client. Facebook Chat, windows Live Messenger, aol, yahoo messenger, gtalk, icq, jabber, iChat, gadu-gadu. The most interesting thing, of course, is voice and photo messages; you can create groups based on interests or communicate in existing ones.

2.0. - the new official application Odnoklassniki 2.0 allows you to constantly stay connected to the social network of the same name.

Internet, communication

Kaiten Mail - email client, supports IMAP Push, POP3, Exchange 2003/2007 (with WebDAV), and also supports multi-user folder synchronization, search, custom notifications and much more.

K-9 Mail- one of the few postal POP clients and IMAP for Android.

w3bsit3-dns.com- an unofficial client for viewing the website 4pda.ru. Viewing topics, reading and sending personal messages (PM), QMS, catalog of applications and games, always at hand.

3G Watchdog- the application allows you to track traffic consumption, has a small transparent widget on your desktop. The program not only monitors traffic consumption, but also sets up a cycle with the volume of your tariff plan with notification of its excess.

SwiFTP - FTP server with the ability to receive and transmit data via Wi-Fi. Works great in conjunction with Totall Commander on PC.

AirDroid - control the device from your computer's web browser using Wi-Fi.

Server for storing data on the network. For SGS3 users, the amount of free space has been increased to 50 gigabytes.
Yandex Disk- cloud service with 20 GB.

HD Widgets- clock and weather widget, customizable colors, transparency, has a large number of widgets displayed on the screen, both clock and weather separately, and together.

Multimedia

DicePlayer- player with hardware acceleration for 720p video. Supports formats: AVI,MOV,MKV,FLV,AVI,3GP,3G2,ASF,WMV,MP4,M4V,TP,TS,MTP,M2T.
Supports video codecs: HW: MPEG-4,H.264,H.263
SW: MPEG-4,H.264,RMVB,XVID,MS MPEG-4,VP6,H.263,MPEG-1,MPEG-2
Supports audio codecs: DTS,AC3,AAC,Vorbis,FLAC,MP3,MP2,WMA
Supports subtitles: SSA,SMI,SRT

Poweramp - audio player with a huge number of possibilities, plays MP3, MP4/M4A (including loseless ALAC), FLAC, OGG, WAV, TTA, WMA, APE/WV. Optimized 10-band graphic equalizer for all supported formats, separate tone control, equalizer presets, ability to edit and add presets, assignment for songs/audio outputs. Skin support, automatically downloads covers for songs, tag viewer and editor, .cue file support, reads flac image, etc.

Shazam- the application determines the composition and artist. To determine the melody, you need to bring the phone to the speaker and after 15 seconds you will know what the composition is and who the artist is.

TuneIn Radio- Internet radio with recording function.

QuickPic- fast and easy image viewer with multi-touch. Can be used instead of the standard gallery.

Camera360- camera with many effects. It has a lot of effects applied to the frame after shooting, and the ability to save both the original and processed frame.

HDR Camera+- a good camera for shooting static elements such as backgrounds, landscapes, macro photography. To achieve the HDR effect, the application creates three images with different exposures and combines them into one, preserving detail in the dark and light areas of the photo. After shooting, you can choose the saturation of the frame.

Zedge Ringtones & Wallpapers - program for viewing, downloading and installing wallpapers high quality, as well as ringtones. More than 380,000 ringtones, about 6,000 wallpapers.

Navigation (GPS)

2GIS / 2GIS Mobile: 2GIS - free electronic organization with a city map.
More than 11,110,000 PC users in 140 cities in Russia and Ukraine regularly use 2GIS for search necessary information. Convenient application: you can search, you can get directions. The application will also be convenient for walking searches around the city. By specifying a destination, you get detailed information on the map indicating travel by public transport and route numbers.

Navitel- navigator for Android presents a navigation program with offline maps, routing and traffic jam support. The program is paid.

PROTOWN- GPS/GLONASS navigation with current maps of Russia.

Phone, SMS

Handcent SMS- a utility for SMS with a large selection of various appearance settings.
GO SMS Pro - Convenient SMS communication. The program is designed in iPhone style.

cluBalance - widget for monitoring funds on an account with detailed statistics. Does not support Beeline and Tele2.

Programs for reading books

Cool Reader - a ported version of the famous program for reading e-books Cool reader.
Supports formats: .fb2, .fb2.zip, .txt, .rtf, .doc, .epub, .chm, .pdb, .prc, .mobi.

Moon+ Reader- support for fb2.zip, TXT, HTML, Epub, UMD and chm files.

FBReader- program for reading electronic books, supports formats: epub, fb2, fb2.zip, rtf, html, mobi, txt. It also supports working directly with .zip archives.

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article

Every owner of an Android tablet mostly uses it for the same purposes. This is watching movies, reading news, surfing the Internet and so on. So I decided to collect all the so-called “must-have” applications that everyone needs into one post. For beginners, I think it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the list provided so as not to search required applications and by trial and error choose the best. I’ll say right away that we won’t talk about games, we’ll talk about them some other time :)

I will try to look at things as objectively as possible and choose an application not only because I like it, but because most users like it. And who doesn’t like the proposed program, pay attention to alternative option. After describing the main application, I indicate its competitor, perhaps you will like it :)

I can’t imagine a tablet without Office. Whether you need to cheat on an exam or show important documents to a colleague, the program will help. She can show and edit files

text formats: DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT
table formats: XLS, XLSX, CSV
presentation formats: PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX
and also: PDF, EML

In addition, OfficeSuitePro 6+ can open zip archives thanks to the built-in file manager, allowing you to transfer the desired document directly from the application via Wi-Fi Direct, mail or print. Able to work with cloud services GoogleDrive and DropBox. A great bonus is the built-in pdf converter. And it’s also cool that the application interface is in Russian.

The program allows you to save and play your text, graphic and voice notes, and to-do/task lists on other devices. It might look something like this: you started writing an article on the road, and then came home, sat down at your computer, your Evernote account synchronized, and you can open and continue writing the article that you started writing on your tablet while you were driving home.

This way, Evernote won't let you forget anything. The program client is available on iOS, Windows, MacOS and many others. There is also an online version.

Personally, I never found a use for Evernote for myself. But many Android device owners really liked it. That's why I included it in the article.

I think I won’t be wrong if I assume that this situation happens to everyone: you found an interesting web page or video on the Internet, but you don’t have time to read/watch the material, because you have to go somewhere. And the maximum that you could do in this case is to re-visit the page you are interested in on your tablet on the road, spending not so little money for mobile Internet.

Now everything has become much simpler. You simply mark that you want to view this article or video in your browser, and it downloads to your tablet. Then, somewhere away from the Internet, you can enjoy the materials you need via Pocket. Moreover, without any advertising or unnecessary elements site like a navigation menu. It’s possible even without illustrations, it’s all customizable.

Well, where would we be without a file manager? FileManager HD is specially designed for tablets and supports all the functions necessary for such software: copy/paste, packing/unpacking archives, searching and transferring files, working with DropBox services and GoogleDrive, there is support for Root rights. It can also play streaming video from the network, has a built-in text editor, swf player, and gallery.

In my opinion, the best alternative desktop for Android. And many will agree with me. It comes by default in some custom firmware, and I liked it so much that now I always install it on any firmware.

There may be a lot, it’s impossible to count everything. If you're tired of the standard "bare" Android 4.X (and it doesn't work on Android 2.X and 3.X), just try Apex Launcher or its alternative, they are similar in many ways.

Awesome video player with hardware decoding. Can play all the most popular video formats, including subtitles. Adapted for multi-core devices. Convenient control of brightness, volume, rewind and zoom with gestures during video playback. Average rating of MX Player by users in the GooglePlay store: 4.7 out of 5.

alternative: MoboPlayer, VLC