Although most people can hardly imagine life without a smartphone, many do not get the most out of their devices. You can generally get by with the applications preinstalled by the manufacturers, but the right apps can make a big difference. Consumers are also a long way from Apple’s uniformity when it comes to Android devices. These apps should not be missing on any smartphone in 2023.
Very few users would want to do without “WhatsApp”, which is still the most widely used chat and messenger app. Chatting in groups, exchanging photos and videos, right up to video telephony: “WhatsApp” bundles the most important functions that an “all in one” solution needs. In principle, this also applies to free apps such as Signal, Skype, Telegram, Threema, Viber or Wire. Signal and Threema in particular are well positioned when it comes to data protection and have therefore become increasingly popular in recent years.
The video players pre-installed on smartphones cannot always play all video formats. If you want to be prepared for such a case, there is no way around the “VLC Media Player”. The free application is also the most popular video all-purpose tool on tablets, laptops and PCs.
All Android phones come with a pre-installed version of “Google Maps” – and for most users this is the navigation app par excellence. Google is always giving its pocket world map new updates and is almost indispensable for many people because of the integrated information about restaurants, shops, etc. Anyone who needs more precise map material and, for example, moves in the countryside or goes hiking, will find the greatest added value in apps such as “Alpenvereinaktiv”, “Komoot” or “Locus Map”.
Because Google also offers its own Internet browser with “Chrome”, this is usually also pre-installed on Android devices. Popular alternatives such as “Firefox” or “Opera Mini” are particularly worthwhile for end users if they also use the respective browser on their other mobile devices and want to synchronize the browser accounts. If you really want to surf safely, you can also install the mobile version of the “Tor” browser.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok – or all three? Which social media and entertainment apps users install depends primarily on which portals they use at all. This also applies to video streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney or Netflix. It’s similar in the world of music: users have to decide for themselves whether “Spotify”, “SoundCloud” or “Mixcloud” is the right platform. But you can definitely find the corresponding app in the Playstore.
