Apps are the beating heart of Android. The Google Play Store is home to millions of them and fortunately for us, many of the most impressive don’t cost a penny. In this article, we’ve rounded up a bunch of the best free Android apps you’ll find there in 2016.
Spotify
Spotify is your gateway to mountains of free music streaming. It has a huge library, it can be easily synchronized between multiple devices, and its Radio, Discover and Mood playlists regularly present fantastic new music for your ears.
The free Spotify app does rely on adverts which are played between every three or so songs, but it’s a small price to pay for such a comprehensive and useful service. Just be warned that the more you use it, the smarter it becomes: you’re going to find more good music than you know what to do with.
SwiftKey
Calling out the best keyboard app is never easy. As probably the most used app on your phone, the keyboard you choose is a very personal decision. But for us, SwiftKey, which was once a paid app, provides the best balance of speed, usability and features.
It’s highly customizable and it quickly learns your writing habits to make auto predictions. What’s more, if you’re somebody who often writes in multiple languages, SwiftKey’s predictions and autocorrect are (often) smart enough to know what language you’re trying to type in, meaning there’s no need to switch on the fly.
Pushbullet
Pushbullet is one of those apps that people are skeptical about until they actually start using it. This Android app syncs content between your smartphone and desktop computer in the most efficient way possible.
Install it on your phone and as a web browser add-on, and you can easily view and share SMS texts, messages, links, photos, videos, files and more between your own devices and your friends'. Simply put, Pushbullet makes sharing easier.
Duolingo
The benefits of learning a second language extend beyond simply “understanding someone else”: there are numerous – and significant – health benefits associated with it, and Duolingo could be your first step to getting there.
Duolingo gamifies language learning to make it more engaging and to give you a greater sense of accomplishment for even basic understanding. It’s an excellent introduction to a second language or way to improve your existing skills.
Podcast Addict
If we were to recommend the best podcast app, it would obviously be Pocket Casts. But Pocket Casts isn't free; for the best free podcast app, we recommend Podcast Addict.
Podcast Addict makes discovering and downloading podcasts simple. Though the user-interface won't exactly blow you away, its helpful search options assist you in finding the content you're looking for, even if you don't have a specific podcast in mind.
You can pay a little money to remove the app's ad banner, but otherwise Podcast Addict doesn't have any feature restrictions in the free version. Even if you're not into podcasts now, with this intuitive app, you might soon become addicted.
Evernote
The Evernote developers understand that note taking is meant to be quick and easy, but they also understand that smartphones present an opportunity that simple post-it notes and fridge magnets never could.
So, Evernote lets you create written notes, but it also supports voice memos, lets you share files with friends and colleagues, and gives you access to your reminders from a number of different devices. Certainly one of the best-looking and most feature-filled productivity tools on Android.
Greenify App Hibernator
Greenify is tool which can be used to increase battery life and device performance but, unlike the plethora of other apps that claim to do this, Greenify genuinely works. You can use this app to restrict what apps are working in the background on an individual basis, based on easy-to-interpret information provided by Greenify, and make use of its ‘automated hibernation’ mode so that this is taken care of whenever you lock your device.
It’s a powerful tool, but with great power comes great responsibility. Greenify makes it incredibly easy to stop useful apps operating in the background, and this isn’t always a good thing. Try not to disable your morning alarm or messaging apps.
Twilight
Twilight is a small, inconspicuous free app that will help you achieve better sleep: go and download it now. I’ve written about it before and, unless you just really hate the idea of having a red screen before bedtime, I can’t think see why you wouldn’t want it.
Twilight filters the blue light out of your display which can be harmful to your quality of sleep; this is a well-documented side effect of backlit displays. Twilight will make your display dimmer and give it a red hue, but use it in the evenings before you fall asleep and you’ll soon feel the benefits.
Dashlane
Find it a struggle to manage all your passwords? Download Dashlane and thank me later. This app seeks to make it easy to log in to any website that requires a password. Once you create your Dashlane account, simply add all your existing passwords and logins (if you can remember them) so that when you next visit these sites, Dashlane can auto-complete the fields.
Of course, as with any password saving service, security may concern you: especially when all of them can be held behind the apps four-digit pin code (should you set this up). And, disappointingly, the app is currently only supported in its own Dashlane Browser, not Chrome. Still, as far as password master keys go, this is the best solution on Android.
What did we miss? What would you say is the best free Android app? Let us know in the comments.
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