Current Events > Favorite Android apps

(+) Yeah! (+)

Post them. Not the obvious ones everyone knows about. The ones that don't get much attention, but have impressed you with their utility or entertainment value. I'll even throw some on to begin with, because I'm a good guy like that.

KDE Connect: Not the same, absurd level of integration that iPhones and Macs have, but KDE Connect offers a really damn good amount of connectivity for Android phones. Mainly useful for seamless two-way file management, but it does other nifty things like sync notifications and send texts from your computer. (Using KDE in Linux, it offers weird niche shit too like controlling media playback on your computer from your phone.)

Quickdic: No, not a misspelled gay hookup app. It's an offline dictionary which sources from Wiktionary. Simple and easy.

Unit Converter Ultimate: Convert anything to anything. The number of options is bafflingly large.

Simple Solitaire Collection: Remember that hubbub a while back about game apps and such datamining the fuck out of users? That's because shitheads don't look at the permission requirements for apps they download, hence they deserve to be spied on. This app doesn't do that - it's literally just card games.

(That's actually one shared quality among all of these four apps - they don't require unnecessary permissions. I like my shit FOSS when I can.)
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Frankly, most if not all the stock Samsung apps. Pass, Pay, Internet, etc.

I use them exclusively and got rid of the Google equivalents.
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is samsung browser really that much better than chrome?

anyways:

sync pro - reddit
evernote - for notes
manga rock - best manga viewer
clover - best 4chan app
webtoon - some good comics i read
lastpass - good password manager
gameraven - gamefaqs viewer
google maps
sound-hound - can tell you pretty much whatever song is playing
plex - if you have a plex server this is great
hearthstone
bloons td 6
girls frontline
fire emblem heroes
bixby remapper - if you have a recent samsung phone and want to use the bixby button for something else
google rewards - get google store credit for doing (very rare) short surveys. usually 10-50c for answering 1-3 multiple choice questions
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I haven't used Chrome in months so maybe it's now caught up to the Samsung browser. It offers:

Extensions (e.g., ad blocking)
Night mode
Reader mode
Biometric logins using Samsung Pass
Uses less RAM
More battery efficient
Faster (in my experience)
Can be used in ultra power saving mode
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I was gonna ask the same but for Samsung Pay over Android Pay. Anyway, throw a couple more on here:

Amaze File Explorer: Simple, lightweight file manager. Themable, plus access all the way down to root if you're, well - rooted.

Colornote: Simple sticky note application. Really useful for quick reminders.

Portal: Easy computer-to-phone file transferring for when KDE Connect isn't an option.

Simple Mobile Tools: Not a single app but a creator of apps you can find on the Play Store or F-Droid. Really, really barebones tools. The photo gallery is a fucking photo gallery. The calendar is a fucking calendar. The clock is - well, you get the idea. Absolutely no unnecessary permissions.

Lightning Browser: Somewhat well known as far as browsers go, but if you get it through F-Droid instead of the Play Store, it's actually the pro version. Incredibly lightweight browser with the right additional features.
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Samsung Pay is the best mobile payment system.

Google Pay (and Apple Pay) only work on NFC enabled terminals. Samsung Pay uses NFC and MST, which allows it to work on virtually any terminal that accepts credit cards. Even that rinky dink terminal at a gas station in Nowheresville, Kansas.

Even more, Samsung Pay has a rewards system that allows you to accrue points each time you use it (like a credit card).
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DNS66: Rootless adblocking. Get it from F-droid, though, the one on Play Store is a hackjob port supposedly.

Honestly I'd just recommend people get F-Droid in general and check it out. All the apps on it are incredibly lightweight and non-sketchy. Not always the prettiest thing, but you don't need to deal with sketchy permission requirements. They just do their job.
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Here WeGo for maps.
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Super Saiyan 3 Goku posted...

Samsung Pay is the best mobile payment system.

Google Pay (and Apple Pay) only work on NFC enabled terminals. Samsung Pay uses NFC and MST, which allows it to work on virtually any terminal that accepts credit cards. Even that rinky dink terminal at a gas station in Nowheresville, Kansas.

Even more, Samsung Pay has a rewards system that allows you to accrue points each time you use it (like a credit card).

Yeah; The only reason to use Google Pay, is for for online and in app payments in case there's no Samsung Pay support for them.

Fuck that this topic isn't dying yet.

Search Based Launcher: Fuck the traditional launcher paradigm of icons and widgets and homescreen pages and docks. SBL gives you all your apps, plus a few additional toggle options, in a searchable list. you can hide apps and modify names as well, so you can easily organize all your apps. The main draw is that it's insanely lightweight - not actually the launcher I use myself (That'd be Nova Prime) but I like the idea of it.

This Xperia XA2 I just got a couple days ago has literally ruined me for all other phones.
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Bumping this useful topic.

Open Link With - Self explanatory. "Shares" links to your desired app when it wouldn't otherwise automatically prompt you.
Moodpath - I use it to sort of track my depression but I imagine it could be useful for anyone looking for a simple mood tracker/mini-journal. Three times a day it'll prompt you to answer questions about your current mood and jot down some details. Every 14 days it gathers everything together and generates a summary of events for you. I happen to see my therapist every 14 days so it's a nice refresher of things to talk about.
SMS Backup+ - Backs up your calls and texts to Gmail, which I know is totally antithetical to what most apps in this topic have been about, so I'm open to alternative SMS saving methods.
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SmidgeIsntBack posted...

which I know is totally antithetical to what most apps in this topic have been about

Don't get me wrong, I'm not on that full-on Richard Stallman tinfoil hat shit. I once tried to be, but I can't. Still use Google services, still have a Windows partition on my laptop, still have Facebook and such. But I can justify those to some extent, considering their use to me. (And even then, you can still find good FOSS alternatives for Gmail and FB if you want. I just can't be bothered.)

It becomes indefensible when we're talking about a Sudoku app which wants to record your camera, or a fucking HIIT timer which wants to see your call log info. A window pops up on the Play Store which literally tells you what this app wants to do with your device, and people never look at it. These are the same people who were complaining in droves when those spying stories broke too. Good worthwhile alternatives are out there - if someone isn't willing to look for it, they deserve to be spied on.

The other thing, more tangible for sure, is that these lighter-weight apps also use less battery. Every time an app tries to snoop it's activating stuff, and having a ton of those on your phone at once slowly leeches battery. Swap them out for apps which don't need to be hitting sensors all the time, and which also tend to be less focused on aesthetics in general, and the improvement is noticeable.
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