11 great apps for your new Android device for 2020

The first thing you need to do when you get a new phone is to sign in to all your accounts again – email, Facebook, Signal, etc. – to make sure you get all the important notifications and messages from friends receive. But after that, you want to install apps that replace the standard tools (like the web browser or weather app) with something better, along with apps that will make your daily use of the phone much more. helpful.

Here are our suggestions for where to start when setting up an Android phone.

We have summarized our favorite and most used games, programs and entertainment. Check out our app selection for iPhones, Android phones, Windows computers, en M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our best choices for game computers, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, en VR. We also listed our favorite streaming programs Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, en Netflix; some great science books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: the price was accurate at the time of publication, but may change.)

Microsoft Edge

There was one thing I wanted from a mobile browser this year, and Microsoft Edge had it: access to the tab switch at the bottom of the screen. Google Chrome and Samsung Internet require you both to move your hand to the very top corner of the screen if you want to change to another tab. Edge’s placement of the tab switch at the bottom is much more convenient to achieve. It’s also just an everyday solid browser, with built-in detection prevention options and quick access to features like reading the page aloud and finding text within a particular page. (Since I last tested browsers, Firefox has also moved its tab switch to the bottom and offers tab syncing from mobile to desktop, so this can also be a great alternative to your phone’s built-in, hard-to-manage browser.)

Do not look

JustWatch is not a wonderful app – it’s really buggy and often very slow – but it’s a necessity: the app is basically a TV guide for streaming services. Want to know where to look A Christmas story? Type it in, and JustWatch will let you know that it’s available to stream if you’re a DirecTV subscriber, to rent for $ 3.99 on almost any platform you want, and to get as cheap as $ 8 , 99 for sale. The app can also recommend programs and movies that are currently available for the services you subscribe to. This will not prevent you from just staring through all the options for an hour, but it will save you from bouncing between half a dozen programs.

RainViewer

I tried at least ten different weather apps this year in search of a replacement for Dark Sky – the best version app out there – because it was removed from Android in August after being purchased by Apple. After all the looking, I found only one app that could aptly replicate the game-changing feature of Dark Sky: provide accurate weather forecasts. The app is RainViewer, and while it’s not great as a daily weather app, it’s a must-install as a replacement for Dark Sky. I do not find it as reliable as Dark Sky, but it reliably notifies me when rain is about to start and shows a graph that predicts how heavy the rain will be during the next hour.

1Password / LastPass

I must have written it a dozen times already The edge I will write this again in due course: you need to use a password manager. It’s not really about remembering your passwords as much as it is about security. I could not tell you what my password is for Facebook, Gmail, my bank account, and so on, because my password manager has strong, random passwords for each of and automatically activates them when I visit the sites. All I have to remember is my own strong password to unlock the password manager myself. LastPass is an excellent free alternative, but my personal favorite service is 1Password. I started using the family plan for the company’s subscribers this year, and it provides a very simple way for me and my wife to share passwords to joint accounts. Just a head start: Setting up a password manager for the first time can be a bit cumbersome, but once you’re done, it’s easy to get out of there.

Clues

Clue provides an easy way to track your menstrual cycle and predict when your next period will be. With the app you can also track your energy level, sexual activity and other details related to your cycle. More importantly, the app has one of the clearer privacy policies available for a service that is going to collect such personal data. The company says that it does not sell user data and that only a few people within the company have access to your information. However, some data can be shared anonymously with researchers.

Bag

I will admit that in 2020 I waited much less to sit in line, sit on the train and just kill time by looking for something to read on my phone. But every time I need something to read, there’s no better thing than Pocket. With the service, you can archive stories you encounter online, so you can get to the long readings later (because you know you will) completely get everyone with them later). I come across a bunch of stories every day that I want to read during work, and Pocket is the only thing that helps me remember to go check it out later.

VSCO

I write every year that I have a love / hate relationship with VSCO (enough so that I was apparently irritated enough not to include VSCO in last year’s version of this list). But I’m on board with VSCO again, so here we are. VSCO is the best photo filtering program out there if you want to create vibey, cinematic images. The app’s interface is even more confusing than it should be, but VSCO is the best option if you want to quickly take a faint photo and make it appear. The app has a bunch of built-in filters (and a bunch of paid, premium filters), and enough basic editing controls to make a photo look like the photo you wanted to take, not the dimmer version that made your phone appear .

Files by Google

Google files just need to be built right into Android. If you need to see what space is on your phone, or find a recent PDF that got lost somewhere in your downloads, Files is the way to go. It provides a simplified file browser for your phone organized into categories such as images, videos and documents, making it easy to find what you need and get rid of what you do not need.

Tick

TickTick is the only thing that organized me these days. This is a free to-do list that allows you to compile a simple list of what appears on your schedule. The app supports the entry of a natural language event, so you can enter ‘Coffee Meeting Monday at 08:00’ and it will automatically turn on a reminder for the day and time; if you pay for the premium service, it can also fit with a calendar. Companion apps are available on Windows, macOS, iPadOS, and almost anywhere you want to sync your to-do list, so you’re ready to go with your schedule.

Prospects

Images: Microsoft

If you receive too many e-mail notifications, Outlook may be able to save you. The app has a “focused” mailbox that tries to sort out which emails will actually matter to you, and it can be set to only send you notifications for emails that it thinks are important. It tends to stray on the side of caution, so you may be notified for some emails you do not care about, but I found it to be a winner. I get alerted when important work emails arrive, but my phone screen is not always filled with alerts about all the spam I get.

Pocket casts

Pocket Casts remains one of the best (and most beautiful) programs for listening to podcasts. The focus on podcast artwork makes the app easy and fun to browse, and the app’s discovery screen provides a place to find new apps you might want to check out. It also supports the addition of RSS feeds directly, so you can listen to subscriber-only programs for which you can pay.