Welcome to the best apps for Android 2016! If you’re like me, you probably have a ton of apps on your phone. I mean, what else is there to do when you’re not at work? It’s all right here in one place—the best apps for Android in 2016.
These are the best apps for Android because they make my life easier and more fun. Whether it’s finding a parking spot or keeping track of my finances, these apps have got me covered.
I hope you enjoy reading this list as much as I did compiling it!
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11 Amazing Android Apps That’ll Change How You Use Your Phone
BY ANDY BETTS
UPDATED 7 DAYS AGO
Here are the most amazing apps for Android that will change how you use and interact with your device on a daily basis.
android phone with niagara launcher
There are millions of apps in the Play Store that range from addictive games to essential productivity tools, to great ways to customize your phone.
Even better, there are also apps that will completely change how you use Android. Some enhance the user interface, others automate common tasks, and some take popular features in the operating system and make them even better.
Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing apps for Android.
- Lynket Browser
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lynket options
lynket select
lynket bubbles
Social media is great for finding interesting articles around the web, but it isn’t always convenient to read them right away. Sometimes it’s better to queue up several articles and come back to them later.
That’s what you can do with Lynket Browser. It opens web pages in the background. You can access it whenever you want by tapping floating, onscreen bubbles. It’s simple yet so useful. The app works with your existing default browser and can also speed up browsing by automatically loading the AMP versions of the links you click.
Another great feature of the Lynket Browser is the option to read pages in Article mode, which loads a sleek-looking reader mode without all of the fluff and fillers.
While the app hasn’t been updated in a little while, it still delivers what it promises.
Download: Lynket Browser (Free, in-app purchases available)
MAKEUSEOF VIDEO OF THE DAY
- Popup Widget 3
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popup widget 3
The best Android widgets are really useful, but if you use too many of them, they’ll quickly clutter your home screens and slow down your phone.
Popup Widget 3 rethinks how they work. It turns all your selected widgets into 1×1 icons on your home screen. When you tap one, it’ll pop open, so you can see what’s inside. The app gives you the convenience and speed of widgets—you don’t need to launch the full app just to see your latest tweets or check the weather—without the performance hit.
Download: Popup Widget 3 ($1.99)
- Notepin
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notepin app
notepin app demo
notepin notes
Notepin does something so obvious you’ll wonder why it isn’t already a part of Android. Put simply, it allows you to create notes and then pin them to your notifications panel as reminders.
While the app isn’t too complex, you are able to sort your notes by priority or recently added, and they’re color-coordinated too, which looks great. Once pinned, your notes will be visible in your notifications panel until you unpin them.
While Notepin isn’t doing anything groundbreaking, it’s definitely one of the most amazing apps for Android users who value productivity and organization.
Download: Notepin (Free, in-app purchases available)
- MacroDroid
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macrodroid options
macrodroid macros
macrodroid setup
Many of the coolest Android apps take the tedium out of the common tasks you perform every day by taking care of them automatically for you.
MacroDroid is similar to the popular Android automation app Tasker. But using Tasker effectively for more complex tasks has an incredibly steep learning curve, and MacroDroid is an app you can install and start using instantly.
The app needs you to configure as few as two settings—just an action that will be prompted by a trigger. So plugging in your headphones could be the trigger, and the corresponding actions could be the automatic launch of the Spotify app and adjustment of the volume level.
Or you could have your phone switch to Airplane mode (the action) at night (the trigger). You could also tell it to read your text messages aloud when your phone’s in a car dock.
You can add optional constraints to fine-tune the conditions under which your macro can run. This gives the app even more power, and your macros can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be.
Download: MacroDroid (Free, in-app purchases available)
- IFTTT
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ifttt android
ifttt triggers
ifttt services
While MacroDroid is perfect for on-device automation, IFTTT does the same for web services. The official IFTTT app enables you to create applets that connect two internet-based services or devices, with your Android phone as the central hub.
The possibilities are almost endless. You can use IFTTT to automate your phone in many ways—to automatically tweet, to get SMS alerts for your Google Calendar appointments, or to get notifications on price drops for products you’re looking to buy. You can also use it to control your smart devices.
Once you get it up and running, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it. IFTTT is most definitely one of the most interesting apps on the Play Store.
Download: IFTTT (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Quick Cursor
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quick cursor in use
quick cursor settings
Struggle to use your phone with one hand? It’s not a surprise, as screens are getting bigger and bigger with each new generation of devices. But Quick Cursor is an ingenious solution to the problem.
The app places a cursor on your screen that you control with your thumb and which enables you to interact with buttons and other parts of an app’s UI. The clever bit is that you only need to swipe your thumb around the bottom third of your screen, and the cursor itself will stretch all the way up to the top. Just line it up with a button and tap, it’s as simple as that.
Quick Cursor relies on your phone’s accessibility features and includes some pretty serious permissions, so might not be for everyone. But it is a truly great app for one-handed use.
Download: Quick Cursor (Free, in-app purchases available)
- MightyText
While WhatsApp Web will let you send WhatsApp messages using your PC, if you prefer SMS, then SMS Text Messaging from MightyText becomes an essential app.
It syncs with your PC, Mac, or Linux computer via a browser extension, and gives you full access to your SMS messages on the bigger screen. You can read, reply to, or create new messages, as well as view notifications from all your other apps. You can even make calls, so you’ll hardly need to pick up your phone again.
There is a monthly sending limit in the free version, so you might consider another tool if you’re a heavy user. For more like it, see other apps that let you text from your PC.
Download: MightyText (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Universal Copy
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universal copy setup
universal copy activate
universal copy in use
Copy and paste on Android is mostly fine until it doesn’t work. Some apps just don’t support it, and some websites prevent copying, which can be extremely frustrating.
With Universal Copy, you can copy and paste almost anything from any app and even copy the text from an image. It integrates seamlessly with the system. All you need to do is grant the app the relevant permissions, and the next time you want to copy text, just launch the app using the link in your notification bar, and then copy with a long press or activate scanning mode to find text in an image.
Download: Universal Copy (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Sesame
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sesame shortcuts
sesame search
sesame icon links
Sesame is a universal search and shortcut maker. It’s so good that it could easily become your most-used app.
Sesame can search within almost all your other apps, showing messages from Slack or playlists in Spotify right from your home screen.
It also creates shortcuts to specific features within those programs. Whether you want to load up your daily route to work or quickly check the live scores in your favorite sports app, you can with just a single tap.
Download: Sesame (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Niagara Launcher
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niagara launcher home screen
niagara launcher apps list
The overall best way to customize your Android phone is to install a new launcher. There is a huge number to choose from, the best of which is Nova Launcher. But we also love Niagara Launcher, which gives your phone a fresh, clean look, and is one of the most unique apps for Android.
Niagara dispenses with icons, widgets, app drawers, and all the other stuff that clutters up your phone. In their place, you get a few shortcuts for your favorite apps, a vertical app index designed for one-handed use, and a few other efficiency tools. These include the ability to view notifications more easily and to hide those apps that you rarely use.
The app takes a little getting used to but is well worth giving a try.
Download: Niagara Launcher (Free, in-app purchases available)
- Super Status Bar
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super status bar
status bar battery bar
status bar gestures
Android has always been heavily customizable, but one area that most people tend to ignore is the status bar. This app finally changes that.
With Super Status Bar, you can adjust your display brightness or volume level by swiping along the top of the screen. You can set up a ticker to get previews of your incoming messages and notifications. And you can configure many other gesture controls, monitor your battery life, or change the look and feel of the whole area.
There’s so much going on here, and it even includes a few more advanced customizations for rooted users, which is why Super Status bar is on our list as one of the most amazing Android apps.
Download: Super Status Bar (Free, in-app purchases available)
More Great Android Apps
This group of amazing Android apps will change how you use your Android phone. They make it easier to handle and let you find things you need more quickly.
But this is only the start of all of the amazing apps on the Play Store—be sure to check out some others.
most-popular-android-apps
The 20 Most Popular Android Apps in the Google Play Store
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Betts (216 Articles Published)
Andy is a freelance writer and section editor for Android at MUO. He’s been writing about consumer tech since the early 2000s for a wide range of publications, and has a passion for all things mobile.
More From Andy Betts
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