With millions of apps in the Play Store, searching for the best Android apps is daunting. Whether you need a great weather app or a new browser, there are always dozens available. Here at AndroidPIT, we’ve spent hours curating the top Android apps for every purpose, and compiled only the best of them into one list. Here are the best Android apps of 2017.
Jump to section:
- Best messenger apps for Android
- Best file manager apps for Android
- Best keyboard apps for Android
- Best weather apps for Android
- Best GPS and navigation apps for Android
- Best image-editing apps for Android
- Best apps for music, movies and TV
- Best productivity apps for Android
- Best security/antivirus apps for Android
- Best apps for personalizing your Android
Best messenger apps for Android
Studies have shown that smartphone users message each other back and forth much more than they make calls. Users need a good messenger app. It's a big choice, so here are two of our favorites.
WhatsApp, the ubiquitous chat app, has been installed on over one billion smartphones. And it's always improving user experience, adding new features and becoming more secure. What makes it number one? Everyone uses it, simple as that. If you already use WhatsApp, then you should check out our favorite WhatsApp tips and tricks.
WhatsApp Messenger
Telegram
No messaging app comes close to the number of users WhatsApp has, but there are some great alternatives out there. Telegram is one of them. The free app has end-to-end encryption, does group chats and is a pioneer of chatbots. Unlike some other messengers, you can use it on multiple devices. Read our full review of Telegram.
Best file manager apps for Android
Solid Explorer
In light of the turn ES File Explorer has taken, we've tested out a few alternatives in search of a replacement. One app we've settled on is Solid Explorer. It's feature-rich and highly accessible thanks to a crisp Material Design UI. It also houses a very handy double-panel display that lets you navigate to two separate folders and drag a file across from one to the other. Integration with cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, as well as FTP servers, make it a formidable all-in-one solution for managing your files.
Some of its other features include hidden folders, ZIP and RAR archive extraction, and customization through icons, color schemes and themes. The app is free to try out for two weeks, and then you have the option to pay $2, so you've nothing to lose by trying it out and seeing what you think.
Amaze File Manager
The Amaze File Manager is free and easy it use. It has all the basic features you'd expect: quick access to files, deleting, copying, moving, etc. Unfortunately, you can't access data on your MicroSD card through the drop down menu, you must use the file tree. Amaze doesn't support cloud storage.
When looking in individual folders, you can toggle between list and table view. Amaze can create thumbnails for many file formats, but not for PDFs.
Amaze File Manager
Best keyboard apps for Android
Fleksy
This keyboard is one of the best for fast, accurate typing and it’s our new company favorite. Many of us have adopted Fleksy because it’s big, it’s clever and once you use it for a couple of hours, you realize how useful some of the smaller details are.
For example, most keyboards use a "press and hold delete key" gesture to delete words, Fleksy uses a super-quick backward swipe. Be sure check out some of the extensions like invisible keyboard too — it works surprisingly well. Download it from the Play Store for free now.
SwiftKey
Whoever is looking for a very special virtual keyboard for Android will find one here. SwiftKey works wonderfully with tablets, and if you simply want a good Android keyboard, it offers intuitive operation, very good spell check and word recognition.
SwiftKey Keyboard
Best weather apps for Android
Morecast
There are plenty of weather apps available that are more accurate and better looking than the ones that come pre-installed on your Android device.
MORECAST is our current favorite weather app here at AndroidPIT because it has one of the best-looking interfaces, with a clear and sensible layout. It's also one of the most advanced apps of its kind, featuring such options as side-by-side weather comparisons for two cities, and accurate weather information for a particular route or journey. MORECAST is the right way to make a smartphone weather app, and best of all, it's free.
Best GPS and navigation apps for Android
HERE Maps
Apart from the obvious Google Maps, this is one of the very best. HERE is Nokia's own map app, which it used on its devices once upon a time. It provides everything you'd expect, including turn-by-turn navigation, search and satellite imagery, but the main draw is its offline feature. You can download maps of entire countries and use them almost exactly as you would online, without wasting precious MBs.
This is really an indispensable app if you travel a lot or frequently find your data usage going over the limit. The only downside is that you have to register to download maps, but it's totally free, and once you've done it, you can go nuts and download the world.
Best image-editing apps for Android
PhotoDirector
PhotoDirector is the whole package. It has everything you could possibly need to edit your photos. The tools range from simple text bubbles and filters, to more complex things such as HSL and curves, and they're all heavily adjustable, helping you get the best out of your photos. It's for messing around on and seeing what you end up with.
The app is developed by CyberLink, a large Taiwanese multimedia software company, so they have the money to splash on an app, and it shows. Highly recommended for novices and pros-on-the-go alike.
Best apps for music, movies and TV
Watching TV and movies
Hulu is an excellent app for watching movies and TV shows on Android. It's a free service that relies on ads, but there are some great shows available. You need to pay a subscription fee to access all of the content, but there is a range of excellent shows available without subscription, including classic US comedies such as Family Guy, Seinfeld and South Park.
It's currently restricted to the US, but hopefully we'll see Hulu appearing in more territories soon.
Downloading free music
Google Play Music is our favorite app for downloading free music right now. Though there are many music download apps available in the Play Store, they are often quickly removed because of their copyright-impinging functionality. Google Play Music provides you with a totally legit, ever-changing list of free tracks from major artists to download.
Spotify has an excellent paid subscription service, and SoundCloud has a multitude of tracks readily available to stream, but for actually downloading tracks to your phone, Google Play Music is as good as you can get.
Alternatively, head to the link below for some less common free music downloading apps.
Best music player
The Walkman and the iPod are as good as dead, because our smartphones have taken over as powerful music players. While the default music apps on your Android device probably do a fine job, if you want to crank up the bass or other aspects of your music, you'll need something more.
One of the best music player apps for Android is Poweramp. It’s a great way to enjoy your favorite music, with a ton of options and support for almost any type of file. You can’t go wrong with Poweramp.
Best productivity apps for Android
Password manager
Manually typing passwords takes a lot of time and remembering them all is difficult. Everybody has forgotten a password or two at some point in their lives. Enter Dashlane, the app which saves all of them so you can easily copy and paste these into online forms when necessary.
A common concern with password manager apps is whether you can trust their security service. Dashlane uses encrypted codes and regularly monitors them to ensure you have peace of mind.
What's more, Dashlane streamlines and secures other types of data used in online forms, like credit card information. You can save financial details and quickly copy them onto your online shopping portal of choice. And it automatically saves the receipts of all your purchases so you can track your spending.
Best cloud storage app
Obviously, the whole Google Apps suite is essential to office productivity. And, cloud storage is so commonplace now that its name doesn't sound quite as mystical and ethereal as it did a few years ago. That doesn't make it any less useful, as storing your personal data online is - for the most part - much safer than keeping it on a fragile old hard drive.
We're prepared to accept accusations of bias here, as our favorite cloud storage app is Google Drive. It's baked into most Android devices, Google is always giving extra GBs of storage space away for free, and it's synced up with the handy Google Docs office suite. It's the undisputed champ.
Best security/antivirus apps for Android
Mobile Security & Antivirus from Avast
Android security is a contentious subject and arguments about the safety of the system crop up frequently. If you are in the market for an antivirus app, our current favorite is Mobile Security & Antivirus from Avast.
Mobile Security & Antivirus keeps you safe from malware threats with its excellent virus detection software, which can search through your browser history, microSD card, and internal storage space. What's more, it employs anti-theft features such as location tracking and remote data wipe, which work even if your device is not currently in your possession.
As far as free mobile security is concerned, Avast's app is about as comprehensive as it gets.
- Best apps for monitoring system performance on your Android device
- Best Antivirus and mobile security apps
Best apps for personalizing your Android
Action Launcher 3
Launchers offer a simple way to customize the look and feel of your Android phone. They often combine new icons, a new app drawer layout, a new homescreen and new wallpaper to make your device fit a certain style or theme.
You have to try them out to appreciate how fun they can be and the one we recommend right now is Action Launcher 3. This is an excellent introduction to launchers because it provides clear and intuitive interface changes without adding so many that it becomes off-putting.
With Action Launcher 3 you can perform simple tweaks such as changing the app drawer layout, changing app icons, and even altering the way you use your homescreen folders. It offers genuinely useful interface improvements and it's free; download it from the link below.
Nova Launcher
iOS is a fierce rival to Android and offers a range of great apps and features, but it doesn't offer everything that Android does. Nova Launcher is one of our favorite Android-exclusive apps because, in many ways, it underlines what is so great about Android.
Nova is an alternative launcher compatible with Android 4.1 onward. It lets you customize the entire look and feel of your operating system, from changes to font size, to the number of apps that can appear on the lock screen, to the way in which your app drawer scrolls. Nova Launcher is a prime example of how Android can be molded to suit individual tastes and preferences, in a way that iOS cannot.
If you wish you could make a few simple changes to your current interface, then give the free version of Nova a try. Nova even lets you adopt the look of any other phone - Galaxy, Xperia, HTC, LG, even iOS if that's your thing.
Nova Launcher
Next Lock Screen
Lock screen apps are awesome - you can do things on your smartphone or tablet without even having to unlock it. From checking notifications, calendar reminders, music controls, missed calls, Quick Settings and more, Next Lock Screen lets you take control of your locked phone. Next will even suggest apps based on your location.
We are at the end of our list of the best Android apps, but if you're still hungry for more, check out one the links below:
- The top 5 Android apps iPhone users are dying to try
- Best new Android apps
- Best new Android games
- Top alternatives to Facebook app for Android
What are your favorite Android apps? Do you think your favorite is better than what we have listed here? Let us know which you think the best are in the comments below.
Readers' favorite comments
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Subramanian Reddy Where is "UNIQ MOBILE FINDER" in the list, Its one of the best app people must have in their android device. Using which people never lost their phone again. You can save your stolen smartphone and protect your personal info from unwelcome intruders. Must use app.
Thanks for sharing this！
I would like to add one more category here
Best Game Apps for Android
1- Critical Ops
2- Clash Royale
3- Cut the Rope
Yes. All of these are great apps and useful for an Android Devices. But i also like to mention another app called "WiFiKill Pro".
I think it is one of the best app in controling wifi network. Any one can easily monitor his/her network. As well as can kick or block unwanted user or device. you can check here -> wifikill.net
The best app of 2017 is Writelight. Writelight has 200 prompts for freewriting. There are prompts for creative thinking, reflection on career and life issues, special prompts for bad and good mood. It will help you to start journaling and will make you a better person eventually.
Skype is also becoming very popular now. in my openion it is on number 2 after Whatsapp.
Why weren't social apps added to above list ? I think social apps are most popular category for each app store. I want to add an app called "NearBy" to social category. I have tried to using this app and realized that NearBy is better than most known social apps. I can see Instagram and Twitter posts, photos and videos located near me. So meeting new people in the same neighbourhood is possible via this app I think. You can try and say thanks to me :) this is the app page:www.sga-nearby.com
Sorry, but Fleksy doesn't seem to be very user friendly. So I can't change the language while writing a message.
And it continuously insists in wrongly auto correcting the words typed in. It's really not funny...
mentioned app is already have setting for change language and edit any setting you need
I don't see how to store favorite places in HERE Maps. Does anyone know that? Thanks
Press and hold your favorite, rename the adress if it's needed, and add that place to your personal collection
Cool
Really nice Article!. Enjoyed it! Specially applications with more value add to Android users are the current age requirement across world.
Thanks
It was awesome information for the android users in 2017 and thanks for sharing.
Wow nice Thanks for share
Thanks for sharing. I would like to add a privacy protection app called LEO Privacy in my list. Because it can help me put all my important personal stuff in my private vault.
Wow, wonderful apps to use on a mobile is a small world.......................If anyone wants to sell their android mobile they can search on this pluslogin website.
the best android app in india is share it. hahahaha lolz..... no phone without share it
Google might be doing well with Android, but to help consumers out more with there phones batterylife, why? Don't the include the "Exit"option for All applications created, as consumers can become very angry with there phone or experience with Android, you can think you have finished using some applications but there still running in the background and its in your mind thinking, Why? is my battery draining, even though you have not used anything on your phone
There are countless platforms available in the market but android is the first choice in App Development Industry. android is an open source platform and multiple applications can be used by Android App Developers without any licence fee. we at our app development company agicent also work a lot on android app development and would be glad to speak more.
How about being able to use youtube and any app with phone locked? No Pause Lock on google play