Last updated November 14, 2021
26 Useful Apps and Applications
TikTok has something like 1 billion monthly active users yet I’ve never touched it. That was true of Twitter as well until I downloaded in a pique of adventurousness earlier this year.
Generally, I feel comfortable in the tech domain since I’m an almost digital native. But how is it that I can be so unaware of what ~1/8th of all humanity has on their phones? How do other people hear about these new and upcoming apps?
In large part, I think it has to do with one’s exposure to others in the same age group.
Welcome to adulthood, eh!
Very few of my co-generationists make even a weekly appearance in my life. That’s a shame, but that should be the content of another post.
The other part is what one is exposed to on a societal level. For example, I’d never heard of WhatsApp until I went to Mexico. Likewise, I hear that Asia in general, and China in particular, are leagues ahead of the “West” in terms of financial payment apps.
How to stay informed and relevant?
Sometimes I’ll have to Google about up-and-coming apps to stay informed and relevant.
I’ll find myself on one of the following pages:
Lifewire’s: The 15 Best Apps for 2021
Tech Radar’s: The best Android apps of 2021
CNET’s: Best Android apps of 2021
This is all wonderful, of course. These listicles inform me about the sheer number of downloads on whatever app store in a given year. But what about real people like me? What do they use?
Well, here are my picks for the most useful Android phone apps, browser extensions, and computer programs.
Phone – Android
Flo
This isn’t an app that I use but my partner highly recommends it. It helps her keep track of her period and has a lot of useful educational content. Any ladies reading this may want to look into it or one of their competitors.
Genius Scan
My partner also told me about this one. It turns your phone’s camera into a scanner. It enables you to share image files or pdfs easily with your other accounts like Google photos, Whatsapp, Gmail, Dropbox, etc. There are two paid tiers but the basic option is free.
Google Authenticator
Two factor Authentification (2FA) is one of the newer security systems programmers have developed. The idea is that even if someone has your password they won’t be able to access the site in question unless they also have access to your phone. So, when you go to a site with 2FA enabled you will have to look onto your phone for a temporary six-digit code to input. You can rest easy knowing that your most sensitive information is secure. As a plus, this can protect you against a SIM swap attack. It’s a simple tool and it does its job well.
This hardly needs to be introduced. It is a social photo-sharing app. You can add your friends or follow people you don’t even know. In recent years I’ve been less enthused by it. Probably due to the increased number of ads and the growing apathy of my age group in posting appealing photos.
BlockSite
This is a program that you can set to block yourself from interacting with apps or web pages. I know, it sounds kind of stupid, if you don’t want to use Instagram too much, just stop. Well, for me, I’ve found it a lot easier to cut my usage down to five or ten minutes a day instead of completely stopping. Great for a digital diet and eliminating unconscious habits.
Night screen
Helps you turn the lighting way down on your phone display. Aside from being a relief for your eyes at unhealthy hours of the night, it is useful if your partner is trying to sleep.
Overdrive
This is how I download free audiobooks from my library back home. They’ve got a new version called Libby but since I started with Overdrive that’s the one I prefer. Most libraries in America will have this app on their website for you to download.
Unfortunately, audiobooks that aren’t in English are still much less common; at least so far as I know. If you have other information please leave a comment below.
I’m not sure how much Audible costs these days, but I’m sure it is a lot more than free.
If you need help installing it or navigating your library’s catalog please ask your local reference librarian; they will be more than happy to help.
This is a visual Google. It is wonderful if you’re thinking about decorating a part of your house, looking for fashion tips, or looking up particular aesthetics. It’s also a treasure-trove of historical photos. Have fun!
Podcast Addict
Another tip from my much younger partner. It’s an easy-to-use podcast search engine and platform. Find what pleases you, subscribe, and download whichever episodes you want.
Again, introduction hardly needed. This app gives everyone a voice – even those who might do better keeping their thoughts to themselves. If you want access to the first draft of the news, there’s no better place.
Walkroid
A program that uses the movement of your phone while it’s in your pocket to give a fairly accurate idea of how many steps you take in a day. It does this without collecting a bunch of extraneous data about your location.
A high-quality messaging program.
For some reason, messenger programs are included in most phones in America and most people use the default unquestioningly. WhatsApp, in my opinion, is far superior. I wish it hadn’t joined the hegemony of Metaverse but that’s not up to me. You’ll be able to easily send texts, images, videos, and audio to others who have this app installed. The only bother with it is that most American’s don’t have it already downloaded onto their phones.
Also worth noting: use the international calling code to save your contacts in this app.
Computer
Operating System
Linux
Pick whatever flavor suits you best. I’ve been using Ubuntu for years, but I’ve also had fun installing Mint on my partner’s old Laptop.
Why’d I decide on Linux? Well, because after three years of Windows XP on my college laptop, the operating system decided to crash. Everything was gone and I couldn’t resuscitate it. Faced with spending hundreds of dollars on a new install disc I finally got wise and reached out to the Linux foundation for a free Ubuntu install disc.
Now I suppose it’s all done with flash drives but the idea’s the same.
What did I learn after 12 years of Linux use?
It is far superior to Windows. No, it isn’t for everyone. But if you want a reliable, light, and customizable operating system, Linux is for you. And you will never get those annoying pop-ups that Microsoft is addicted to.
It is also less likely to be the object of hackers – though that doesn’t mean you’re safe if you aren’t using good online behavior.
Why is it less likely?
According to Statista, the Linux share of the operating system market in September 2021 was 2.2% versus the 71.06% of Windows, and 15.01% of Mac users. That’s a lot less bang for your buck if you fleece people of their savings as a day job.
Probably the same reason why there are fewer non-English audiobooks available out there. I can’t wait until Francophone Africa and Latin-American markets become more developed.
Alright, that’s enough about Linux.
Browsers (what we use to access the Internet):
Brave
This is a new one. It’s built on the Chromium shell so it isn’t too much different in capabilities from Google Chrome. But it is based on a radically different philosophy. The idea is that you should be compensated for the time you spend watching ads.
It’s the same philosophy underpinning the development of Web 3.0.
Where Web 1.0 allowed us access to websites, and where Web 2.0 made the internet social, Web 3.0 wants to recruit you as a user and not just as a consumer.
Someday, if the Brave philosophy takes off, we may even be the ones compensated for our personal information as well. And we’ll be able to have full control over who has access to it.
Firefox
Firefox is an oldy but a goody. When Brave isn’t working right this is what I go to. In fact, it’s what I’m using as I write this now because it seems to work better with WordPress.
Software:
Dropbox
A free digital space that you can access anywhere you have internet. I use it to store files that I may need long into the future. I first started using it before Google Drive came along – and this has since superseded many of my needs for Dropbox – but I still keep Dropbox on my desktop.
In my opinion, we should start challenging Google’s monopoly, and using other services will diminish our reliance on it.
Private Internet Access
This is a middle-of-the-line Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider. It opens a sort of private tunnel between your computer and a distant server, that way all your searches look like they are coming from somewhere else.
There are many VPNs out there, many cheaper than PIA or with more servers. But, I’m happy with this one for the time being. It was recommended to me by an uncle who is much more tech-savvy than I could ever pretend to be. In any case, you should have a VPN to increase your online security.
Transmission
A simple, easy-to-use BitTorrent Client. I used to use this to download music and videos that I couldn’t otherwise have access to. Nowadays there are payable services that will get you most of what you want for a few dollars (or euros) so the need to use it has diminished. Unfortunately, finding some television series in other languages than English is still nearly impossible.
*Note, you should never download something if you are unsure what it is, or if the source is unknown. Viruses could be hiding. Also, there are undeniable ethical problems of downloading materials without compensating their creators.
VLC Media Player
Hands down the best media player I’ve ever used. It can run many different kinds of video and audio files. Just install it and use it to watch your movies. So much less hassle than whatever media player is bundled with your typical Windows operating system.
Browser Extensions:
Adblocker Ultimate
There will be another adblocker that does a better job in the future; I’m sure. But for the time being this one works well. It even works on Youtube ads.
Dark Reader
This allows you to invert the colors on the websites you visit. You will let out a sigh of relief as soon as you activate this extension. In my opinion, all websites should be designed to permit an inverse color arrangement for those who stare at screens all day – but we’re still not quite there in terms of web development.
To note – this extension does slow some websites down.
Grammarly
A grammar checker that looks at what you’re writing and tells you how to improve it. I’ve just started using this extension, so my experience is limited, but I like what I see so far. There is a free version and a paid one. The paid version is too expensive for me at the moment but I’m sure that would be even more useful.
LastPass
This is one of the most well-known password managers and it is insanely useful! I no longer have to keep an encrypted spreadsheet with all my passwords. It also offers a password strength indicator and a password generator. It allows me to rest assured knowing that my passwords are safe.
The Android version isn’t quite as good. Often the auto-fill feature will block the text input field until I ex out of it.
LeechBlock
The same as the BlockSite app for Android phones. It allows you to program how much time you spend on particular websites (Facebook, The Guardian, etc.) and it allows you to block sites entirely as well. Great if you are in an unproductive rut and need a hand to stop wasting time with endless scrolls.
Metamask
A browser-based crypto wallet. It is only good for ERC-20 tokens (coins based on Ethereum) but that’s plenty. I am not using this extension to capacity so I’m no authority about what it can do, but in any case, I’m pleased with it so far.
Yoroi
This is another crypto wallet, but one focused on Ada. I don’t do much with it but I don’t do much with my real wallet either. Its purpose is rather to keep my funds safe.