10 Smarty Apps Every Android Phone Should Have
If the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.
This well-known quote is especially true when it comes to our smartphones. Most
android phones today are programmed to act as a computer, and they are actually
capable of doing even more, thanks to amazing hardware and software upgrades
frequently released.
These wonders of human inventions, however, are only truly
as good as the apps you have on them and use them for. In this post, we share
on apps that are generally useful for professional, academic, and personal use.
They are sure to help your technological pilgrimage, especially if you’re not
that into phones. We give you their category and our recommended choice app for
that category.
So, let’s go:
1. File Sharing apps
As the name suggests, file sharing apps are apps that allow
you easily share files between android devices. They primarily make use of the
Wi-Fi hotspot connections of a sending phone and through that, other phones are
able to connect and receive files using their Wi-Fi. Files that can be sent
include images, audio files, apps, videos, and even archived files. Virtually
anything you can select can be sent. Our choice file sharing app is Xender
Xender
You ever heard a person say, “Xender it!”? That’s how
popular the name, Xender, has become when it comes to file transfer. With
Xender, you get a unique, simple interface that appeals to all. File sharing is
easy, and not pnly can you connect to and share with other android phones, you
can also connect to a PC, connect to a KaiOS device, and do a Phone Copy, which
allows you transfer all your files to another phone.
It keeps a history of shared files and also has an excellent
file classification system. The only downside with Xender is that without your
permission, certain apps, such as Phoenix browser, light Reader etc. and I
personally find that annoying.
Other alternative file sharing apps are ES File Explorer and
ShareIt.
2. Office suite apps
Office suite apps are apps that serve your general basic
office needs. From regular documents to your spread sheets to presentation
slides and more, you need an office suite on your mobile device or computer. Our
recommended app for your smartphone is WPS Office
WPS Office
The WPS Office suite is your trusty app for creating and
viewing office documents on your android phone. It comes with its creator and
reader for Word files, Excel files, and PowerPoint files. It also allows you
view PDF and html files
WPS office features a cloud feature that stores your files and
has a premium or pro package that gives you access to more tools and features. The
extras include: fonts, file conversion options, and image extractor, among
others.
Another office suite you could use is Microsoft Office
3. & 4. Reader apps
Reader apps are apps you use to access documents in PDF,
e-book, html, .mobi, and other formats. They are your basic mobile library
apps, and depending on the app, you have access to your desired materials in
various formats. Let’s go straight to my choice readers
Adobe Reader
Adobe reader is probably the most popular PDF reader
available across various platforms. It is a free PDF reader that allows you view, comment, fill out, and sign PDF forms in a quick and convenient fashion.
It has a generally friendly interface and is my recommended choice if you're looking for just a PDF reader. If you want more, then it's Moon+ Reader you need.
Moon+ Reader
5. A Crypto Wallet
With the emergence of blockchain technology and
cryptocurrency, it is clear that crypto coins and tokens would play a huge role
in the future of finance and economy. These coins and tokens are stored on apps
known as wallets.
Crypto wallets allow you send and receive crypto coins and
tokens. You can also swap, trade, and stake them. They come with a very high
security level and so long as you have safely stored your passphrase for
account recovery, you are good to go.
My recommended crypto wallet is Trust Wallet
Trust Wallet
6. A Mobile Crypto Mining app
Generation 3 cryptocurrencies are famed for their ease of
mining, and that has extended to mobile devices. A lot of crypto projects have
emerged over the last four years that claim you can access them through your
mobile phones. They are not data or capital intensive. They run mining sessions
which are initiated at given intervals depending on the blockchain program they
operate on, and most of them work with referral systems.
As much as a lot of scepticism exists concerning these projects,
we recommend you try out one or two, especially if you’re curious about the emerging
digital trend but you’re not well versed in them. My top recommended mobile
mining app is the Pi app
Pi app
Officially launched on 14th of March, 2019, the Pi
network heralded the entry of these mobile mining coins into the crypto space. Three
years later, and the network has grown to about 35 million active users, or
pioneers.
Founded by Stanford graduates, Dr Nicolas Kokkalis, Dr Chengdiao
Fan and Vincent McPhillips, the Pi network intends to build a truly
all-inclusive economy for everyone with a smartphone. They would do this by
creating a platform for global and local trade via their platform. Pioneers would
be able to give and receive their coin, called Pi (π), in exchange for goods
and services.
The platform boasts vast possibilities and is still on
course to truly reshape the face of global economy as we know it today,
especially with the unsteady nature of the crypto market today.
To join the network, all you have to do is to download and
install the app, sign up using either your Facebook profile or phone number,
choose an available username, and enter a referral code. Once you’re in, you
tap a button on the app and that starts a mining session that runs for 24 hours.
Your balance automatically begins to increase depending on your mining rate and
you are officially part of the network.
If you haven’t joined yet, join using my link and use
Neocene as your referral code.
7. Your Physical Bank app
With advancement in technology, everyone today knows that
there is such a thing as internet banking. If you have an account with a
physical bank, which you should, you definitely need to have your bank’s mobile
banking app on your phone.
With your banking app, you can do pretty much anything your
bank does for you, except withdraw cash, of course. You can transfer funds,
make online payments, pay utility bills, purchase airtime, and many more
things. You also get instant notification about credit transactions on your
app, instead of waiting for text message notifications, or alert.
If you haven’t registered for this feature yet, check for
your bank’s app on your app store, then visit the nearest branch to you to get
started.
8. A Virtual Bank app
Some banks we see, some we don’t. if like me, you are tired
of the hassle and disappointments that tend to follow local banks and their
physical branches, create a virtual account with a bank. Virtual banks are
banks that usually just have an online presence, and do everything physical
banks do, except deal in cash.
You can send and receive cash, pay bills, buy airtime and
data, and much more. These banks also offer juicy rewards for carrying out
certain transactions with them, and may even offer referral bonuses. Some banks
offer physical and virtual ATM cards for transactions too, isn’t that cool?
To get started, you basically have to download the app you
want and get registered. The registration involves you submitting basic
details, such as contact info, banking info (BVN), and a few security measures
to protect your account. Your details are treated with utmost confidentiality
and private data are only collected to meet up with CBN guidelines.
I use a number of them but my top app here is Palmpay
PalmPay
In its 3rd year of operation, PalmPay is the
clear leader when it comes to virtual banks in Nigeria. PalmPay is my go-to app
for most financial transactions. You can send and receive cash using your phone
number as your customised account number, and over 90% of transactions are
completed in less than 20 seconds.
They offer rewards such as cash back offers, Palm points for
transactions, coupons, and even Spin ‘n’ Win offers. Their referral program
offers you the chance to earn up to ₦2,000
weekly for inviting new users to the platform.
You can join now, if you’re not registered already to begin
to earn your share of the goodies up for grabs.
Other banks you could register virtually with are: Opay,
Kuda, and Mintyn.
9. Messaging apps
Massaging apps are apps used to exchange information between
two parties. They allow you exchange text, images, audio files, videos, and
even make calls. All that is required is that you and the other party have the
app installed and registered. If this is done, a unique ID is required to
initiate a conversation, usually phone number or username, and you’re good to
go.
The favourite messaging app for such purpose is
Facebook-owned WhatsApp
With over 5 billion downloads, WhatsApp is the top app for
instant messaging and communication. Bought by Facebook in a then record $19
billion deal, and sold by a rejected job applicant with the same Facebook,
WhatsApp is the most effective messaging app for smartphones.
Typical features are the Chat segment, the Status segment,
and of course, Calls. WhatsApp allows you chat with individuals, chat with a
group, and also create list for broadcast messages. If you’ve got something on
your mind worth sharing, take advantage of the Status option to broadcast customizable
texts of up to 700 characters, or upload photos and videos.
The app offers back up option, so you never have to lose
your chats, and the voice call and video call feature add further use to this
already helpful app.
The major problem you might have with WhatsApp, especially
if you are big on graphics and image quality is that WhatsApp reduced the image
quality of large images to optimise transfer speed. This means a 10 mb picture
sent to a friend might appear as 97 kb when downloaded.
Other messaging apps you can use are Telegram and Messenger.
10. A Faith app
If you are a person of faith, like me, your phone is
incomplete if you don’t have at least one faith app to help you with your faith
walk when you’re on the go. This means that if you’re a Christian, your phone
is incomplete without a Bible on it. My choice bible is the YouVersion Bible.
YouVersion Bible
With over 500 million downloads, this is by far the biggest
Christian app on the net. Available in over 60 languages and over 200 different
versions, the commendable team have gone all out to bring the Word of God to
everyone as much as possible. They haven’t just brought the word to you; they
have also brought your fellow readers to you. Thanks to their awesome plans,
you can read the Bible with friends online. You can also share portions of the
scriptures, take notes, compare versions, highlight places, and even pray with
people.
Other features include Streak: a counter that records your
daily visit on the app, and a verse of the day feature.
So, how complete is your phone, and what app would you have
to download real soon? Did we miss any app? Let us know.
Till I come your way again with more phone tips and tech talk,
stay smart!
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8 Comments
Thanks TWW!!! This has been really helpful
ReplyDeleteWe're glad this was helpful ☺
DeleteFrom OmaGlobal this is very informative
ReplyDeleteThank you sir 🙌🏽
DeleteI think this would help my mother. She might want to upgrade after reading this. thank you sir
ReplyDeleteLol
DeletePi definitely made it to the list! 🥳
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why you couldn't use WPS as a reader app.... 🤔
If I may, one app that I think EVERYONE needs in addition to the apps you've listed is an English dictionary app. It always comes in very handy especially when you can't access the Internet.
-favourite reader.
Favourite Reader, do you have a name? 🤔
Delete