Although I canceled my Google Play Pass subscription and don’t really browse the apps section of the Play Store anymore, I’ve accumulated a number of interesting and unique apps that I’ve continued to rely on over the years. course of the past year. I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting experiences, and ever since I bought my Pixel 6 Pro from Google, I’ve taken the time to load it up with my favorites.
Today I wanted to share some apps that I enjoy on my phone that you might not have heard of until today. The following intentionally omits regular Google games and apps and other big-name titles, because writing about what you already have installed on your devices would be kind of a waste of time. Without further ado, let’s take a look!
Tracking my workouts
I love Google Fit, but there’s one thing it doesn’t do as well as I would have hoped. Yes, it tracks your steps, lets you measure your breathing, heart rate, and more, it kinda sucks at letting you track sets and reps while weight training (thanks for removing that, Google) as well as allowing you to create training programs.
For this reason, I turned to GymKeeper. It uses a very Googley design, with each of your workouts on the calendar represented by a different colored dot. The only thing I need to have with my apps is a nice layout, easy navigation and, if possible, Material Design. In this case, I got as close as possible, and no other app really fits the bill. I was so glad I found GymKeeper and use it several times a week at the gym to track my gains.
Tracking my games backlog
As someone obsessed with tracking everything in their life (often mistakenly), I’ve attempted to fill many video game trackers only to end up hating it for its lack of polish. Again, it should look good and exciting, automatically incorporating game cover art, metadata, etc. Stash does all of this and more.
Now you have Play Books and TV to track your reading and watching experiences, and you can use Stash to track what you’re playing. Google really needs to buy these guys or build something similar to fill this gap within its own ecosystem. You can try using Google Collections as a game backlog tracker if you like, but that’s not ideal!
Reflect daily on life
I try to use my Bullet Journal every day to better understand my life, how I live, and ultimately to be more productive over time. However, for journaling experiences that happen in your life, using paper isn’t always best because you can’t research your entries, which means broader, more analytical observations are harder to come by. TO DO.
Take it from someone who has installed and tested every diary and diary app on the Play Store – Journey is hands down the best. It is user-friendly, beautiful and simply comfortable to use. It actually had the Photo Memories Map long before Google Photos, and there’s just something about seeing all your entries on a timeline that Google can learn from.
Create a budget (and try to stick to it!)
Although I’ve tried every journaling app on the market, I’ve also spent an obsessive time using every budgeting app out there. Spendee is one of the best and most beautiful apps you can install. You Need a Budget is far more popular, but Spendee makes managing your money far less daunting. You can also share wallets with loved ones and link the app directly to your bank for automatic transaction categorizations. You’ll need to adjust them periodically, but sitting down once or twice a week and doing it (or better yet, when you’re spending something!) will keep it from getting unruly.
Learn Japanese (or any other language)
I’m technically breaking my rule to only install and use the most Googley, gorgeous, and Material Design-inspired apps by promoting AnkiDroid, but as I learn Japanese and as I begin to engage with “SRS” (spaced repetition) systems, Anki is the must-have experience to practice your language learning on the go.
Anki means “memory” in Japanese, but the app can be used to help you learn any language, study for a medical or legal exam, memorize people’s names or faces, brush up on geography, poetry, or even guitar chords. You manually load intelligent flashcard decks that automatically and periodically recall misidentified cards to increase your knowledge retention more effectively than traditional studies would.
If you are interested in more items like this, let me know! I love sharing my favorite apps, but I’ve never really done it. I looked at my apps, my web apps, and all the experiments I’ve tried over the past few years and realized that hoarding all this great information was such a waste.
What are your favorite apps to use on your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro? are you using another phone entirely? If so, what are you rocking right now? Do you tend to track your life and “lifelog” via apps, or do you just stick with it and use the basics? Let’s discuss it below!
