With Android being less of a walled garden compared to iOS, it tends to offer incredibly unique apps that you won’t find on the competing platform. Seeing that this is one area where Android shines, we at AP thought it was time to round up some of the best Android apps currently available on the platform that aren’t the most well-known but offer always interesting and valuable features. Android enthusiasts can appreciate. So that’s what we did, with plans to grow the list with updates, just like the rest of our roundups. So if you’re itching to dive into the best app oddities on and off the Play Store, this is indeed the roundup for you.
Bromite
If you’re looking for a Chromium fork that offers built-in ad blocking as well as privacy enhancements, then Bromite should be on your list. It’s a mobile browser that retired Chrome’s ad-centric design, and all patches are released under GNU/GPL v3, which means the app is also open source. Simply put, it’s an un-googled browser for Android, offering the same layout as Chrome to keep things simple and familiar. Of course, this app is not available on the Play Store, but you can find it on its own website and GitHub page.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
Download Bromite
Squid – Take notes and annotate PDF
There are plenty of note-taking apps available on the Play Store, and there are even a few that offer handwritten notes, but Squid stands out, thanks to its fantastic vector text that stays readable at all zoom levels. . It’s a great tool for students or those who often take handwritten notes, and you can use the app for free, with an additional set of features available to those who subscribe (like PDF import and back -color plans). Although subscriptions are rarely the best way to pay for an app, given that the monthly sub-subscription is one dollar, it’s easily affordable. Plus, Squid is awesome even if you’re not a subscriber, and best of all, it works on tablets and Chromebooks, which again shows why it’s such a standout app for students.
Monetization: free / ad-free / IAP from $1.00 to $10.00
Dolby enabled: record audio and music
When I think of Dolby, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t a free audio recording app for Android, but Dolby On is exactly that, and it’s probably the best app out there. audio recording on the platform. This is thanks to its audio processing which supports noise reduction, de-essing and fade in/out. There’s even a built-in equalizer as well as support for spatial audio. So whether you want to record a band’s live performance in a loud theater or just record your next lecture, Dolby On has you covered, and the recordings are always great. Best of all, Dolby On is completely free, so it’s easy to take a spin if you’re intrigued.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
Advanced YouTube
Seeing that Google is making it easier to load apps and seeing that Google is forcing ads on everyone who uses the official YouTube app, YouTube Vanced is a kind of fork that forgoes those ads while offering the same user interface as the YouTube app. stock. Basically, it’s a better version of YouTube without ads. Of course, you’ll need to load YouTube Vanced, and you do that by installing an installer and then installing two other apps to get Vanced working (one of which is needed for you to sign in). Although I wouldn’t call the installation process intuitive, the end result is a YouTube app for Android that isn’t inundated with annoying ads. Plus, you get a bunch of extra features, like a black theme, codec switching, and forced resolutions (no more opening 360p videos). It’s YouTube but better.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
Download YouTube Advanced
Caffeine – Keep the screen on
Here’s one that all Linux users should recognize. Yes, that’s Caffeine, an app that keeps your screen on for as long as you want. Android doesn’t offer an easy way to keep the screen on for more than 10 minutes, so if you want to use a tablet as a screen, adding caffeine to it will ensure you can keep the screen on for as long as you want. wish without the need to press the screen to keep him awake. It’s a simple utility designed specifically for this purpose, and just like on Linux, it’s very useful on Android. Remember that the app appears as a thumbnail for your status bar drop-down menu, so you won’t see it in your app drawer once installed.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
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Dream by WOMBO
Have you ever wondered what the picture of a pug might have looked like if Salvador Dalí had painted it? Wonder no more. Dream by WOMBO is an incredibly nifty app where you can enter keywords, then you choose a famous artist, then you let the app’s AI do its job, generating a painting from your selections. It’s an incredibly fun app to play with, and if you like an image, like you really like it, then you can print it out for real to hang around your house, right through the app. Playing with Dream by WOMBO is a great way to pass the time when you have a few seconds to spare, and the results are often good for laughing with a few friends.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
NewPipe
Why stop at just one YouTube app when you can name two? It’s true. People hate ads on YouTube so much that there is a second YouTube fork that also offers an ad-free experience. It’s called NewPipe, and you can find it on F-Droid, a free and open-source app store for Android. This YouTube fork is the go-to for those who don’t use any Google framework libraries, like if you’re using a de-Googled Android ROM. This way you can still install a YouTube app even if you don’t want Google to have access to your information, which is a good option to have. The app is, of course, open-source, which also means it’s free for everyone. You can download the APK available on F-Droid, or you can use F-Droid’s client if you want to keep the app up to date without having to manually install new versions every time. You can also find NewPipe APKs on its GitHub page.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
Download NewPipe
offline survival manual
With current events and all, I’m sure more than one of you have started looking into preparedness and survival skills. Luckily, there are apps that can help you out, such as Offline Survival Manual, which offers an offline manual that covers topics like building a fire, how to build a shelter, where to find food, as well as medical techniques in case of emergency. No internet connection is required, but you will need electricity for your phone. So as long as you have disaster juice left, you’ll have a handy guide at your fingertips when everyone’s running around like a chicken with their head cut off.
Monetization: free / without advertising / without IAP
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