The 8 Best Android Apps You Should Install on Your Chromebook

Using Android apps through the Google Play Store on Chromebooks is more popular than ever, and it’s something no other type of computer can do. Thanks to the Play Store, Chromebooks have access to many of the same apps as your phone. User experience with some apps is hit or miss even on the best Chromebooks, and some apps are unfortunately not available on Chrome OS. Here are our favorite and most useful Android apps that work well on Chromebooks.

Spotify

Unsurprisingly, the most popular music streaming service has a great app no ​​matter where you listen. The Home, Search, and Your Library navigation tabs are at the top left, with information about what’s playing below. On the right, you browse songs and podcasts, just like on your Android phone. It is also superior to Spotify’s desktop client and web app. The app adapts well to your screen and is very responsive, making for a good overall experience. Spotify has a free tier, but the premium tier lets you download songs for offline listening, skip unlimited songs, and listen without ads.

Squid

Squid is one of the best options for taking notes on a Chromebook, although Google Cursive is a solid web-based alternative. It works best with Chromebooks equipped with styluses or styluses, but can also be used with a mouse or finger. The application allows you to write and draw diagrams on a virtual notepad. You can change the color and thickness of your input device as well as the style of your note background. These features, along with gesture support, make navigation simple and intuitive.

Squid lets you export your notes to a variety of file types, including a Squid note, so other Squid users can edit them as well. It stores notes in vector format, which preserves the visual integrity of your notes at any zoom level. The premium version expands the input device and background options.

netflix

Netflix makes watching on Chromebooks as easy as anywhere else. The streaming giant offers an extensive library of original series, as well as TV shows and movies from around the world. Netflix lets you download many shows and movies to watch without an internet connection, which you can’t do through the web app. Netflix requires a subscription, but offers several different affordable packages.

Adobe Lightroom

Photo editing is a hassle for many Chromebook users, but the Adobe Lightroom app is a solid solution. Lightroom is intuitive and easy to use. The app includes the standard features you’d expect, such as quick-edit presets, masking tools, and AI recommendations. The interface includes sliders and filters for quick edits. Lightroom is free, but you’ll need a paid subscription, cross-device access, and other premium features.

Bitwarden

Taken from the listing on the Chrome Web Store

Remembering all your passwords is tough, but password managers can do the heavy lifting. Bitwarden is our top pick for Chromebook password managers. The app allows you to store passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information in an encrypted location. The service can auto-fill or generate passwords and has two-factor authentication. The premium subscription adds 1GB of cloud storage, additional two-step verification methods, and security reports, among other features.

Gmail

Gmail is perhaps the best-known email client, and its app has many other uses for Chromebook users. Since there is no default email client similar to Windows Mail app, Gmail may be your de facto option. The app lets you add your email accounts from various clients like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and many more in one place, which means you can close all those extra browser tabs.

Gmail’s layout is almost identical to the Android app for your phone. On the left is your email list and on the right is your currently selected email. There are buttons for changing the inbox category on the far left and a button for composing a new email at the bottom. The Android app also lets you access your emails offline, which is a definite advantage over the web version.

Pile

Stack makes it easy to scan important documents. The app comes from Google’s Area 120 experimental team. With Stack you can scan, edit and sort PDFs into different stacks. These files are stored in the cloud and can be saved to Google Drive for added security. If your Chromebook has a camera, you can use it to scan documents. Otherwise, managing all your files on a screen larger than your phone is very useful, even if the application does not adapt perfectly. Using Stack is quite intuitive and is a great way to organize your files.

Android apps on Chromebooks have come a long way, and the ones on this list are proof of that. To enhance your Chromebook experience even further, try some of the best Google Chrome extensions.

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