These Are the Best Android Apps for 2023
Every year, countless apps appear on the Google Play Store. The problem is that it’s hard to tell which ones are worth your time and which ones should be ignored altogether. In my opinion, these are the 15 apps you need on your Android phone in 2023.
Brave Browser
When it comes to privacy, Brave Browser can’t be beat. The app has a built-in ad blocker and can block pop-ups, third-party cookie trackers, and more to protect your phone from malicious links.
Brave also uses HTTPS Everywhere to encrypt your interactions with major websites to make your browsing even more secure. In addition to the Android app, Brave has apps for Windows, Mac, and iOS.
1Weather
When it comes to weather apps on Android, one of the best options is 1Weather . The app has a clean design that makes it easy to see things like current conditions, radar, or future forecasts. There are also a number of widgets you can add to your phone’s home screen for quick access to the weather.
There are ads in the 1Weather user interface, but they’re not intrusive, and if you really don’t like ads, you can splurge on the AdFree version by making an in-app purchase.
Duolingo
Whether they’re learning a new language or brushing up on the basics, people all over the world turn to Duolingo. Essentially, the app distills language lessons into bite-sized chunks so they’re easier and more fun to learn.
By using the app, you unlock more lessons and languages to learn. With the free version of the app you can take lessons in Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, German and other languages.
There’s a premium subscription, Super Duolingo, which has no ads, Unlimited Hearts (which means unlimited lessons no matter how many mistakes you make), and AI-powered bug reviews.
Google Maps
Google Maps needs no introduction. While there are navigation alternatives on the Play Store, these days most people think of Google Maps when you say “GPS.”
This doesn’t mean Google is resting on its laurels. The company is constantly updating the app with new features , such as immersive AI-powered route views and Google Lens on maps.
Windows Link (formerly Your Phone Companion)
If you have a Windows PC and an Android phone, then the Microsoft Link to Windows app is a must-have. The app connects your Android phone to your computer so you can reply to text messages, make and receive calls via Bluetooth, and view notifications.
On some Samsung, Surface Duo, and Honor phones, you can drag and drop files and copy and paste content between your phone and PC. A list of compatible Android phones that support drag and drop can be found here .
For Link to Windows to work, you’ll need an Android phone running Android 11 or later with 8GB of RAM. You’ll also need a Windows PC running Windows 10 May 2020 Update or Windows 11.
Pocket casts
Pocket Casts has a great-looking and easy-to-use interface, so you can jump to the podcasts you subscribe to or discover new ones. There are also useful tools such as volume up, silence trim, and skip play to skip podcast intros.
Plus, your podcast subscriptions are automatically saved to the cloud through your Pocket Casts account, so you can pick up where you left off on another device or web app. (This requires a Pocket Casts Plus subscription.)
Google Photos
Google Photos is great and continues to improve. The app can easily group and identify faces, animals, objects and places, so it’s often easy to find the photo you’re looking for. Plus, in the application you can create collages and videos, as well as order photo books and prints.
Google Keep
There are plenty of note-taking apps on the Play Store, but for a simple solution, Google Keep is a great option . You can create notes, lists, and voice memos that are automatically transcribed by the app. You can also set notes as reminders and create shared notes and lists with friends and family. Google also updates it constantly, so it is constantly improving.
Flipboard is a unique way to stay up to date with the news. The app allows you to follow news from a variety of industries including business, technology, sports, travel and more, as you would expect. However, everything is created with your interests in mind. All news is presented in a unique design that allows you to “turn through” each story. If you like it, you can move from one interesting work to another.
Facebook Messenger
Your iPhone friends are mad at you for existing, so don’t worry about SMS. While it’s hard to find one app that you can convince everyone to switch to, many people use Facebook, meaning Facebook Messenger is often a good choice for “universal” messaging.
You get messaging, audio and video calling, custom backgrounds, and other great benefits. Plus, Facebook Messenger works on almost all your devices, not just Android, so you can have conversations on your phone, tablet, and computer.
Just look
Forget Google: JustWatch is the perfect app for when you want to watch something but have no idea where to stream it. The app only searches for legal options like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+. It will also look for places where such content can be purchased or rented, such as iTunes or Google Play. If you’re looking for “free” streaming – hint, hint – this is not the app for you.
Plex
If you have a large media collection, one way to organize it is to create a Plex server. From there, you can stream your content to your devices, such as your Android phone.
To take full advantage of your Plex server, consider Plex Pass, which gives you access to all Plex features, such as downloading content from your server to your phone for offline viewing. Plus, Plex also offers some ad-supported movies and TV shows for free.
VLK
VLC , one of the best video players for Windows and macOS, also has an app for Android. The app allows you to watch any video stored on your device and supports a wide range of video file formats, so whatever you upload to it, the app can play it. The best part is that VLC is completely free and has no annoying ads.
Google files
If you’re looking for an easy-to-use file manager, Files by Google is a great option. The app allows you to view and organize your files, and easily delete unnecessary files to free up space. You can also back up your files to cloud sources like Google Drive, and there’s the option to share files between devices offline.
Backgrounds
Backdrops is simply a wallpaper app. It features hundreds of original wallpapers created by the Backdrops team. These wallpapers vary in styles such as patterns, land views, architecture and landscapes. Other users and the app development team also add new wallpapers every day.
If you buy the Pro version of the app, you get an ad-free experience as well as the Pro Pack, which is a set of exclusive wallpapers for Pro users.
An earlier version of this article mistakenly used a cover image of the Parler app. We do not approve of the application and regret the error.