I’m sure there are countless apps out there that are incredibly cool, interesting, or useful, but just haven’t hit the mainstream yet. Maybe it’s a productivity tool that’s boosted your efficiency, a unique game that’s kept you entertained for hours, or a niche app that’s catered perfectly to one of your hobbies or interests.
What are some Android hidden gem apps that you’ve used a bunch or think it’s really cool/interesting/useful?
Please share your recommendations, and if possible, a brief description of what the app does and why you find it so valuable.
Looking forward to uncovering some hidden treasures in the Android app world. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
You can use Joplin without any cloud sync at all and the notes just stay on your one device.
Fit Notes - simple lifting progress app that i’ve been using for years. On play store.
Kvaesitso - launcher on fdroid. Has become my favorite launcher.
URLCheck
Checks URLs for nasties like tracking links. Can also be used to open links in specific apps (where they don’t always want to)
Available on both f-droid and the play store.
https://www.f-droid.org/packages/com.trianguloy.urlchecker/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trianguloy.urlchecker
also great bc u always have the option to choose which app to open with, and acts as a confirmation if you accidently click a link
One thing I’d like though is a module to scan YouTube links this is why I think that would be useful
excellent point!
oh, i hadnt thought of that. i didnt think think it would be very helpful, but after i watched that video, it really opened my eyes to the dangerous possibilities.
-Andor’s Trail
a free game on f-droid, a roguelike with a plot and very pretty
-Currency
an open source app to quickly see exchange rates between different currencies, lightning fast
-Invizible Pro
TOR access that I use on public wifi for protection
-Gadgetbridge
Lightweight and good app for use with smartwatches/bands
-Lolisnatcher
Great booruapp that supports everything I threw at it.
-Newpipe Sponsorblock
A fork of the popular youtube alternative that supports the sponsorblock extension since the original devs are against it.
KISS launcher, I can’t imagine using a phone without it.
Need this for my Google TV
Interesting concept, but I just can’t stand the animations that are not from the stock launcher.
Kiss is exactly what I want in a launcher. I use it but it seems to crash a lot and/or fail to run the search properly or render my icons.
Have you noticed that at all? It’s happened across 2 phones for me but I may be unlucky or doing something wrong.
I’m using it for years on 2 phones and it works well. It crashed here and ther, but I’d say it’s about as stable as original one overall. I used to have problem with arcticons, butanual restart helped it. It’s sad you encounter problems.
Funny you mentioned articons. I have actually had a lot fewer stability problems when I switched away from articons.
But they look good and are very minimalistic. Do you know something similar to replace them?
I switched to Delta Icons, also open source also on F-Droid. They aren’t as minimalist but they’re neat and flat and pastel.
I’ll give it a try. Although I must admit I’m pretty used to my monochrome setup right now. Will se how it goes.
//EDIT: I tried them and I quite like the pastel idea, but I don’t like how inconsistent the theme is as a whole. One icon is round, other one is square and third one is just symbol with no background whatsoever.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.boyle.chris.sgtpuzzles
Several puzzles in one app, no ads, completely free.
also available on fdroid
Github link incase you want to install it with Obtainium: https://github.com/chrisboyle/sgtpuzzles
Wow thanks! I play these on desktop all the time. I tried playing them from my phone browser and it wasn’t the same. Didn’t know there was an app! Thank you!
Spotiflyer <- Give a link to a song/playlist from various platforms and it will download it for you.
Feeder <- Great all around RSS feeder that can help you read your feeds on the go.
Metro player <- FOSS music player with great customizable UI. Has tons of features.
Probably more that I can’t think of at the moment.
Spotiflyer <- Give a link to a song/playlist from various platforms and it will download it for you.
Soundbound now
I am disappointed he didn’t put it on fdroid. I assume Shabinder had his reasons.
Oh it got an update? Nice thanks for mentioning it.
My favorite music player Musicolet
Edit: link
Oh, I haven’t heard of that one before. Is it any good? (I already have mutiple music players but testing out another isn’t a bad idea)
It’s pretty good. I like that it also have Android auto support. I mainly listen to music in my car.
This calculator app maybe I use it for nostalgia’s sake but I’ve had it on every android for the past 10+ years. It works great, launches instantly, and the ads were never more than a small banner at the top. I did buy the ad free version but it’s $2, no subscription or any bullshit, just a straight and honest scientific calculator.
Maybe not underrated because everyone should already be using it but KDE connect is a life changing app. So much functionality packed into a lightweight package. Just having a shared clipboard between my phone and laptop has been such a time saver every single day. If you don’t already have it, you should.
I’d like to have something like this but for macOS 🥲
“Birdnet” for recognizing the little birds’ voices.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet
Sadly it’s not on the playstore anymore, but I’ve had a free Tetris clone app on my phone for years that has served as a good time killer or a distraction from awkward silence. It’s called Tetra Classic. I think you can still find the APK somewhere, hopefully in reputable sources.
Falling Lightblocks, available on his own website or GitHub.
Simple Text Editor
FOSS text editor for when you just literally wanna write something down without any weird bloat and without having to deal with Google. Available on F-Droid.
Also, OpenBoard for a FOSS keyboard with swipe typing. Also available on F-Droid
You know what, I think F-Droid is actually my hidden gem app. I’m sure most Lemmy users use it, but I don’t think I know anyone else IRL who does, so hidden gem might not be accurate depending on perspective.
Do you need to root phone to use F-Droid?
Nope
deleted by creator
On second thought… Seems they haven’t finished their glide type function for release yet, though it’s planned! Are you on a beta version or something to get the swipe function? Or were you talkin the backspace & spacebar swipe gestures? 🙂
Oh my god thank you!! I’ve been out of luck looking for an open swipe keyboard, I’m so excited you found one and shared it!!! WOOT!
r ur notes available on every device u log into?
Nope, just a simple app for writing text files. If you want you can save those files to the cloud but for myself, there’s a lot if times where I just want to draft something quick on my phone and it’s my go to
ArityCalc is really neat, does graphing and a few other things
JRPN 16C is a take on the HP 16C , it’s both fun to mess around with and a great help when working with raw memory
μMath+ is great for working with complex problems
I use a NewPipe fork called PipePipe that is a bit more stable from my experience
Aurora Store is great
Markor is my go-to notes app, lets you write notes in markdown among other things
Trail Sense is neat both for its intended purpose as a general hiking toolkit, but also as a way to check phone sensors
Total Commander, because of course
Organic Maps is an offline maps app based on OpenStreetMap data, it’s great
I gotta shout out cloudstream, a streaming alternate. Foss, great app available on f droid.
While i’m on that i’ll add showly there too.
Both are excellent recommendations, add up Aniyomi too to that list 😆
LinkSheet is an alternative to URLCheck
Is there any reason to use one over the other?
At least I’m not aware of any reason. Just wanted to put the alternative out there.
Games:
Survivor.io - even though the name screams cheap shitty ad app, it’s pretty limited in ads (if any) and the game is a rogue like zombie killer. Each game plays out for about up to 15 minutes. One of my favorites.
Rebuild - a turn based strategy game about surviving the cities full of zombies.
Pawnbarian - a chess rogue like where you control a piece that has unique abilities. I believe they let you play part of the game as a demo.
Lifeline - a game you can get where you text some random dude who is lost in space. The game progresses over a few weeks and unfolds but you can only message him after he contacts you through notification.
Apps:
Nova Launcher - I have used nova launcher for probably like 10 years. I love the customizable options given and the ability to set gestures on icons.
Doctor on Demand - OK HEAR ME OUT. First, I live in America. Medical care is stupid. Also, I have children. Going to the doctors is like upwards of a hundred dollars per visit (if not more). Doctor on demand (through my insurance) is free. Even if you don’t have insurance, I think it’s only lope $50-$75 per visit. So… I recommend this for American users who need to see a doctor but may not be covered effectively.
Offline Survival Manual - haven’t needed to use it but good to have I’m thinking. You can print it all out through the app.
Survivor.io seems to be a crappy copy of Vampire Survivors which the base game is free on the play store and a lot better imo.
Vampire survivors released on Dec 2nd, 2022
Survivor.io released Aug 9th, 2022
Regardless, in the world of games (mobile games specifically, sometimes innovation is a leap frog off of someone else’s creativity.
Yea so it was released on Steam on Oct 20, 2022 so only a month after survivor.io released. Pretty crazy how similar they are. I can imagine that they were in development at the same time, I wonder if they took inspiration from the same source and put their own spin on it.
My understanding is that Magic Survival is the original source of inspiration for VS. Released in 2019, no less.
It was in early access since late 2021.
Rebuild has been great since it was a browser game. Solid recc.
