5 lesser-known Google apps I at all times set up on my Android cellphone

Because the proprietor of the Android operating system, it is no shock that Google has printed many a cellular app onto its Play Retailer platform over time. A lot of Google’s premier providers, together with Gmail, Maps, and Chrome, are pre-installed on the vast majority of Android units out of the field, owing to numerous Google Play Providers agreements made with its OEM {hardware} companions.

Google can be the writer of a variety of lesser-known apps which are listed on its Play Retailer web page, however that do not ship on Android by default (even on the corporate’s personal Pixel hardware). A few of these cellular apps are experimental, whereas others are well-refined and of authentic utility. Listed below are 5 first-party Android apps from Google that I personally at all times set up when establishing a brand new Android cellphone or pill.

1

Gallery

A light-weight Google Pictures different

Most Android customers are accustomed to Google Photos, which is the corporate’s flagship picture gallery suite that provides cloud storage, AI-powered photograph group, and cross-device synchronization. Lesser identified is Gallery, which is a light-weight Google-built different for quick and handy offline photograph administration.

Gallery solely takes up about 15MB of storage, and it really works fully with out an web connection or any cloud-based subscription heckling. All of the necessities are current and accounted for, together with SD card help, automated folder sorting, an auto-enhance picture possibility, and a full darkish mode.

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2

Google Authenticator

A straightforward method to streamline your two-factor authentication efforts

Pocket-lint / Google

There are a number of excellent two-factor authentication (2FA) functions accessible to select from on Android, and Google’s personal Authenticator app is a very nice start line for these new to multifactor safety. Apart from robotically syncing along with your Google Account, the app is straightforward and light-weight, with out requiring a subscription charge or being tied with another paid service.

As with different 2FA apps, Google Authenticator helps you to scan a QR code to robotically enroll your accounts, after which a string of six digits will seem and refresh each few seconds. This added layer of safety makes it so that you’re much less more likely to be hacked, even when your password is on the weaker side.

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3

Google Opinion Rewards

Reply fast surveys and obtain free Play Retailer credit score

Google Opinion Rewards is a free Android utility from Google that works by surfacing quick surveys frequently. Every time you full a survey, you are rewarded with a small sum of Google Play Store credit score, which might be redeemed on apps, video games, films, TV exhibits, books, and different digital items.

Survey questions are usually easy to reply with out having to place a lot thought into them, and you’ll have your cellphone notify you as quickly as a brand new survey is out there to finish. After all, with Opinion Rewards, you are successfully exchanging privateness for Play Retailer credit, although Google does say that solutions are aggregated and shared with market researchers in an nameless vogue.

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4

Snapseed

A surprisingly feature-rich photograph enhancing utility

Snapseed is a Google-owned photo-editing application for Android, and it is at all times been certainly one of my private favorites. The app is clear and easy from a person interface perspective, however seems might be deceiving: there is a dizzying variety of enhancing choices accessible to select from, starting from filters, to frames, to perspective changes, and every thing in between.

I’ve lengthy relied on Snapseed for fast picture touch-ups, and my fingers are crossed that Google will give the app a Material 3 Expressive visual overhaul within the close to future. Because it presently stands, the design is primary, however it will get the job carried out with none frivolous AI gimmicks, advertisements, or nagging about paid subscriptions.

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5

Motion Blocks

Leverage Google’s AI prowess by constructing out one-tap shortcuts

One of many extra fascinating Google-published apps accessible on the Play Retailer is named Motion Blocks. Powered by the Google Assistant, this app primarily lets you take widespread AI assistant capabilities and remodel them into actionable buttons with the backing of a graphical person interface (GUI). Motion Blocks works considerably equally to shortcut apps like Apple Shortcuts and Tasker, however it affords an easier interface that focuses on extending accessibility to these with age-related circumstances, cognitive variations, and those that merely battle with (or cannot be bothered with) know-how.

You possibly can set Motion Blocks as much as carry out duties like ‘ship a message,’ ‘make a name,’ or ‘play music,’ and it may also be configured to learn phrases out loud on the contact of a button, resembling ‘howdy, my identify is’ and ‘please assist me with.’ In each occasion, the appliance works like a allure. The house display screen widgets are all well-designed, and so they slot in effectively with the Android design language as a complete. Apparently, there isn’t any point out of Gemini AI help with this app — I think about Google will transition the app over to its newer AI service as soon as the older Assistant is totally phased out sooner or later.

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