6 Android apps which might be so slick, I believed Google made them

In the case of the Android operating system, there are a staggering variety of cellular purposes on the market to select from. These apps can be found to obtain from throughout plenty of sources, together with the Google Play Retailer, the free and open-source F-Droid storefront, the Amazon App Retailer, the Samsung Galaxy Retailer, and others.

As with different platform holders, Google publishes and maintains up-to-date pointers on how Android apps ought to look and behave. This contains a number of visible issues: person interface buttons, toggles, sliders, menus, context menus, and extra. The objective is to create a coherent design language that extends throughout third-party apps, and to foster a novel id for Android apps as a complete.

No matter the place you get your apps from, one factor is evident: not all Android apps are created equal. Specifically, many cross-platform apps (notably social media and streaming providers) neglect Google’s UI pointers, leading to a disjointed end-user expertise. Fortunately, there are many wonderful apps that do faucet into the Materials Design language, whether or not it’s Android 12-era Materials You or Android 16-era Material 3 Expressive. Listed below are six of my private favorites.

1

Gramophone

YouTube Music does not even come shut

So far as native music playback apps are involved, the Android OS is dwelling to a number of the highest choices available on the market. I’ve examined quite a few old-school music gamers through the years, and Gramophone is way and away my present favourite. The app makes excellent use of Google’s Materials You theming, with dynamic colour tinting, the distinctive squiggly progress bar additionally present in Android’s native music mini participant, and playful animations. It is easy to parse by tracks by way of plenty of sorting choices, and you’ll dive proper into the file system for a extra hands-on expertise, too. Gramophone is a wholly free app, with an open-source code base as well.

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2

Compass

The very best compass app availble for Android

Shockingly, Google is but to construct its personal native compass or degree device app for Android. Most third-party telephone makers have taken issues into their very own fingers, however trendy Pixel telephones nonetheless do not present a user-facing app for accessing coordinates, altitude, magnetism, and different helpful metrics. Fortunately, Compass has you coated. Other than providing stunning and clear visuals that feel and appear native to the Android platform, there’s an expertly crafted implementation of haptic suggestions all through the app that brings the entire expertise collectively in a sophisticated style. Compass is obtainable for a small price on the Play Retailer, and the app itself is solely ad-free.

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3

Inware

Discover your Android’s specs

There are a selection of Android apps on the market that may floor helpful {hardware} and software program system specs, however my private favourite must be Inware. It follows Google’s Materials You theming to a tee, with wonderful group of knowledge and a extremely approachable dwelling web page with giant iconography. I notably benefit from the app’s bespoke font, which seems nice and offers a splash of persona to the combo. Gadget metrics displayed by Inware embrace knowledge referring to the system, {hardware}, reminiscence, digital camera, community, connectivity, battery, and media digital rights administration (DRM) standing. The app is totally free to make use of, with no advertisements or in-store puchases to talk of.

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4

Wavelet

The equalizer device that Google by no means made

Regardless of there being some wonderful options, Wavelet continues to be my Android equalizer (EQ) software of alternative. The app makes it straightforward to regulate bass, treble, channel achieve, channel steadiness, launch time, assault time, and extra. There is a useful graphic equalizer web page with numerous presets out there to select from, and a outstanding on / off button is one thing I vastly admire. Better of all, Wavelet totally embraces Google’s Materials design language, right down to Materials 3 Expressive’s wonderful new slider design. The app itself is free, however a one-time Professional buy is required to unlock extra options like reverberation, equal lludness, and the bass tuner.

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5

Counters

You may rely on this app to maintain tally

A fundamental counter app is the form of factor which may not appear notably helpful at first look, however it may be a lifesaver in a pinch. There are a ton of use instances that crop up in my very own day-to-day life that warrant a fast tally, and the Counters app excels at all-things rating maintaining. The app embraces Materials You design pointers, making for a visually pleasing and easy-to-use app interface. All of the necessities are right here: you’ll be able to set a number of counters, you’ll be able to have the counters reset mechanically, and you’ll title and colour coordinate every tracker. Better of all, the app is solely free with no commercials, and it might probably sync with Android’s Well being Join framework, too.

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6

Everplan

Monitor your bills in type

If Google had been to construct its personal expense tracker app for Android, I would invision it to feel and appear so much like Everplan. Printed by the identical builders behind the wonderful Lumolight and Groovy apps for Android, Everplan permits you to maintain tabs in your financial institution balances, subscription charges and due dates, and different recurring charges. The app adopts a beautiful Materials You aesthetic, full with dynamic colour tinting and iconography, and the interface itself is easy and minimalistic. There is a good graph visualizer on provide right here, in addition to an choice to create distinctive expense classes to raised mirror your personal funds. Everplan is free to obtain and set up, with a one-time price required to take away all advertisements.

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