Android devices have become a popular choice for many, owing to their versatility and user-friendly design. With the increasing use of these devices, there has been a surge in the development of Android tools that enhance the user experience. These tools come in various forms, from system utilities to productivity apps, and can be found on various online platforms. In this article, we will highlight some of the best Android tools that can help you optimize your device’s functionality and boost your productivity.
The first category of Android tools comprises system utilities that help in monitoring device performance and managing various settings. Such tools include task managers, battery savers, and file managers, among others. Task managers help in closing background apps to free up memory and improve device speed, while battery savers help in optimizing battery life by reducing power consumption. File managers, on the other hand, enable users to manage files and folders on their device, including copying, moving, and deleting files.
We have compiled a list of 7 Best Android Tools for your consideration, which have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by our team of experts.
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7 Best Android Tools
1. Microsoft Translator
Microsoft Translator is a personal translation app that allows users to translate text, voice, conversations, camera photos and screenshots for free. This app supports more than 70 languages and also provides the option to download languages for offline use when traveling.
The features of the app include text translation in over 70 languages, camera translation to translate text within photos and screenshots, voice translation and a split-screen mode for bilingual conversations, and multi-person conversation translation to connect up to 100 people across multiple languages. It also includes phrasebooks for verified translations and pronunciation guides to learn important foreign phrases when traveling.
Additionally, users can look up alternate translations and meanings of a word, hear the translated phrase out loud, view transliterations to help pronounce the translation, share translations with other apps, pin and save frequent translations, and translate text in other apps through context menu translation.
Microsoft Translator supports various languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese, among others. The app is powered by advanced technology used by Office, Bing, Skype, and Edge, as well as by partners such as Adobe and LinkedIn. However, some features may not be available in all languages.
Navigation Gestures is an app that allows users to add swipe gesture controls to any Android device. It replaces the navigation bar buttons with gesture controls and can completely hide the stock navigation bar without root access. Users can customize the gesture pill and choose from a variety of gestures, including taps, swipes, and split pill. The app offers both free and premium actions, such as launching apps, pulling down notifications, and toggling WiFi. The app also provides appearance and behavior customization options, and troubleshooting tips are available on the XDA forum thread and GitHub page. However, the app is not compatible with Android 11 and later, and users should be aware that navigation gestures will not be receiving any more updates.
3. Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus
Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus is an Android antivirus app that provides protection against viruses, malware, and online threats. It also helps to keep private information secure from hackers. The app has been named the Best Android Security Product of 2020, 2017, 2016, and 2015 by AV-TEST. The app offers a 14-day free trial.
The app offers a range of security features such as antivirus protection, virus and malware scanner, web protection, autopilot, account privacy, VPN, app lock, anti-theft protection, security reports, and WearON. The antivirus protection keeps the Android device safe from all new and existing online threats. The virus and malware scanner have a 100% detection rate against viruses, malware, spyware, and ransomware. The web protection feature secures the device against dangerous, phishing, and fraudulent sites for the most popular browsers.
The autopilot feature makes security recommendations based on the mobile device usage. The account privacy feature monitors if the email accounts were involved in any data breach. The VPN makes the IP anonymous and unlocks geo-restricted content. The app lock feature protects sensitive and private mobile apps with a PIN code or fingerprint. The anti-theft feature protects personal information in case the Android device is stolen or lost. The security reports feature sends insights about the weekly activity and security incidents that were prevented.
4. Niagara Launcher ‧ fresh/clean
Niagara Launcher is a minimalist Android home screen launcher that provides ergonomic efficiency, allowing users to access everything with one hand. Its adaptive list can be customized to suit individual needs, and the wave alphabet feature permits users to navigate their phones with ease. Niagara Launcher also has embedded notifications, allowing users to read and respond to notifications from their home screen. It is ad-free, lightweight, and declutters the home screen by hiding pre-installed bloatware and rarely used apps. Users can personalize their home screens with integrated icon packs, fonts, and wallpapers or use their own. Niagara Launcher has an active development team and a supportive community and offers an optional accessibility service that lets users quickly turn off their phone’s screen with a gesture.
5. Poweramp Full Version Unlocker
Poweramp is a music player app that aims to provide an exceptional music experience by offering features such as gapless play, an unparalleled equalization system, great crossfade, and support for most popular music file formats. It is known to unite and relax people, and sometimes even motivate them to do great things.
To try out Poweramp, users can download the free full trial version, which gives them 15 days of uninterrupted experience. For those looking to purchase the app, there are two good reasons to do so: all future updates are free with the Unlocker, and Poweramp is dedicated to being the best music player without changing from that core function.
For more information, users can refer to the Poweramp F.A.Q. or the Full Version/Unlocker/Purchase Issues F.A.Q. on the app’s forum.
6. Notification light – aodNotify
aodNotify is a mobile application designed for Samsung Galaxy S22/S21/Note 20/S20/S10/Note 10 or A52 devices that enables users to add a notification light or LED directly to a Samsung Always On Display. With this app, users can choose from different notification light styles and display the notification light around the camera cutout, screen edges, or simulate a notification light or LED dot in the status bar. The notification light is integrated into Samsung’s Always On Display and has minimal battery consumption, unlike other apps that keep the phone awake and drain the battery.
The app also features a notification preview that allows users to view important notifications without waking their Galaxy S22/S21/Note 20/S20/S10/A52 devices. Moreover, aodNotify’s main features include a low energy notification preview for Android 10+ users, activating Always On Display (AOD) only on notifications, and a charging/low battery light or LED. It also has custom app/contact colors, ECO animations to save battery, interval mode (on/off) to save battery, night times to save battery, and minimal battery consumption.
The battery usage per hour for aodNotify varies based on the features used. For instance, LED consumes 3.0%, LED & INTERVAL consumes 1.5%, LED & ECO ANIMATION consumes 1.5%, LED & ECO ANIMATION & INTERVAL consumes 1.
7. WhenToPlugIn
National Grid has developed the WhenToPlugIn app to help users make smarter energy choices and reduce their carbon footprint. The app provides real-time information on the carbon intensity forecast in Great Britain, showing users when electricity will be generated from zero carbon sources over the next 48 hours. The app also offers a breakdown of the energy sources powering the electricity in the user’s region, as well as interconnector information and updates on clean energy records. The app is powered by carbonintensity.org.uk and electricitymap.org.
The goal of the app is to help Great Britain reach net zero faster by encouraging users to use electricity when it is generated from zero carbon sources. The app defines carbon intensity as the amount of CO2 emissions produced per kWh of electricity consumed, with fossil fuels having a high carbon intensity and renewables having a zero carbon intensity. By using the app to plan electricity usage, users can reduce their carbon footprint.
National Grid is the company responsible for the infrastructure that transports gas and electricity across Great Britain. The infrastructure includes pipelines and cables that transmit gas and electricity from where it is generated to local distribution networks.