5 Must have free apps for Android users: March 2021
Android phones and tablets are marvelous handheld devices that are capable of so much more than snapping selfies and posting social media updates. With the right app, you can transform your Android devices into a movie theater, graphic design canvas, mobile workstation, or nearly anything else designed for work or play. Downloading the apps is easy; finding them is the challenge. That’s why we’ve stepped in to offer a helping hand.
These 5 apps cover applications of various categories, including music, productivity, security, and utilities, so it’s easy to find ones that suit your mood. Need an entertaining streaming video service? There’s an app for that. In search of a dependable word processor that’ll keep you productive while on the go? There’s an app for that, too. Note that we don’t include any games in this roundup: For those, check out our separate list of the best Android games.
Here’s the list of top android apps of this month!
- OneNote — Save Ideas and Organize Notes
OneNote by Microsoft is hands-down one of the best notes taking app you can ever come across.
Microsoft OneNote is a digital note taking app that can be accessed via Android, Chrome, Windows, iOS and Mac devices. The solution is well-suited for individuals attending numerous meetings per week and working on multiple collaborative projects. OneNote offers deep search functionality for all notes stored in its database. Users can also store and organize audio recordings that are in a searchable format and can be integrated with other Microsoft Office products.
OneNote allows users to take handwritten notes with the help of a stylus or fingertip and can also convert these notes to digital text. Important ideas or points can be highlighted by using various shapes and colors. The solution has the ability to embed other Microsoft Office files into a note.
They can then be easily edited by OneNote users. OneNote offers cloud-based storage and allows users to easily toggle between separate but synced up enterprise and personal accounts.
OneNote is gradually becoming more integrated with the rest of the Office 365 suite. For instance, every team in Microsoft Teams gets a shared OneNote notebook where they can collaborate on notes.
Microsoft OneNote: Features-
Microsoft OneNote has some of the best digital note-taking features we’ve seen. For one, it allows you to organize your thoughts, important information, and any data you need to store for later use. It’s available on a full range of mobile and desktop devices, and there’s even a web version for online use.
What’s more, OneNote’s drawing and design tools are excellent. You can draw directly with a stylus or your finger on a touch-screen device, add media, and tag important content for future reference. And there are great collaboration tools for you to share notebooks with coworkers, friends, or anyone else who needs to have access.
Microsoft OneNote: Interface and in use
The Microsoft OneNote user interface is clear, intuitive, and packed with useful tools. For starters, the desktop app provides you with a note-taking page that you can use to store various types of information. Create a to-do list, highlight important information, create reminders to come back to at a later time, and much, much more.
Various note taking and design tools are available via the menu bar at the top of the screen. Simply click on the menu tab you want to access, and a suite of tools will appear. What’s more, you can organize your content by creating different digital notebooks, separating each notebook into sections, and adding pages to each section. Switch between notebooks and sections via the selection options at the top of the screen, and manage pages via the panel on the right.
The web interface is similar, albeit with slightly fewer editing and design features. And the mobile apps are also very well built, with everything you will need for note taking on the go.
Requirements:
• Requires Android OS 5.0 or later.
• A free Microsoft account is required to use OneNote.
• OneNote opens existing notebooks created in Microsoft OneNote 2010 format or later.
• To sync your notes to OneDrive for Business, sign in with your organization’s Office 365 or SharePoint account.
2. LinkedIn: Job Search, Business News and Networking
If you know me personally, then there’s a very high chance that I’ve already recommended you to install LinkedIn. Here’s why I highly recommend everyone to install LinkedIn even though they might not be looking for a job.
If you’ve been in college, or in the professional world, it’s something you hear all the time, so much so that you may hardly react to it anymore. Maybe you have a half-done LinkedIn profile, copied and pasted right from your resume. But you haven’t logged in for months.
Or perhaps you don’t have one at all. After all, why bother? You want to freelance. Or maybe you want to run your own business, or startup. In that case, why be on LinkedIn? You don’t want to work for anyone else but yourself, and a LinkedIn profile only matters for those chasing full-time careers at big tech companies…right?
If you are guilty of believing this, check out my complete article on why you NEED to be on LinkedIn: whether you’re an aspiring full-time employee, freelancer/consultant, or biz/startup owner:
1. Gain exposure to Hiring Managers and Recruiters
93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to research and recruit candidates. LinkedIn allows you to have an online personal brand which makes you visible to key decision makers and recruiters. This means when your name is put into a search engine such as google, you have an online personal brand and you are appearing in search results.
It’s for this reason you need to make sure you treat your LinkedIn profile in a similar way to your CV and you ensure what is on the profile is selling you in the best way possible.
2. Demonstrate your knowledge, credibility and leadership expertise
Having a LinkedIn profile helps build trust with employers and recruiters as they can see your recommendations and connections and evidence of where you have added value.
3. Use LinkedIn as a research tool
Having a LinkedIn account also means that you can use the site to research companies, interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers — this is helpful before submitting applications and researching who’s interviewing you and conducting interview research.
4. LinkedIn has a great job board
New opportunities exist throughout the LinkedIn site that may not exist on traditional job boards. You can directly apply for roles using LinkedIn apply, save job searches, as well as flagging to recruiters that you are open to hearing about opportunities.
I’ve briefly summed up the top uses of LinkedIn. Check out my other article where I clearly explain why should use LinkedIn.
3. BurnerBits: Quick Fun Tech 50 Words News & Updates
If you are looking for a good news app that brings you the latest news updates and more in just 70 words, this is our pick.
This latest fiery addition to the Tech Burner ecosystem will educate, entertain, and inform you with the unique “Short Bits” and “Quick Bits,” it has literally never been easier to stay up-to-date on everything tech. Become tech-smart, in the Tech Burner way. BurnerBits aims to get you the best of tech in an incisive manner. Get all the latest technology news summarized in your palms — in a single app. Read about latest releases, rumours, and gossip from the tech worlds of India and around the world in mere seconds. Learn something new everyday about tech that affects you!
This latest fiery addition to the Tech Burner ecosystem will educate, entertain, and inform you with the unique “Short Bits” and “Quick Bits,” it has literally never been easier to stay up-to-date on everything tech. Become tech-smart, in the Tech Burner way. BurnerBits aims to get you the best of tech in an incisive manner.
Get all the latest technology news summarized in your palms — in a single app. Read about latest releases, rumours, and gossip from the tech worlds of India and around the world in mere seconds. Learn something new everyday about tech that affects you!
The content in BurnerBits app is divided into two types:
‣ Short Bits:
The primary portion of the app contains short news crafted, especially for you to avoid lengthy research for a simple piece of information.
One ShortBits concludes in under 70 words and takes 25 seconds at max of your time. Time saving Tech information
‣ Quick Bits:
BurnerBits brings a separate section for aesthetically appealing image-based short news. The purpose of this initiative is to deliver time-efficient content to our community.
News delivered in this format is convenient, on-point, and easy-to-digest. These images take not more than 5 seconds to understand.
Key Features of BurnerBits
‣ Reliable and Original News:
All Bits published on the app undergo rigorous research and fact-checking processes before reaching to you for consumption.
‣ Minimal & Classy UI:
Every bit of data on BurnerBits follows the goal of minimalism. Owing to its simple and elegant interface, you will get hooked to the app in no time.
You will undoubtedly find the lucid design with swipe functions very engaging.
‣ English & Hindi content:
The app supports both, English and Hindi languages to cover the tech-enthusiasts in a broader range of the Indian society.
Moreover, the editorial team gives special attention to the Hindi sector in order to attract more Hindi-speaking audience to technology.
‣ User Contribution:
Feel like sharing an exciting piece of news with the community? Just submit a Short Bit, and the team will help you find the perfect words.
In addition to the well-researched content uploaded by the editorial team, BurnerBits relies on contributions from its users, i.e., you!
‣ Community Building:
The algorithm focusses on bringing tech enthusiasts from around the country together.
The editorial team behind BurnerBits is a group of highly motivated and talented youngsters determined for the cause.
‣ Unique User Profiles:
On BurnerBits, you get your own profile, where all your interesting Bits are collected. The profile represents your personal status in the BurnerBits community.
4. Kaspersky Free Antivirus 2020 — Internet Security
There is a debate going on whether you actually require antivirus apps for Android mobiles. Short answer — yes!
As smartphones bring the world at your fingertips, it can cause considerable risks to you & your data if you do not take sufficient precautions. With such a high dependency on your smartphone, it is becoming an ideal tool for hackers to sneak into your personal space and steal valuable data and sensitive information.
If you thought that viruses and malware only affect your computer, unfortunately, you are wrong. Though, as per reports, viruses have not yet infected smartphones, similar to computers, it doesn’t mean it is safe from malware. A virus is just a specific category of malware, and malware can cause a lot of damage.
Malware can lead to data thefts, identity theft, and it can even physically harm your device.
According to reports, PlayStore & AppStore block a staggering 24,000 malicious apps every single day from the platform. This number is so significant that we can safely assume that at least a few malicious apps are getting through the store’s security layers and onto your phone.
These malicious apps majorly target your bank account details, personal data, identity, and sensitive data like passwords or classified business information.
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android is a FREE-to-download antivirus solution to help keep your phones and tablets — which can be even more vulnerable than computers — as well as your private information secure from online dangers.
Product features:
► Antivirus protection — acts as a virus cleaner, automatically blocking malware and more on your phones & tablets
► Background check — scans on-demand and in real-time* for viruses, spyware, ransomware and Trojans
► Find my phone — locates & locks your Android phone or tablet if it’s lost or stolen
► Anti-Theft — protects personal information from thieves, wiping it from your device
► App Lock* — lets you add a secret code to access your private messages, photos & more
► Anti-Phishing* — keeps your financial information secure when you shop & bank online
► Web filter* — filters out dangerous links & sites when you go online
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android includes:
🛡 Antivirus protection
If our background check detects malware, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android acts as a virus cleaner — blocking viruses and dangerous apps, links and files.
🔍 Background check
Our antivirus for Android scans downloaded apps for malware, ransomware, phishing, spyware and other infections using a background check to give you outstanding virus protection, guarding your devices from threats.
🔑 App Lock
Our App Lock feature protects your private communications & financial information with a secret code that lets you access confidential apps selected by you. Plus it hides your sensitive data (messages, photos, files & more) on your device from people up to no good.*
📱 Find my phone
Kaspersky Internet Security for Android helps you track and find your lost phone or tablet. You can turn on an alarm on the device remotely, lock and locate your phone, wipe personal information — including messages, photos & videos — and take a mugshot of the person using your device if it’s stolen.
🌍 Block dangerous sites & links when you’re online
Our powerful antivirus for Android protects your device from Internet threats while you’re browsing by blocking phishing. That’s why our virus cleaner delivers outstanding virus protection & helps keep your privacy and sensitive financial data secure when you buy stuff.*
* Functionality is available only in Premium version.
Kaspersky has a reputation up there with the big players like Bitdefender, so perhaps unsurprisingly the free version of its security app has some smart features, including top-notch malware detection (going by the ratings from independent test labs).
Not only do you benefit from Kaspersky Internet Security, but there are also some heavyweight anti-theft capabilities, allowing you to find the location of your Android device if it has been lost or stolen. You can also remotely lock the phone, or wipe the data on it, or even snap a photo of the person currently using the device (which could be really useful if they’re a thief). An alarm can be remotely set off, too (that might be handy if you’ve lost the phone).
Another impressive feature is support for Android Wear which simplifies security management, plus this app is free, as we already mentioned, which is always a major boon. There is a paid version, mind, and some important features are reserved for this.
5. Adobe Lightroom — Photo Editor & Pro Camera
Some would argue Adobe Lightroom is the very best photo editing app for smartphones, and there are plenty of reasons to agree.
If you are like me, you will need more than the last sentence to be convinced, so let’s see why Lightroom is better than other competitors.
Most photo editing smartphone apps have a mobile-optimized UI (user interface), but Lightroom’s is especially cool because they managed to find a balance between pro-grade editing and a nice touch-friendly design.
Lightroom was designed to work across multiple operating systems, screen sizes, and device types, so the UI has been planned accordingly. Sliders respond well to the touch, but also don’t look out of place on a computer screen, when using a mouse. Buttons are large, and the image layout is well organized and sized.
Exporting my images in Adobe Lightroom from any device is great, but most times I don’t even need to export them. Adobe makes it easy to share my images through their own web sharing system.
One can share albums by adding specific people or sharing a link. Images and edits are already saved in the cloud, so why not take advantage of that?
After sharing my albums, people can like or comment on my images. It’s great for getting tips from fellow photographers or requests from clients.
Pros
Quick management of a large number of photos
Color correction of several photos at the same time
A large number of tutorials
Many useful presets
Supports almost all RAW formats
Cons
Inconvenient catalogue system
Inopportune photo export
You should have the smartphone of the latest models to work with many RAW files
Weak portrait edit capabilities
Despite the confusing naming convention, Adobe Lightroom CC has emerged to be an absolute game-changer for all level of photographer.
What was once a somewhat crippled application has been transformed via regular updates into an essential tool for organising, editing and sharing photos, both for amateur and professional photographers alike.
Bottomline:
These are the top five apps for this month. Since this is the first article of this series, I’ve included apps that you might already be familiar with.
Comment down which apps do you think should make up to the list for the next month. Stay tuned and keep reading the blog for more amazing articles 🌟
About me:
I’m Sai kamal, a Full Stack Developer 🚀 from Hyderabad, India. Currently a sophomore student contributing to various open-sourced projects and working on quite a few personal projects. Also part of a start-up company aiming high 🌟
I’m interested in Web Development, Machine learning and Data Science.
Check out my Portfolio at https://dantusaikamal.github.io/
