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I am writing this post for the purpose of two friends of mine who just bought phones and were curious about the apps I have installed on my phone.

While there are thousands of really good apps, because of the space limitations on our phones, I have a set of really critical and useful apps I think everyone should use.I have about 152 apps on my phone but here are the most useful

  1. Pocket

    I almost feel like Pocket is the first app I would install when I set up a new phone. Together with a Chrome extension, Pocket allows you save articles for offline reading. There are times when I see an article while working and I want to read later, I just add it to my pocket. That downloads to my mobile and I can read it later – even without an internet connection. This has come in super handy while I’m in flight.

  2. Calendar

    Google Calendar is one of the most important apps for me because ‘organization of my time’. In addition to Google Calendar’s event scheduling, you can also create and monitor new habits and routines through the app.

  3. Pocket Casts

    Pocket Casts is a paid podcasting app but I doubt any podcast app can beat Pocket Casts- whether it be the user experience or the witty notes the developers include when there are updates to the app.

  4. Wunderlist

    I use Wunderlist to record everything from my bucket list, my travel list,  my Fuck-it list to my quick reminders for mind clearing. You would probably enjoy it better while using it on desktop as it syncs your list with your mobile.

  5. Apple Music/Google Play Music

    I am really caught in between choosing which to go for between the two apps. I love Apple Music‘s huge database of artists/songs. You can almost always find anything. I like that I can listen to music also using Apple Music/iTunes app. I really love Google Play Music because a subscription also gets you a Youtube Red subscription. This removes annoying YouTube ads.

  6. Feedly

    Feedly is my ultimate RSS aggregator. The interface is clean and I can categorize my reading list. The Android widget is also amazing.

  7. Google Drive/Docs/Sheets

    Because I use Google for Work, this comes very handy when I need to quickly make edits to documents or spreadsheets or presentations.

  8. Drivvo

    I use Drivvo to track my car spends. From fuel spends to oil change spends, to car servicing spends. With this I know what and what I spent on my car. I can know how much I paid for my shock absorber two years ago.

  9. Gboard

    Gboard is Google’s Keyboard. It practically has everything Swiftkey has. You can swipe type, change text to emoticon but more interestingly you can type in Yoruba. It has a Yoruba keyboard. The main selling point is that you can do searches, check maps without switching screens. This is useful when you are chatting and you need an address, for example.

  10. Google Trips

    I enjoyed using this when I went to Tanzania. Google Trips puts your boarding pass, reservations, places of interest in one place. So your trip is organized.

  11. Headspace

    This is hands-down the best meditation app in the planet.

  12. Hangouts Dialer

    This allows me dial with my Google Voice number through Google Hangouts.

  13. Home

    The Home app is a central point for Google’s Home automation program. From here, you can control your Google Chromecast amongst other things.

  14. Inbox

    I only use Google’s Inbox app to read emails on my mobile. If you’re an Inbox Zero person, this is the best tool for your email organization. Apart from its email snooze advantage, you can quickly view invoices, payments, shipping tracking, images without opening emails.

  15. Journey

    I use Journey to journal my daily gratitude journey. You can read about it here.  Journey reminds you daily to input. It also has a Google Chrome extension so you use it on your desktop.

  16. Keep

    Keep is Google’s notepad. I can color code my writing entry, I can label and also convert an entry to a to-do list.

  17. Luno

    Luno is one of the best apps for trading BitCoins. From the app you can sell or buy in Naira. The clean interface wins for me.

  18. Maps

    Google Maps is non-arguably the best app for Mapping. I absolutely love the way I can check my timeline to see where I have been in the course of the day. I can save offline areas for use when I don’t have access to the internet.

  19. Medium

    The best place to read from great writers IMO.

  20. Mobdro

    Mobdro allows you watch almost every major cable channel.

  21. Nairabox

    Nairabox has one of the best interfaces in Nigerian-made apps. You can use Nairabox to buy movie tickets, buy airtime and send money.

  22. Opera VPN

    Opera’s VPN app. Very easy to use…when you want to listen to Spotify from Nigeria 😀

  23. Nova Launcher

    Nova Launcher is the only reason I can use a Samsung. The interface is very easy to customize. I have recorded gestures for different apps. For instance, I can access Whatsapp anywhere by pinching the screen.

  24. Photos

    Google Photos is the best app for photos. I have used it to backup my photos since 2014. When I am connected to wifi, it backs up all my pictures automatically. It’s the only app I know that tags faces and allows me to search for people across my entire backup. For instance if I typed ‘Mom’, it shows me every picture where my mom was- even if it was a picture in a picture of her. You can also search for image objects with it. For instance searching for car returns pictures that have cars in them.

  25. PhotoScan

    PhotoScan allows you take pictures of old printed pictures. I use this also for documents and receipts I need scanned.

  26. Play Books

    All my ePubs are here. I almost prefer Play Books to iBooks because I can read my books from any computer.

  27. Plex

    Plex Server allows me to watch movies that are on my laptop on my TV screen using Chrome Cast. So let’s say I have movies in my Movies folder, with Plex installed on my laptop or phone, I can access the movies in my Movies folder and project to my TV.

  28. Snapseed

    I use Snapseed to edit most of my Instagram pictures. Probably the best photo touch-up app.

  29. Spendee

    I use the paid version of Spendee to record my spendings and to set my budgets. There’s a free version too.

  30. ThinkUp

    I use ThinkUp for affirmations. It allows you record your affirmations and then add some music to the background.

  31. Total Recall

    Every A lot of phone conversations that comes through my phone gets recorded through Total Recall. You can configure it to upload to a Google Drive location.

  32. Timely

    Timely is what wakes me up every week day. You can’t switch off your alarm without solving maths problems, or shaking your phone profusely.

  33. TunnelBear

    It’s one of the most effective VPN software for me. It gives up to 1GB access monthly for the free version.

  34. Twilight

    My Twilight app activates at 9pm daily. It removes the blue lights from your screen that’s said to inhibit sleep. Trust me, you would know the difference once you start using it.

  35. Uber

    Of course!

  36. Jawbone Up

    I use the Up app together with my Jawbone Up to track my sleep, heart rate and steps.

  37. VSCO

    I use VSCO for its photo filters.

  38. Wikipedia Beta

    Wikipedia on your mobile. It also allows you read offline.

  39. Within

    If you’re a VR enthusiast, you have a VR headset, then Within is a must-have. There are epic VR programs you can enjoy.

  40. Zedge

    With Zedge, you can search and download cool wallpapers, ring tones, message tones etc.

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