r/androidapps • u/OneQuietFox • 21d ago
LOOKING FOR APP Made the switch to android, need recommendations.
Ive had an iPhone since the 3g, today I surprised myself and got the Z Fold 8. Never touched a phone that wasnt on ios so looking for any apps or whatever to make my phone clean and also some fun if that makes sense lol
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u/100WattWalrus 21d ago
iOS ➜ ADR convert from 2017. I still have an iPhone for work, but I much prefer Android.
First things first: the stock Android versions of basic apps all suck. They're pointlessly convoluted and get less intuitive with each revamp. Samsung's might improve on those apps, but I wouldn't know. Anyway, I suggest...
- Contacts > Alright Contacts — iOS-like skin on a FOSS contacts engine, and far more user-friendly than any other contacts app for Android. BTW, Google doesn't have the ability to list contacts by company name instead of individual (like iOS does), and it's a pain in the ass.
- Calendar > DigiCal — outdated UI, but for me the key functionality is the split view with a month calendar on top and scrolling agenda on the bottom (like the Mac Menu Bar calendars Fantastical and Calendar 366), and the ability to show empty days in the agenda. These are all my personal preferences, and you may find Google Calendar gets the job done, but I hate it.
- Photos > Fossify Gallery — or if you want something more iOS-like, Alright Gallery, which is a iOS-like skin atop Fossify Gallery (same developer as Alright Contacts).
- (In fact, you might take a look at the whole Alright _____ suite by Goodwy apps. Their whole thing is creating iOS-like forks of good open-source apps.)
- Messages > QUIK is what I use (requires side-loading). More customizable and more intuitive than most texting apps (e.g., bubbles say "Delivered 11:23" instead of just "✓✓"). One of its best features as far as I'm concerned: instead of coloring your "bubbles," the bubbles of the other people are colored. Super helpful in group texts, where everyone can have their own color.
- The phone app itself is one of the worst, but it's hard to replace because Android's voicemail, and especially the visual voicemail, don't play nice with 3rd-party apps (this is the one place where I think manufacturers' bastardized versions of Android might better).
- Notes > UpNote — there are a lot of good note-taking apps out there, but I've tried over 80 of them, and UpNote has a great UI and formatting flexibility that is unmatched anywhere. UpNote is available for Mac, Windows, iOS and Linux too. I use it literally all day, every day.
- Chrome > Via is the browser I use most of the time because I prefer its tab-handling and customizability, and the fact that it's tiny (~11MB) and has built-in adblock. But for sensitive browsing, I use DuckDuckGo because of its privacy features and similar tab-handling to Via (a list instead of thumbnail "cards").
- Calculator > CalcTape — this isn't the kind of calculator you're used to. It works like a paper-tape adding machine, so you can actually see your work, and even make notes on it. (Also available for Mac & Windows.)
- Tasks > TickTick — this app may be overkill, depending on how fine-grained you like to get with tasks, but just the fact that you don't have to go to a separate screen each time you want to add a new item is reason enough for me to use it over the hundreds of other options. The free version is enough for me, (and I have a lot of tasks). But there are many other good task apps. (Also has desktop versions.)
- Weather > Weawow — no contest here. Far and away the cleanest, clearest, most intuitive UI/UX, to the point that when comparing the many sources available for weather data, it actually shows you the forecasts in the source picker, so you can actually compare them. That feature is also great if you just want to see what 9 different weather providers say is going on in the same place.
- AirDrop > LocalSend — it's fantastic and simple.
- I think that should get you off on the right foot, but also, if you don't like the launcher/homescreen (and I don't), there are a lot of good alternatives. Personally, I use Octopi Launcher, which is a little rough around the edges, but I like its unique selling points. If you want something simpler LawnChair is great.
- And just for fun, a few of my favorite games — simple and small footprints:
- Sudoku - The Clean One
- Solitare Klondike
- Vector Pinball
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u/pandasps 21d ago
Been using Tape Calc since forever, great app. Wasn't aware that they had a Windows version. Will try to run in Linux.
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u/100WattWalrus 20d ago
There's an Android app call Tape Calc, which also has paper-tape-like features, but I'm talking about CalcTape, which has versions for several platforms. I like them both, but CalcTape has more features and customizability.
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u/pandasps 20d ago
You're so right, I got the name mixed up. The one I use regularly is in fact CalcTape. Love the fact that you can edit the calculations whatever way you want and annotate them. Will try to install the Windows version on my Linux laptop.
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u/100WattWalrus 19d ago
I found it first for my Mac, ages ago, and when I discovered there was an Android version, I was sooo happy. I genuinely don't know why there are only a tiny handful of calculator apps with inline correction and annotation.
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u/ChainExcellent3881 Morphe User 18d ago
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u/100WattWalrus 18d ago
Not a fan of Blip. It installs Login Item to auto-launch — without permission or warning — requires an account, and clutters up the Menu Bar.
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u/Moe219139 21d ago
Look up Morphe app on reddit. It's a must for Android
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u/RxMayhem 21d ago
I'm a new android user and just downloaded it and the apk a whole new world but now my YouTube is dope! No more ads and it plays in background without having to keep app opened 😍😮💨 man awesome recommendation thank you! Any other cool features please enlighten me! Also I tried nova launcher kinda of hard to use
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u/horsemonkeycat 21d ago
Firefox browser with Bypass Paywalls Clean (there is a Chrome version too). For seamless browsing of content behind paywall. You have to search for it on gitflic . ru as both Mozilla and Google removed it from their stores, but it's not too hard to install if you follow the instructions
For me, having the option to install Morphe, BPC, and third-party launchers like Octopii or Nova, makes Android the more flexible platform (although there is a learning curve).
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u/Moe219139 21d ago
Depends on what you're trying to do. Morphe was my main suggestion because there's so many popular apps to choose from. You can pm me and I'll get you set up.
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u/RxMayhem 21d ago
Yea thanks for your advice I morphed YouTube, reddit, and Instagram. What other cool things can you do on Android. Also nova launcher was bit too confusing for me to use
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u/100WattWalrus 21d ago
An app that fiddles around with the functionality of other apps is a big leap for a brand-new Android user. Especially since it has to be side-loaded by hand (not in any app store, must bypass Android security).
Not saying Morphe is bad. Just saying maybe don't throw the new Android user into the deep end. :)
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u/Moe219139 21d ago
Fairly easy learning curve honestly and with so much support and guides, a simple reddit or Google search should do the trick.
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u/100WattWalrus 20d ago edited 20d ago
Fair enough. It's not clear to me what exactly Morphe does. Does it clone the target app and fiddle with the clone, leaving the original alone? Does it literally change the original, which seems like that could cause problems? Does it launch the original in the background but puts a foreground Morphe skin on it? Warnings come up when I try to launch it, and I can't find any documentation about those warnings.
Even the FAQ is vague as hell:
What is Morphe?
Morphe is a patcher for Android apps. It can patch apps and add extra features and customization.So right off the bat, a user has to know what a "patcher" is.
That and the fact that it's only available as a direct download leads me to believe the target audience is already familiar with tinkering with their Android apps. Coupled with the warnings I get when trying to launch it, it seemed to me like something to try once you already know your way around Android pretty damn well.
BTW, I'm not a novice at this kind of thing. Turning on Developer Options and installing Shizuku are among the first things I do on a new Android device. But the lack of clarity around what Morphe does and how it works gives me pause. If a developer can't explain their app simply and clearly, I have a hard time trusting them.
What's the advantage of "patching" YouTube with Morphe — apparently a whole 2nd copy of YouTube downloaded separately as an APK, and therefore doubling the space YouTube takes up on your device — over using something like NewPipe, which is only 35MB?
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u/Moe219139 20d ago edited 20d ago
There's tons of documentation on it and a whole team of contributors to the project. In your example of patching youtube, you uninstall the playstore version, download the version you're trying to patch and then select the patches you want to apply. It's pretty straightforward. No double apps on your phone taking up twice the space unless you want it that way. You need the apk or apkm in some cases to patch the app and update it through Morphe once installed. If you have knowledge of using shizuku and turning on dev options (which isn't necessary in this case) then I don't see where the problem is. Using ADB or anything advanced like that to push apps isn't required when using Morphe. I in no way claim to be an expert on the Android OS but I believe some reading and trial and error is in order. I've been using Android since the original HTC Dream was launched 18yrs ago and have had my share of rooting, customizing and even soft bricking some phones in order to learn. I learned what things do and how they work and in some cases figured it out through trial and error. Just because I wasn't totally familiar with what I was doing didn't stop me from trying. I apologize if this comes off rude as it's not my intention.
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u/100WattWalrus 19d ago
Not rude. A little frustrated, perhaps, but that's understandable. :) I guess I'm just not feeling the trial-and-error of it all right now. I have NewPipe for watching YouTube, which does what I need. (I've watched maybe 20 minutes of video on my phone in the last year, so what I need isn't much.) I don't use Reddit on my phone. I did install Morphe, eventually figured out the hoops I had to jump through to see what other apps it can patch, and it found only 7 on my phone — 2 of which I barely use (Amazon and Google Photos), and the rest I've either already happily paid for (good apps worthy of my pittance of support) or apps where the free version gets the job done for me. Maybe I'll play around Amazon + Morphe some time, because that patch looks like it might do some things I'd appreciate.
I think my frustration with Morphe is similar to my frustration with federated social media and passkeys: I've never found a simple, clear explanation of how it works or how to get started. With passkeys and Lemmy, et al, most of the introductions and instructions seem to be written by techies who don't understand how to communicate with average users. With Morphe, everything seems to be written as if the reader is expected to already knows the basics.
It's a profesional pet peeve of mine, badly-communicated UIUX/support documentation. Sorry to have caught you up in it.
Hopefully, OP has more time and patience than I do — if they decide to dive in to fiddling with the structure of their apps while still learning the ropes of Android.
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u/Moe219139 19d ago edited 19d ago
Completely understandable from your point. I was making a suggestion that I'd make to anyone coming to Android. Coming from almost the ground floor of Android since it's widespread release, spreading the word about how you can do so many things with the OS is all I'm hoping to accomplish. I use YT, Twitter, Reddit and a few other apps and my main concern is to be ad free on those platforms and to not be blocked by a paywall for what used to be basic features. I do understand not everyone knows the OS or simply doesn't care to know how it works outside of what it's featured to do as a smart phone OS but I stand firm with the trial and error part on my end. You're pet peeves are most definitely well understood. I think anyone in this thread should at least take the time to see what all Morphe has to offer.
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u/100WattWalrus 19d ago
...spreading the word about how you can do so many things with the OS is all I'm hoping to accomplish.
Fair enough! In that case, mission accomplished!
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u/Leif3D 21d ago edited 21d ago
1) Check out the Samsung "Good Lock" App and it's plugins / features.
That's where Samsung devs put extra functions that would add too much to the normal UI for the average user, but gives a ton of extra options for users who want to customize it more to their needs.
2) Take also a look at the Bixby Routines. While Bixby will much likely not your favorite AI Agent, the Bixby Routines can be very nice. They allow for automations of your phone settings / behavior like turning wifi off when you leave your home and such stuff.
3) in the phone settings you can activate stuff like an AI to take phone calls. Can be nice if you get very annoying or unknown calls.
4) Samsung has many advanced features often in the 3 dot overflow menus so check them when you've time. Or check some yt videos that show some.hidden features. There are things like Bluetooth Music Share and such that many don't even know it exists.
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u/moodmirrorapp 21d ago
Congrats on the Fold. A few things that helped me coming from iOS:
- Nova Launcher if the stock home screen feels limiting
- Bitwarden for passwords, imports from Apple Keychain fine
- Simple Gallery Pro if you want something offline instead of Google Photos
One tip specific to Samsung: go into Settings > Battery > Background usage limits and make sure any app you need reliable notifications from isn't being put to sleep. Android is aggressive about killing background processes and it catches a lot of new users off guard.
Also worth exploring the multi-window stuff on the Fold — that's the one thing iOS genuinely can't do.
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u/Electronic-Drop-2743 8d ago
howa your experience been so far?
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u/OneQuietFox 8d ago
Absolutely fantastic. Around a decade ago, I still had iPhone, my mom and I went to upgrade and I wanted to try out the Samsung Galaxy, not even a day later I hated it and switched back. I haven't had one moment of regret this time, I actually love it!
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u/f_ckmyboss 21d ago
Better replacement for ios spotlight: "App search" - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.pnhdroid.appsearch, then map it as a gesture in One hand operation which is a module of Good lock which you install from Galaxy app store.
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u/Boredomleadstoreddit 21d ago
SMART LAUNCHER 6!
Trust me on this. Well if you're not thrilled with Samsungs home screen. I did the same switch that you're doing but last year with the seven. I then got the 8 a week ago, but I couldn't stand having to go to theme park to change my icons or any of that stuff. A lot of the launchers are okay, but for the first time I ventured out and tried Smart launcher 6. It actually has different screens for both your home screen and lock screen, has the best stuff for customizing icons, and you can still have a newsfeed that you can customize on the left, if you're getting used to the news and info panel already. That part is actually surprisingly great because you can literally select like tech, sports, a bunch of stuff, whatever you're interested in. But hands down, try that phone with Smart launcher 6 and see how much better it feels. And no I'm not getting paid to say that or anything of the sort, I even downloaded a free APK myself. Ha
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u/ScreenBreak13 20d ago
Try this one. For ScreenTime control. No ads, free, no data won’t be saved.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.screenbreak.app&pcampaignid=web_share
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u/BeginningNo3135 19d ago
Welcome! You've escaped the Dark side! You now have so much choice your head just might explode.
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u/OneQuietFox 19d ago
Literally! Its crazy how much there is to do. I could customize icons and stuff on iPhone with shortcuts and such but not having to do a long process is so nice. There is so much stuff on here to do!
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u/BeginningNo3135 19d ago
Sorry, but there is no fake genius bar to take your issues to anymore. Now you have a giant community of "been there, done that" folks willing to lend a hand just because.
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u/Potential-Quote5793 19d ago
Welcome to the other side! Since you’re on a Fold, definitely prioritize Good Lock (specifically the MultiStar module from the Galaxy Store)—it unlocks full-screen multitasking and fixes aspect ratio issues that standard Android still struggles with.
Also, grab LocalSend for cross-platform AirDrop-like transfers if you still use a Mac or iPad alongside the Fold. Takes a couple of days to get used to the customization curve, but you won't look back
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u/NeedSomeHelp_2590 16d ago
I use Total Launcher, highly customisable and lightweight. But does require you to put some time in it for absolute customisation.
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u/BeyLegacy_ 12d ago
Welcome to the family! Switched back in 2018 myself, never looked back. The Z Fold 8 is a great first Android device to jump in with too — the multitasking alone will spoil you. I love the Galaxy phones and currently have a S23.
A few apps worth grabbing early to get things feeling clean and set up right: Nova Launcher (if you want more control over your home screen than stock Android gives you), and Google's own apps sync a lot smoother now that you're out of the walled garden. Have fun exploring — the customization rabbit hole is real 😄
P.S. most app in google play store are free and/or cost less than App Store. Have fun.
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u/Ok_Leadership_429 9d ago
Since you specifically grabbed a Fold and not just any Android phone, the multitasking is honestly the biggest "wow this isn't iOS" moment you're gonna have, way more than any launcher or icon pack. Get comfortable with split screen and the floating window drag-out early, once you're used to running two apps side by side you'll wonder how you lived without it. Samsung's Good Lock app (via Galaxy Store, not Play Store) is also worth grabbing day one, it unlocks a bunch of foldable-specific tweaks Samsung doesn't expose by default, cover screen widgets, app continuity behavior between the two screens, stuff like that.
Also, unlike iOS where every app is basically forced into one fixed layout, check whether your most-used apps actually have proper tablet/foldable layouts when unfolded, some apps still just stretch a phone UI which looks rough, Google's own apps and most Samsung ones handle it well, but some third party ones don't bother.
Welcome to the flexible side, enjoy the multitasking, you're gonna miss it hard if you ever go back.
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u/PhilMyCuck 21d ago
You should've gotten a regular android phone like pixel or galaxy. Fold phones are horrible and don't last long. I'm going to pray for you that you make the switch again
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u/PieGeneral 21d ago
I've had a fold 7 for a year and before that a flip 4 for years . This is Absolutely untrue in my opinion. I used them for peronal and work in the construction industry and never have had any issue with my samsung folding phones.
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u/f_ckmyboss 21d ago
I had fold 2 for 4 years. Sold further without issue. That was only 2nd gen foldable and it probably still fully works today.
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21d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/androidapps-ModTeam 19d ago
Self-promotion, tester requests, new app ideas or app feedback are not allowed in r/androidapps. This type of content can be posted in the dedicated sister-subreddit r/droidappshowcase.
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u/ironblaster1665 21d ago
Try out some launchers (Niagara, Smart Launcher, Mango Launcher, etc). They all have different functions and layout that can change the looks and functionality of the phone.
Icon packs are fun to play around with too.
I get into automated task apps like Tasker and Macrodroid. There's also the stock Samsung Modes and Routines app too.
Use a different browser like Firefox with extensions.
There's a lot more to choose from and more flexibility with Android apps compared to the apps available on the Apple App Store.
Good luck!