5 lesser-known Google apps I always install on my Android phone

Because the proprietor of the Android operating system, it is no shock that Google has revealed many a cellular app onto its Play Retailer platform over time. A lot of Google’s premier providers, together with Gmail, Maps, and Chrome, are pre-installed on nearly all of Android gadgets out of the field, owing to varied Google Play Companies agreements made with its OEM {hardware} companions.

Google can be the writer of plenty of lesser-known apps which can be listed on its Play Retailer web page, however that do not ship on Android by default (even on the corporate’s personal Pixel hardware). A few of these cellular apps are experimental, whereas others are well-refined and of reputable utility. Listed below are 5 first-party Android apps from Google that I personally at all times set up when establishing a brand new Android telephone or pill.

1

Gallery

A light-weight Google Pictures different

Most Android customers are conversant in Google Photos, which is the corporate’s flagship picture gallery suite that gives cloud storage, AI-powered photograph group, and cross-device synchronization. Lesser identified is Gallery, which is a light-weight Google-built different for quick and handy offline photograph administration.

Gallery solely takes up about 15MB of storage, and it really works completely with out an web connection or any cloud-based subscription heckling. All of the necessities are current and accounted for, together with SD card assist, computerized folder sorting, an auto-enhance picture possibility, and a full darkish mode.

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2

Google Authenticator

A straightforward option to streamline your two-factor authentication efforts

Pocket-lint / Google

There are a number of excellent two-factor authentication (2FA) purposes obtainable to select from on Android, and Google’s personal Authenticator app is a very nice start line for these new to multifactor safety. Other than robotically syncing together with your Google Account, the app is easy and light-weight, with out requiring a subscription payment or being tied with every other paid service.

As with different 2FA apps, Google Authenticator helps you to scan a QR code to robotically enroll your accounts, after which a string of six digits will seem and refresh each few seconds. This added layer of safety makes it so that you’re much less prone to be hacked, even when your password is on the weaker side.

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3

Google Opinion Rewards

Reply fast surveys and obtain free Play Retailer credit score

Google Opinion Rewards is a free Android software from Google that works by surfacing quick surveys regularly. Every time you full a survey, you are rewarded with a small sum of Google Play Store credit score, which could be redeemed on apps, video games, films, TV reveals, books, and different digital items.

Survey questions are usually easy to reply with out having to place a lot thought into them, and you may have your telephone notify you as quickly as a brand new survey is out there to finish. After all, with Opinion Rewards, you are successfully exchanging privateness for Play Retailer credit, although Google does say that solutions are aggregated and shared with market researchers in an nameless vogue.

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4

Snapseed

A surprisingly feature-rich photograph enhancing software

Snapseed is a Google-owned photo-editing application for Android, and it is at all times been one in every of my private favorites. The app is clear and easy from a person interface perspective, however seems to be could be deceiving: there is a dizzying variety of enhancing choices obtainable to select from, starting from filters, to frames, to perspective changes, and all the things in between.

I’ve lengthy relied on Snapseed for fast picture touch-ups, and my fingers are crossed that Google will give the app a Material 3 Expressive visual overhaul within the close to future. Because it at the moment stands, the design is fundamental, nevertheless it will get the job achieved with none frivolous AI gimmicks, adverts, or nagging about paid subscriptions.

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5

Motion Blocks

Leverage Google’s AI prowess by constructing out one-tap shortcuts

One of many extra fascinating Google-published apps obtainable on the Play Retailer is named Motion Blocks. Powered by the Google Assistant, this app basically lets you take widespread AI assistant capabilities and rework them into actionable buttons with the backing of a graphical person interface (GUI). Motion Blocks works considerably equally to shortcut apps like Apple Shortcuts and Tasker, nevertheless it provides an easier interface that focuses on extending accessibility to these with age-related circumstances, cognitive variations, and those that merely wrestle with (or cannot be bothered with) expertise.

You may set Motion Blocks as much as carry out duties like ‘ship a message,’ ‘make a name,’ or ‘play music,’ and it may also be configured to learn phrases out loud on the contact of a button, corresponding to ‘good day, my identify is’ and ‘please assist me with.’ In each occasion, the appliance works like a appeal. The house display screen widgets are all well-designed, they usually slot in effectively with the Android design language as an entire. Curiously, there is no point out of Gemini AI assist with this app — I think about Google will transition the app over to its newer AI service as soon as the older Assistant is totally phased out sooner or later.

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