Millions of us have Android phones. They’re durable, highly customizable, and you can take care of simple fixes (like replacing the battery) on your own. While Apple’s technique is to lock everything in and make all their accessories proprietary, Android has gone the opposite direction: Giving people scores of options.
This versatility is particularly evident when you have the right app — and that’s where we come in. Whether you need to start designing a flyer on your phone, want to plan an event, or are just wondering “is that plant is poisonous?” here are the ten best new apps that came to Android this month.
The Must-Download: Adobe Spark Post — Free
Kicking off this month, we have what might be the single most useful graphic design app for rookies on the planet. Spark Post, which is still in beta, is designed by Adobe to automate and simplify basic graphic design tasks, like designing flyers and posters for your yard sale, and also handles fun stuff like Instagram collages and inspirational quotes.
If you’re ready to learn a bit about graphic design, this is an incredibly useful tool to have handy.
PlantSnap — Ad-Supported With In-App Purchases
Ever come across a plant and realize you have no idea what it is? PlantSnap lets you take a photo and find out, using artificial intelligence and a huge database of plant photos. Granted, this is an overly specific AI for most of us, but the outdoorsier of us, and anybody who isn’t sure how to avoid posion oak, will find it handy.
Scheduled — Ad-Supported, In-App Purchases
We all forget to text. It just happens. Fortunately, Scheduled can take care of the texting for us. Whether you want to ensure you always send out a birthday message or need to remember a morning check-in with somebody at work, Scheduled lets you send messages across a huge number of services. It’s a narrowly focused tool, but if you need it, you really need it.
Neverthink — Free
300 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every minute. Filtering it to just the good stuff is nearly impossible. Fortunately, Neverthink is designed to do precisely that. Curated by people, the app’s playlists are seemingly endless runs of YouTube videos based around every conceivable theme — from serious documentaries to cat videos.
If you just want to zone out, especially if you stream video from your phone to your TV, this might be the perfect app.
Opera Touch, Free
Most web browsers are not really designed for how we use our phones, namely, one-handed. Opera Touch is, though, and it’s a surprisingly engaging experience. If you’re browsing on your commute (not while driving, please) or need a hand free for a coffee, it’ll quickly become indispensable.
Hobi — In-App Purchases
Peak TV is approaching 500 scripted shows, and that makes keeping track of what’s coming, what’s going, and what you’re in the middle of harder and harder. Fortunately, Hobi is there to serve as a sort of TV tracking buddy, letting you find shows, mark off what episodes you’ve watched, and make a list of shows to catch later. It’d be nice if it interacted more with your other apps, but TV junkies will find a lot to love.
Huntr — Free
Huntr bills itself as the “job search browser,” and it might be one of the more impressive job search apps out there. The interface is easy to use, and it’s designed to put everything from interviews to getting your paperwork in, in one place. It even lets you put jobs on a map, so you can figure out whether you can get there before you apply, making the search substantially easier.
IRL, Free
Designed to be a relaxed way to hang out with friends and to set up events, IRL is mostly appealing for its laid-back tone and style. You suggest an idea, a few friends sign on, you work out the details in the app’s chat, and then make it happen. If you’re sick of Facebook events, or just don’t particularly trust the company, this is a useful replacement.
Just don’t use the “nominate” feature yet, which asks you to “nominate” friends for what they’re good at: It means they get an unsolicited text message, something the app needs to fix.
Siempo — Free with In-App Purchases
We deserve more control over our phones than we usually get. That’s where Siempo, currently in beta, comes in. It’s designed to generally create a more chill atmosphere when it comes to our phones, but it also has useful features like batching notifications so they only arrive at a set time. It also strips out the icons on your phone in favor of simple, clear ones.
Google Podcasts — Free
We’ve already reviewed this in-depth, and while it has its flaws, if you need a backup app, or you want to use Google Assistant to carry over your podcast listening to a set of devices, this is a “must have” for podcast fans.