7 Android Apps That Will Boost Your Efficiency | Computer World

A mobile phone is essentially your personal assistant, and like any assistant, it needs the right set of tools to do its job effectively.

Good news? If you’re a smart Android smartphone owner, there’s no shortage of efficiency options.not sure other Android gives you the opportunity to customize and control the core user interface for the mobile platform. your need and how you I like to get things done. And while his more advanced UI tweak tools tend to target power users, you don’t have to be a card-toting geek to take advantage of what they offer.

Please pay attention. Discover 7 advanced apps that can enhance your favorite tech helpers and unlock their full productivity potential.

All apps listed here are subject to sensible and responsible privacy policies provided by their developers. They do not require permission beyond what is appropriate for their purposes, nor do they engage in frowned upon data practices.

1. Niagara Launcher

One of the most powerful advantages of Android’s efficiency is the flexibility you get in configuring your phone’s home screen.Plain and simple, you are not offal Use a static grid of bland icons for every app you can think of.

Instead, you’ll find: custom android launcher It fits your style and is optimized for the way you work.

and an app called niagara launcher A perfect example of the power you have.

Niagara Launcher is distinctly different from your standard smartphone home screen setup. Rather than a jumble of icons and widgets, Niagara recommends cutting the clutter and actually creating a small list of his one of the most frequently accessed apps. Everything else is tucked away inside an alphabetically scrolling menu, out of a hair’s breadth yet easily accessible when you need it by swiping your finger up or down on either side of the screen.

Basics aside, Niagara has some very thoughtful features for ergonomic efficiency. The main app icon can be configured to include on-demand, interactive access to relevant notifications, shortcuts and even widgets, all accessible with a horizontal swipe. When it comes to widgets, you can now also: stack many Android widgets Quickly see important information at a glance within the upper screen area of ​​the launcher.

JR Rafael/IDG

Niagara Launcher is free with optional lifetime upgrades for $10 per year or $30 for continued access to more advanced options.

2. Easy withdrawal

No matter what launcher you are using, easy drawer You will be able to find and open apps on your smartphone as quickly as possible.

How Easy Drawer works is simple. Place the widget on your home screen and a special keyboard will remain visible for instant interaction. When you want to open an app that’s not in front of you, just tap the first letter of the app within that keyboard. Easy Drawer instantly displays a list of all apps that start with that letter. No searching or scrolling required.

You can also set frequently used apps as favorites so they are readily available at the top of the Easy Drawer interface. You can also access your favorites anytime by tapping the special heart icon inside the Easy Drawer keyboard. You can also view the list of recently used apps by tapping the clock icon in the same area.

JR Raphael/IDG

This is where it gets particularly interesting. Easy Drawer not only acts as a launch board for your apps, it can speed up how you find and contact your contacts. By activating the appropriate option within the app’s settings, the keyboard will text your contacts at lightning speed and display them above the normal app results. And with a single tap on a contact, you can initiate a call or text message depending on your preferred options.

Easy Drawer is free, but you can optionally upgrade to the premium version for $2 for additional customization options.

3. Pixel search

Why quit apps? Inject a little delicious efficiency into your phone whole Search settings using a smart and cheeky app called pixel search.

Don’t let the name fool you. The app is modeled after (and built on) Google’s powerful universal search system that powers his Pixel products. Any Android Devices — It doesn’t matter who made them. It also brings a significant upgrade for both Pixel owners and those using his non-Google Android gadgets.

In short, Pixel Search offers a smarter, faster, more efficient way to find virtually anything on your Android device.One-tap widgets and shortcuts to search for specific functions as well as apps internal Things you can’t do with the standard Pixel search system, like composing a new email or creating a new document.

Similarly, Pixel Search can retrieve contacts, conversations, files or folders from local storage. And besides searching the web itself, you can search within the app for specific information (places in Google Maps, videos on YouTube, items in the Play Store, etc.) all from the same place. It can be done with a single streamlined query.

JR Rafael/IDG

Pixel Search is completely free to use for now, but it looks like it may eventually support some sort of in-app upgrade.

4. Edge Gesture

android more and more Gesture-centric operating system — But you don’t have to limit yourself to the gestures Google offers to operate your smartphone.

No matter what device you’re using or what Android version While running, you can create your own custom Android gestures for particularly efficient navigation using a great app called . edge gesture.

Edge Gestures allow you to create up to three gesture-enabled hot zones on your screen (along the left, right, and bottom of the display). So, for example, you can set your app to return to the home screen by long-pressing anywhere in the upper left corner of the screen, and to open the Android overview area whenever you swipe up on that area. Swiping right acts as the system’s “back” key.

You can create similar actions to adjust screen brightness, open notifications or quick settings panels, or toggle split-screen mode on Android. You can also enable a “pie control” option that adds a small translucent button to the activated hot zone. Press and hold this button to reveal your favorite shortcuts in a pie-shaped semicircle, and swipe to any of them for easy on-demand access to those apps from anywhere.

JR Rafael/IDG

All of this makes for a more natural and ergonomic mobile phone usage experience, especially on devices with large screens. Reaching areas at the top or bottom of the display usually requires a fair amount of finger movement.

Edge gestures cost $1.50. And if you really want to get the most out of everything it has to offer, consider: Next Lay the apps in this collection aside.

5. Popup Widget 3

Add more pop to your custom gestures popup widget 3 — A thoughtfully crafted app that works in tandem with Edge Gestures and invokes amazing Android unique features.

Created by the same developer as Edge Gestures, Popup Widget 3 lets you always have your regular Android widgets within reach, no matter what you’re doing on your device. Simply connect the widget to an action (such as swiping right from the edge gesture hot zone) and whenever you perform that action the widget will appear as a floating box on top of anything else on the screen.

This means you can view and scroll through your inbox, recent text messages, personal notes, and more by simply swiping your finger across the screen without switching apps or interrupting your workflow. .

JR Rafael/IDG

Popup Widget 3 is priced at $1.50.

6. Panel

Want a more versatile format for on-demand access to anything, anytime? panel is just the tool for you.

Panels, as the name suggests, allow you to create custom panels. panel It pops up when you perform certain gestures along the edge of your phone’s display. Similar to the combination of Edge Gestures and Popup Widget 3, swiping the screen in a certain way can reveal a floating window with widgets, but beyond that, you can use your own panels to create complex It can also be used to create panels.Custom mix of widgets, apps and shortcuts internal Speeds up access to apps and contacts.

The panel will also display a full app drawer, allowing you to scroll through it. all You can open installed apps from anywhere on your phone without returning to the home screen first. You can do the same with your contacts. The possibilities are virtually endless.

JR Rafael/IDG

The panel is free, but an optional $2 upgrade lifts some restrictions, unlocks additional options, and removes ads within the configuration interface.

7. Typing Hero

Last but not least, this is one of the most promising Android efficiency tools. This is a powerful secret weapon that can save you a lot of time and turn you into a text-summoning smartphone magician.

the name of the app is typing hero. You can save any number of pre-written phrases, from words and sentences to entire paragraphs of text, and recall them anytime, anywhere to instantly insert them into your writing.

Typing Hero works via macros. These are special keywords set by the user that translate into saved phrases. For example, you can do:

• Please allow me to enter *a The full company email address will appear in the text field you are typing.
• setting *d To show directions to hard-to-navigate locations that you always share with your customers
• Or create a keyword like #thank you Insert a generic thank you message to send on a daily basis

Typing Hero can do some pretty wild things besides basic text replacement, including variables and actions on your phone. For example, you might have a stock email reply with a blank space where you can write the names of specific recipients, and a space where you can write the date and time of the meeting. Enter a command to call that snippet and Typing Hero will pop up a form asking you to fill in the blanks. After entering the information, the app completes sending the message in one fell swoop.

JR Rafael/IDG

Let me tell you, this is a very powerful app. And it guarantees pro-level desktop-like productivity. won’t You can also search on other mobile platforms.

Typing Hero is free, with a $20 yearly or $60 lifetime subscription, you get access to all of the most advanced options. If it saves all your time, it might be a good use of your money.

This article was originally published in July 2017 and was recently updated in June 2023.