So I switched to Android...hell froze over

[Neorion]

So I have been an iPhone user ever since the 2G, I didnt get a 3GS but did have the 3G and beyond up until the 5.
I have become bored with the lack of real innovation and the locked down baby OS. I dreaded moving away from Apple as I had invested money in the apps but found more and more I was just using the core features or leveraging Google Chrome.

I was in the phone shop with the wife the other day and she was oogling a HTC one and decided to get one, I though feck it and picked up a Note 3 and once I got over the size I have to say I am in love with it.

The customisation options are fantastic, the built in IR blaster, expandable storage and the S pen is unreal. My wife loves the One even though I told her a new one is incoming. The screen on that phone is incredible to look at.

SO

What are the must have apps for Android now I have more options vs Apple's app store?

I had a droid tablet 2 years ago (HTC) and hated it. Now I would be very hard pressed to ever switch back and that's after 4 days with this handset.
Android really has come a long way since I used it last. I know Samsung has put Touchwiz everywhere but I think its slick.

I did buy Nova prime to customise the dock and get rid of S voice in favor of Google search which pisses all over Siri.
____________________
VFR FI 2000- Shiney Red Thing
"some things man was never meant to know, for everything else there's Google"

[Pigeon]

The good thing with Android is the choice....the bad thing with Android is the choice. Can take ages to find apps you really get on with. So I've tended to stick with stuff for a couple of years now, so probably better stuff has come out.

Pictures - QuickPic
Twitter - Plume
Weather - UKWeather (the satellite scroll forward is useful for dodging bands of rain when on bike).
GPS - CoPilot (fantastic and frustrating)

EDIT: A mate switched from Android to IP5, he seemed happy to begin with but then found the limitations around the system maddening. iTunes apparently is a ballache, simple things like switching on/off WiFi appeared to involve some sort of sacrificial offering.

Enjoy!

[t121anf]

Best apps are the ones you need not the ones some random tells you to install.

[Neorion]

[UrbanRacer]

Pretty much all of the apps that Google have (Google's own apps) on the Play store are a must have.

[shereen]

Advanced task killer for battery life and Spotify free for streaming tunes.
____________________
"The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had"

[ScaredyCat]

K9-Mail with APG (install APG first if you're going to sign email)
Tasker
Dropbox
SMS Backup and Restore
Plume
Screebl lite
Quick Office
VNC Viewer
Air Droid
____________________
Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

[johnnyarctic]

i have a nexus 7 tablet and use:

apex launcher
falcon pro for twitter
chrome browser
gmail
winamp
vlc
mininamlistic text for customising
swiftkey keyboard
reddit
____________________
Current Ride: VFR750

[slowlydoesit]

[CaNsA]

Get your google play music thingy sorted.

[noobRider]

2x Battery
Backup Your Mobile
DropSync
ES File Explorer
Kingsoft Office
QuickPic
Reddit News
____________________
Licence: Nov 2012, Bikes: Suzuki GN125, Moto Guzzi Strada 750, Triumph Sprint ST 955i x 2
AnPhonEh: I need plans, I need contingency plans also, I need back up contingency plans

[Tarmacsurfer]

Task killers do sweet fa, in fact they can be a downright nuisance. Google music is well worth the subscription. Quickpic is a huge step up on the stock gallery. Other than that, just explore - what suits me probably won't suit you.

Oh aye, welcome to the darkside
____________________
I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Tarmacsurfer]

Task killers do sweet fa, in fact they can be a downright nuisance. Google music is well worth the subscription. Quickpic is a huge step up on the stock gallery. Other than that, just explore - what suits me probably won't suit you.

Oh aye, welcome to the darkside
____________________
I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[sabian92]

Cyanogenmod. Wipes all the shite from the phone that the manufacturer puts on there and leaves you with a basic Android OS. No Google apps, even although you can flash them too.

I've got the S4 Mini and it's the best thing I ever did with mine - far better battery life, looks far nicer and has no lag at all.

Downside is it's a bit of a fuckabout if you aren't really sure how to do it but it's worth doing.

Oh, and it voids your warranty.

[Ben90]

Google goggles is good for being a tourist, checking prices/reviews of products with the barcode, cheating at picture rounds in pub quizzes, translating another written language and so on.

Another useful app that hasn't been mentioned is an unwanted call blocker app - I use CallFilter. Filled with all sorts of options to block unwanted calls/texts from coming in, including withheld ones. You can block any number passively by adding it to the list with a handy 'add last incoming number' button. Something not available on Apple.
____________________
Yamaha FZ6 S2

[thepuma]

Yep...people only buy iPhones cos they 'think' they are the best phones as Apple has tried to brainwash people that way. Im afraid in the last 2 or 3 years Android phones have not only caught up but are now streaks ahead of iphones.
____________________
YBR125 (SOLD) - CBR250R(SOLD) - CBR650F(SOLD) Current - Street Triple
765 RS

[CaNsA]

[Shinigami]

Chelpus cracked marketplace installer
____________________
Current: Honda City Fly CLR125 2003 Honda CB600F Hornet 2008 Yamaha FZ6 S2 + 1991 Kawasaki GPZ500
"Once you realize what a joke everything is, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense.

[shereen]

[mikesaa309]

Apple app store has slightly more higher quality apps. Take garageband for example, obviously only needed if you are a musician but a music creation app that good is not yet available on android. There are music creation apps just not as good as garage band IMO.

I too have been an Iphone user but only up to the 4S. I had an android tablet Chinese crap thing and since then have had a negative view on android. But I decided to see how good android phones are now and went for the Galaxy S4 and can't fault it other than the occasional crashes etc.

Most Iphone apps can be found on Android too and work and look just as great. If I had to recommend one app though then it would be tasker.

Tasker is a automation app but does cost however it's worth every penny. Imagine being able to have your lockscreen password off when you're at home but when you're out and about you need to enter the password to unlock your phone. Imagine being able to automatically send a text to your other half when you're home from work automatically but knows the days you're not at work so doesn't send the text. Tasker is able to do that a much, much more and if you have the hardware you can make it so your house lights turn on automatically as you walk through the door or even use your voice to turn on lights or computer etc.

[mikesaa309]

also go launcher is a good home launcher but there are others like Nova, aviate, my home and a lot more.

[Stowelly]

[Tarmacsurfer]

[Neorion]

Thanks guys a nice little plethora of apps to look through there.

We did sign up for the Google music service and my wife is very happy it syncs all her iTunes purchases to the cloud (paired with DRM free iTunes match).

I do need a good task killer that gives me more overview of whats running and something that allows me to control when apps connect to the network on their own. I dont seem to be able to figure out how I revoke certain privileges to apps.

For example, I needed a torch app, nearly every one wants to have the right to access my network WTF?

Is there a tool that will show me which app keeps engaging my phones "Prevention Information"

The message reads
"An application has been forced to stop for an unauthorized attempt to access system in your device. It may be safe to delete an application obtained from an unauthorized route, check now?"

I open the apps but don't see anything obvious?

I am also looking for a way to integrate skydrive into the OS like Google drive as I have 30GB of free Skydrive storage.

Cheers for the info!
____________________
VFR FI 2000- Shiney Red Thing
"some things man was never meant to know, for everything else there's Google"

[Tarmacsurfer]

As yet Android doesn't support a granular permissions system out of the box, it's more a case of finding an "honest" app in the play store.

There are workarounds of course, but it involves a bit of effort on your part. Look into rooting and installing the "xposed" framework if you are a bit tech savvy.

My main point as to task killers is that can royally screw the pooch when it comes to the way 4.1.+ handles multitasking. The primary cause of battery drain is what's called a wakelock, the Facebook app is a good example of this - it has a tendency to keep the system out of deep sleep and hoover all available battery power.
____________________
I'm immortal. Well, so far.