10 Essential Apps for New Smartphones

If you’re anything like me, the first thing I do when I get a new smartphone is customize it to make it my own. The most obvious ways are to change the actual settings of the phone (like the ringtone and wallpaper) and, of course, downloading apps. The Google Play store has literally hundreds of thousands of apps though–where do you start? Well, I’ve listed out my top 10 essential apps that you can find on pretty much any phone. Most of these are available for both Android and iPhone. Check it out:

1. Antivirus – I simply can’t say it enough: get an antivirus for your smartphone! There are tons of malicious apps that can mine for information, slow down your phone or even brick it. There are  ton of different antiviruses available for phones that will scan apps for malicious content and help keep you safe. Check out this list of our staff picks for best security apps.

2. Amazon Appstore – Most phones don’t come with the Amazon App store pre-installed, but downloading it will add a ton of apps that you couldn’t get anywhere else. And, to make things even better, they offer a free app every day. You can get some pretty cool games and apps that way! Keep in mind, you’ll have to tell your phone that it can download from third-party apps in order to install any apps from here.

3. Chrome Browser – Some phones might come with this pre-installed, but if you have an Android device and it doesn’t have Chrome, then you definitely need it. Not only is is much easier to use than the stock browser, but it will sync with the Chrome on your computer so you don’t have to email yourself links or try and retype it in on your laptop.

4. Facebook/Twitter/Social media – This is kind of a duh, but download the apps for whatever social media you use the most.

5. Google Maps/Waze – Most phones have GPS on them, so to take advantage of this, you’ll want to download Google Maps (if it isn’t already installed) or Waze. Google Maps has better mapping, but Waze has a more social spin and pretty good routing–it’s all personal preference. Maps.Me is also a great choice for a mapping program!

6. Spotify/Pandora/Shazam – If you’re like me, you’ve gotta have some tunes on your new phone! Spotify allows you to build your own playlists, while Pandora will just select random songs for you based on your tastes. Both require data. Shazam, on the other hand, will help you identify that cool song playing on the radio in your friend’s car so you can download it later. I highly recommend all three!

7. Flashlight – I probably use my flashlight app more than just about anything else, but a lot of flashlight apps are thinly-veiled data mining apps, full of malware. The one I have linked is probably the best on Google Play and doesn’t require any weird permissions like GPS location, contacts or anything; just your camera so it can access the flash.

8. IMDB App – IMDB is one of the best sites on the internet for movie-lovers, and I’m continually surprised by how many people are unaware that there is an app for the site! If you like movies at all, this can be a ton of fun and help identify that familiar face on the screen.

9. Instagram/Snapchat – These probably would fall under social media, the more I think on it, but since both are picture-based, I’m including them separate. If you like taking photos, these apps are definitely essential.

10.  Banking App – Most banks have an app to help you track your finances and deposit checks. Not everyone is comfortable with mobile banking, but if you are this app will be a lifesaver!

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