7 pre-installed apps are missing on Android

Key data for the van

• Android needs more native apps to improve the user experience.
• Here are seven apps that iPhone users have that Google should seriously consider.
• Time, compass and measure are just a few examples.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about booting up a great new Android phone for the first time and being greeted with a clean, bloat-free experience. I have long been critical of OEMs and mobile operators who confuse brand new devices with pre-installed apps and services that the user never asked for.

That said, I also believe that a solid suite of inbox apps is essential to round out the platform’s usefulness. While some will argue that the calculator, note taking, and voice memo apps are nothing more than unnecessary bloat, I see them as a sign of operating system maturity. The iPhone, for all its flaws, has a rich set of apps that cover most of the bases. Android phones are more hit or miss, as different manufacturers like Samsung work on their own utilities.

While some will argue that the calculator, note taking, and voice memo apps are nothing more than unnecessary bloat, I see them as a sign of operating system maturity.

I’ve compiled a list of some apps that I’d like to see Google themselves take over and make available throughout the Android ecosystem.

1 Google’s version of Apple’s shortcuts

No, Tasker is not the answer

Apple’s Shortcuts application is quite powerful, so much so that it has been brought to the Mac as well. It allows automation of certain tasks and makes it quite simple. You can use it for everything from combining images or creating animated GIFs to automatically sending messages at a specific location or connecting with third-party apps to further automate tasks on your phone.

A popular solution that already exists in the Android world is the Tasker app. While it’s undoubtedly powerful and flexible, it’s paid software and has an easy-to-service interface, but it’s far from the friendliest.

Some Android OEMs, like Samsung, have built their own solutions, but I’d like to see Google try the feature. If anyone can take an even remotely complex idea and simplify it into an easy-to-use package for the masses, it’s Google.

2 A compass that will keep you grounded

Wait, this one isn’t already available?

Here’s a simple one. Most Android phones have a magnetometer built into them, yet a few OEMs have taken the liberty of building a compass app to take advantage of the sensor. An interface that gives you a sense of true north and your current elevation is something you don’t expect to need until you actually need it.

There are tons of third-party compass apps in the Play Store, but I’m sure Google could make a visually appealing native app that would meet most people’s needs.

3 App for measuring things

It will come in handy sooner or later

There are plenty of situations where access to a leveling tool or measuring tape could come in handy, from mounting a photo to making a piece of furniture. And as it turns out, you probably actually carry it in your pocket all day.

A simple built-in version with the Material You theme is something I know I’d appreciate, and I bet others would too.

As with compass apps, there are plenty of third-party options you can find in the Google Play Store. A simple built-in version with the Material You theme is something I know I’d appreciate, and I bet others would too.

4 Rain? Snow? We need a weather app

The link to the Google app doesn’t help

Amazingly, the out-of-the-box weather experience on Android isn’t standalone — it’s a shortcut to a section within the Google app. The interface and information provided is great, but it really should be an app that can be launched directly from the app drawer. As it stands, you can manually create a shortcut on the home screen to view the weather, which seems disjointed at best.

The same can be said for financial updates and sports results. They are simply components of the broader Google app and would benefit from expanding into their own standalone experiences. Ideally, I’d like to see dedicated apps for finance and sports developed by Google, but I think weather is the service that users will benefit most from a simplified approach.

Most Android phone manufacturers have already built their own weather app at this point, so Google is definitely playing catch-up here.

5 Google Password Manager — passwords are a hassle

Where is it even located?

Much like Google’s weather interface, the search giant has made its password manager unnecessarily complicated to interact with. You’ll need to dig deep into your phone’s settings and create a shortcut on your home screen to launch the interface.

Why not make the feature available as a standalone app? This would increase visibility and be easy for users. I’m often surprised how few people even know this feature exists on their phone. Easier access to your saved passwords doesn’t have to be a security issue either. Simply lock the app behind biometric authentication or a PIN code to protect your sensitive data from others.

To be fair, the iPhone’s own password manager suffers from the same problem. However, you can create an app icon through the Shortcuts app that will take you directly to your passwords — just like you would if it were a native app.

6 Music player for when you don’t have reception

YouTube Music is not the right home for local music playback

The Android platform actually has its own audio player – YouTube Music. The problem is that this app is completely bad for playing local sound files. I get it, most of us stream our songs these days, and YouTube Music is a viable competitor to Apple Music and Spotify. But none of that should come at the expense of something as basic as playing a local file.

None of this should come at the expense of something as basic as local file playback.

The functionality is there, but it’s very obviously pushed to the side and treated as a second-class citizen from a UI perspective. It’s also confusing for users – who in their right mind is going to launch an app with ‘YouTube’ in the name to play .mp3 files they’ve stored locally on their phone?

Unfortunately, Google is on a consolidation path, rolling out more features to the YouTube Music app. In addition to being the current home for local music playback, podcasts will also live here in the future. The company stands by its dedicated app, which was a simple, lightweight and functional portal into the world of podcasts.

7 A video editor that even mom can use

Android deserves its Windows Movie Maker moment

Android devices are increasingly being used as productivity machines rather than just content consumption devices. Google Workspace provides users with basic tools for word processing, creating slides and spreadsheets, and more. Google Photos has a reasonable set of image editing tools available. What’s missing from this list is a basic video editing app. Apple has iMovie, Microsoft has ClipChamp, and it’s about time Google made an equivalent.

I would expect a solution built by Google to be quite simple and easy to use, not to step on the toes of third party offerings. Apps like the popular Luma Fusion offer a robust toolkit that video editors need for more professional purposes. Google could effectively fill a niche with a light and simple package for ordinary users.