Smartphone: these applications should not be missing in any mobile phone

A new smartphone makes a nice Christmas present. Unfortunately, it is usually very expensive. After all: apart from the mobile phone contract, there are no running costs and the manufacturers supply the most important applications at the same time.

But only the most important. The special thing about a smartphone is that it is actually a handheld. And as such, the software can do much more than just a cell phone with an Internet connection.

With the right apps, it becomes a kind of digital Swiss Army knife that can do just about anything. You just have to find the right app for what you want to do with it.

Below I have collected ten applications that, in my opinion, should not be missing from any smartphone. The selection is of course incomplete and subjective, but without these ten programs my phone would only be half as good.

1 password

You must be careful with passwords and not make it easy for yourself. Because if a password is so long and complicated that you can’t remember it, even hackers have a hard time with it. We have explained here what makes a good password and how it can be built.

The question remains, how are those passwords kept safe? After all, you should only use each one for one service or one application, something quickly comes together. One option would be pen and paper, but it’s time consuming and tedious and not really a viable option on the go. Offers from Apple and Google to simply save passwords in the browser are more convenient. On the one hand, this requires a high level of trust in the respective provider, but on the other hand, it is determined by that particular provider.

Password managers avoid these obstacles. They store passwords in an encrypted database, generate long and complex passwords on demand, and are ideally available for different platforms. Personally, I have been using 1Password for years because it is available for iOS and Android, but also for my Mac and Windows laptop. Even Stiftung Warentest thinks this app is “good”, although 1Password, unlike some competitors, is not free.

Here we describe how to set up a password manager.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Microsoft Authenticator

A good password in combination with what is known as two-factor authentication is even more secure than a good password. To increase security, a second security feature is requested in addition to the password. This is often a six-digit numeric code. The additional code is used to uniquely identify a user, as depending on the system, the code is sent by SMS, as a push message on the mobile phone or must be read from an authentication application. We have written everything you need to know about it here.

Whether you prefer the Authenticator from Google or the Authenticator from Microsoft, it is to some extent a matter of taste. However, it is clear that this is basically additional protection: with a service protected by a second factor, even a stolen password is of little use. Additionally, criminals would have to obtain their victim’s cell phone, decrypt it, and then get the authentication app, possibly sealed with a biometric fuse, to work. Hard.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Google Podcasts

Podcasts are back in fashion. And let’s be honest: you are fun too. By the way, you can get information, education and entertainment with this audio format, for example while cooking or ironing, jogging or at the gym, on the subway or in the car. Podcasts are especially suitable for short trips because they usually last 15, 20 or 30 minutes. Audiobooks take longer. SPIEGEL also offers a host of very different podcasts.

IPhone users have it easy, a podcast app is on their cell phones when they come from the factory. Android users, on the other hand, need to get said app first. I like to use the Google variant on Android smartphones because it is simple and clear. If you want, you can also use Google Podcasts on iPhones.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Here we go

Sure, Apple and Google provide a mapping app themselves, and Google Maps is really good. But sometimes there are things that other map apps can do better. That is why I always install the Here application on my mobile phones.

On the one hand, because Here is based on its own cartographic material, which sometimes – not always – offers more or different details than the competition. In Hamburg, for example, you can see the routes of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains. In any case, local public transport is one of the specialties of this application. But it also helps me to order a taxi and calculates in advance what the trip will cost. It also allows me to download maps so that I can navigate offline, worldwide and for free.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Komoot

Komoot is also a map app, but for hikers and cyclists. Consequently, Komoot cards contain different information than most of the competition’s cards. Among other things, road and track material is stored. For example, on bike tours you can see how long you will be on asphalt, gravel roads, and forest trails.

Basically, Komoot has two different areas. On the one hand, there are the prepared routes, mostly suggestions of routes on foot or by bicycle that come from other users. This way, no matter where you are, you can choose hiking trails lasting two to four hours. On the other hand, you can also plan your own routes and, for example, as a cyclist, specify what type of bicycle you travel with. After all, mountain bikers like different slopes than racing bikers.

If you want to cover really long distances, it is worth taking a premium subscription, then it can automatically divide the route into manageable daily stages, including sightseeing and accommodation suggestions. Otherwise, Komoot is free.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Parceltrack

In the year of the Crown, parcel services groan under an avalanche of shipments, especially at Christmas. Delays can hardly be avoided. For someone like me, it is excruciating not knowing where the package I have sent is and when the package I am waiting for will finally arrive.

Now of course you could use the parcel services apps, but that would be very confusing, because sometimes something comes via UPS, sometimes with Fedex, sometimes via DHL, DPD, Hermes or GLS. I would have to keep an eye on some apps.

Parceltracker facilitates this control madness for me by simply eating pretty much every tracking number I throw at its feet. Only if Amazon ships something with its own delivery service, it doesn’t work. No problem, I’ll just order elsewhere.

Either way, Parceltrack offers a good overview of where the packages are and what arrives when, and in principle even for free. However, if you use the app as often as I do, you should reserve the premium version. It costs 3.49 euros one-time and comes with some useful extras.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Shazam

You may already know Shazam, but I’ll explain the basics again: Shazam is an app that can recognize songs just by letting you listen for a few seconds. The principle is not new, but it is still fascinating. So fascinating that Apple took over Shazam a few years ago.

So you could just ask Siri on the iPhone, for example, “Hey Siri, what’s the name of this song?” In practice, however, it is generally faster to simply launch the Shazam app and press its big button. The result is almost always correct.

A subtle difference between the iOS and Android version: on iPhones only Apple Music is offered to listen to and iTunes to buy the identified songs. This is also the standard selection on Android phones, but you can also select Spotify and YouTube Music.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Snapseed

I haven’t used any other Android app as regularly as Snapseed in so long. The app was originally developed in 2011 by Nik Software and its German founder Nils Kokemohr for the iPad and iPhone. After Google took over the company at the end of 2012, the Android version came out, which still stands today.

Snapseed is fascinating because, on the one hand, the application allows very fast, simple but impressive image changes. The “Drama” and “HDR Scape” filters, for example, should be tested. On the other hand, it can also be used to make very fine changes to the colors and contrasts or the cut. And all for free. Snapseed has long been a classic for me.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

Spotify

Even if some will now say, “Yes, of course”, Spotify is one of them, or alternatively another music app that you trust. Specifically, I just want to make it clear that smartphones are also MP3 players in the broadest sense, that is, mobile music streaming stations. And Spotify is a great way to use it as such, simply because you can use it to listen to music even if you are not a subscriber like me.

Of course, you have to accept some restrictions: you have to listen to commercials from time to time, you cannot freely put together the music you are listening to, and you can skip a maximum of six tracks per hour. But it is definitely better than the program of the format radio stations. And of course there are podcasts on Spotify.

If you want more, you have to pay both with Spotify and with the competition: 9.99 euros per month. Then you can freely put together your music program and upload albums or playlists to your mobile phone for offline listening.

The Android version is available here.
The iPhone version is available here.

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