Life’s busy, but the right apps can make it easier. From automating tasks to keeping you organized, these apps help me stress less and do more.
There are many ways to print from your phone, but most work wirelessly. When I don’t have access to my wireless printer, NokoPrint is a lifesaver. It lets you connect your Android and iOS phone to your printer via an OTG adapter and then print from the device.
The app features a clean and minimal interface with three main printing options: Photos, Documents, and Web Pages. The web page printing option is useful for quickly saving web pages as PDFs. You can also customize print settings, including page size, layout, and the number of copies.
NokoPrint is free to use, but frequent users may find the ads annoying. If you prefer an ad-free experience, you can upgrade to the premium version.
You can move files between Android and Windows using Phone Link, but it’s slow and limited. LocalSend is an open-source, cross-platform utility that makes it a breeze to share files between my Windows, Android, Mac, Linux, and iOS devices using a local Wi-Fi network.
LocalSend features a simple UI where you can select whether to send or receive the file from a nearby device. With Quick Save, you configure the app to automatically accept files from all the devices on the local network or only the devices set as favorites. Another handy feature is the ability to share APK files with friends and family to skip the downloading process.
One of the reasons I prefer Google Keep over other note-taking apps is its location-based reminders. These reminders are especially useful when you need to remember tasks at specific places, like buying groceries at the store, handling home maintenance on the weekend, or checking your tire pressure at the gas station.
To set a location-based reminder, open Google Keep and create a new note. Tap the Remind Me (bell icon) at the top right, select Choose a place, and set the location. You’ll need to allow location access for it to work in the background.
In addition to basic note-taking, Google Keep offers powerful features like real-time transcription, a Chrome extension that lets you save text and images as notes, and seamless integration with Google apps.
Proton Pass is my new favorite free password manager, mainly due to its highly user-friendly UI. A well-designed tool that prioritizes both security and ease of use is a great choice for anyone new to password managers.
But looks are not everything. Proton Pass is an open-source password manager and covers the basics well. You can add login details, notes, payment information, and identity information, all protected by end-to-end encryption.
One of its standout features is email aliases, which let you create burner email addresses that forward messages to your primary inbox. This helps protect your real email when signing up for services. Proton Pass also supports autofill, works reliably across platforms, and includes Passkey support. Plus, if you need to share your vault, you can do so easily by sending an invitation.
The free version is somewhat limited in terms of the number of email aliases and how many vaults you can have. However, those who want more features can upgrade to one of Proton’s premium options.
MacroDroid is one of the first apps I always install on my new Android phone to help me automate more trivial actions and app behavior. It makes it easy to set up triggers and macros for simple actions, like automatically increasing the volume when opening a specific app.
Some of my favorite macros include:
- Disabling notifications when the camera app is open
- Extending the lock screen timeout when using the Kindle app
- Enabling auto-rotate for apps like YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Netflix
- Muting media volume after locking the phone to prevent loud audio when unlocking for a video or voice chat
Once you get familiar with how it works, you can create more complex automation that better suits your needs. Be sure to check out the Templates tab, where you’ll find useful macros created and voted on by other users.
Shizuku is an Android tool that lets you run apps requiring system-level access without rooting your device; well, at least a good number of them. It uses Android’s Wireless ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to let your app use system APIs directly. The awesome-shizuku GitHub repository has a long list of apps that can make use of Shizuku’s capabilities. Some of these interesting apps include:
- Total Commander—Android version of the popular desktop file manager Total Commander
- X-Plore—File manager to access Android/data and OBB.
- ZArchiver Pro—A full-fledged file archiver with explorer capabilities and Shizuku support.
- Obtainium—Lets you download Android app updates without Google Play Store directly from sources such as GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, APKPure, RuStore, etc.
- aShell You—A terminal emulator to execute ADB commands on your device using Shizuku. For example, you can use it to uninstall system apps without using your PC.
There are many ways to avoid doomscrolling on social media, but the most effective is app blocking. ScreenZen is an app website/app blocker that gives you more control over your app usage habits. You can set app timers and a number of open, allowing you to use the app for a set number of times.
Each time you try to open a blocked app, ScreenZen prompts you to pause and reconsider with a five-second delay. More often than not, this brief pause is enough to stop me from mindlessly opening the app. If I decide to proceed, I can use the app for five minutes before it automatically closes.
Each time you try to open a blocked app, ScreenZen prompts you to pause and reconsider with a five-second delay. Often, this brief pause is enough to stop me from mindlessly opening the app. If I decide to proceed, I can use the app for five minutes before it automatically closes.
ScreenZen is free to use on Android and iOS devices. You can also make a small one-time donation to help keep the app free. The donation unlocks free lifetime access and lets you customize an image and colors for your app block screen.
Whether you’re managing your password, printing on the go, securely sharing files, or prioritizing your digital well-being, each app here can make your life easier.
