These are the Mobile Apps I Rely On (Premium)

As with my PCs, I install the same basic set of mobile apps on each phone and tablet that I use. Here’s a quick rundown.
Smartphone
As you may know, I switched to Android in late 2017 and prefer this platform to iOS. That said, I have used the latest iPhones, and I purchased a refurbished iPhone 7 recently to keep up with the platform. Regardless, I use the same basic set of apps on each.

These are the apps I keep close at hand on the initial two home screens of each mobile platform. I also use the built-in app store, Phone, Messaging, and Camera apps in both Android and iOS.

Google Chrome. With its cross-device sync of both passwords (important) and bookmarks (much less important), Chrome is a no-brainer on mobile, just as it is on the PC. One nice thing about Android is that Chrome passwords sync with the system, too, so they’re accessible in apps. Apple does something similar in iOS with Safari, but the Android version is much more seamless.

Google Maps. We rely heavily on Google Maps whenever we are driving a great distance or to someplace unfamiliar. This app is indispensable.

Microsoft Outlook. I’m transitioning away from Google Inbox because the search giant is abandoning this wonderful app and web service. Microsoft Outlook is the next best thing, but I use it only for email, because of…

Google Calendar. This is one of those perfect apps where the look, feel, and functionality all comes together nicely. Plus, I like accessing my calendar in its own app (rather than using one app for both email and calendar as with Outlook).

Microsoft Skype. As much as I struggle with Skype’s issues, I do use it every day and rely on it. And so I use it on mobile too.

Duolingo. I use Duolingo most days for about 20 minutes in an ongoing effort to learn other languages (French and Spanish, depending on the year).

Google Photos. While I back up all of my phone photos to both Google Photos and OneDrive, I actually “use” Google Photos quite frequently, and I especially like the Assistant-based features like “Remember this day,” “Then & Now,” “Rediscover your memories,” and so on that pop-up almost every day.

Instagram. While I use Twitter most frequently at the PC---because it is basically work-related----I use Instagram most frequently among social media apps on mobile. I love the photography in the app, and only follow a few people I know plus some photography/travel-related accounts.

Twitter and Facebook. I do access both Twitter and Facebook on mobile sometimes, so I keep them next to Instagram.

Audible. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and I have an Audible membership by which I buy at least one new audiobook each month. I love Audible.

PocketCasts. This is a paid app, but PocketCasts is my favorite podcast player.

Google Play Music. I prefer this service to Spotify because the UI is better and you can very easily mix and match your own ripped music with that from Google’s cata...