Google does receive fair backlash from people for the privacy invasion through its apps and services, but most people will agree that Google never sacrifices on the quality of its service. Most of the apps by Google are listed in the top best apps in the category. If you love apps by Google, then we know some great Google apps that may not be as popular as others but are still really handy.

Below we have listed six Android and iOS apps by Google that are completely free and offer great features.

1. Google Duo

This is one of the best video calling apps that you will ever find. There are literally no extra features or menus to go through that may make things even a little confusing. You simply need to press the big video call button, choose the contact and the video call connects. This is the app you want to give to your less-tech-savvy grandparents so they can easily video chat with you when they miss you.

Even though it is simple, the call quality is amazing, and the app itself is really light. On top of that, the app is cross-platform so you can easily call between Android and iOS devices, and it has a nice live preview feature as well that lets you see the caller (in real-time) even before picking up.

Download on Android and iOS

2. Snapseed

This is probably the best free photo editing app you can get on your smartphone. Snapseed by Google offers advanced photo editing features that are usually found in the powerful desktop software. I personally use it for all of my photo editing on smartphone and really love its interface that works on swipe gestures. All the editing is done by swiping up/down or left/right. You can quickly swipe up/down to select an option while using an effect and swipe right/left to increase or decrease its implementation.

Some of its prominent features include crop, rotate, image tuning, brushes, healing, add text, vignette, and a ton of filters. All of these editing features come with additional options and controls that makes them even better. You will have to try the app to see its true potential.

3. Google Handwriting Input

This provides an additional way to type on your phone. It lets you write on the screen and the drawn text will be automatically converted into digital text and entered in the text field. This is definitely not the fastest way to type as compared to other available methods, but it is a really cool way.

I also found some scenarios where such input style could be a better option. For example, you can quickly draw characters and emoji to enter instead of searching for them through different keyboard pages; it’s perfect for people crazy about emojis. Additionally, some languages are hard to type, and you are better off writing it out (it supports multiple languages).

Download on Android

4. Androidify

A really fun app and a must-try, Androidify allows you to create an animated Android (the green bot) based character to share with your friends. The app gives you amazing personalization options with hundreds of accessories and styles to choose from. You have full control over your Android’s body and size (tap and drag the parts).

You can also animate your Android character with really cool animations and then share it over social media channels or in the Androidify Gallery.

5. Google Fit

There are many fitness apps available, but many of them are complex with a not so intuitive interface. Google Fit is a simple fitness app that fulfills all the fitness tracking needs and offers information in a very easy-to-grasp interface. It will let you track your activities like walk, run and cycle, and lets you create customized goals to reach. It will also provide coaching and tips to reach your goals.

The information it can provide includes your speed, elevation, pace, route, steps, calories burned and complete picture of your weight and activity over a specific time period.

This is like your portal to everything inside your Android phone. Once Google Gesture Search is installed, it will index your Android phone to create a list of everything inside it (you can restrict the access, though). After being indexed, you can search for anything in your phone by simply drawing its name in the Google Gesture Search interface. It can search bookmarks, contacts, phone settings, apps and more.

The Gesture Search widget makes it a snap to start searching for your phone content. However, you will have to get used to it to take full advantage of it and also let the app learn from your patterns to improve.

Bonus: Intersection Explorer

Google’s Intersection Explorer is an app for blind people to understand their surroundings before heading out. It speaks all the near intersections and streets with total distance to them (in meters) as you drag your finger around the map. Blind people can use this information to get an idea of the surroundings and then head out without surprises.

Which App Will You Be Using?

These are some awesome apps by Google – which ones do you like? I personally use Snapseed, Google Fit and Androidify, and they surely make my life easy and fun. Do share with us which Google apps you like in the comments below.

Karrar is drenched in technology and always fiddles with new tech opportunities. He has a bad habit of calling technology “Killer”, and doesn’t feel bad about spending too much time in front of the PC. If he is not writing about technology, you will find him spending quality time with his little family.

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