Google is responsible for the amazing Android OS and its marketplace aka Google Play Store, where you will find loads of paid and free apps for Android. As an Android user, you may be well aware of the popular Google apps like Google Map. There are in fact a lot of Google apps for Android that you might not be aware of. Here are a few ones that we picked out for you.
10 Lesser known Google apps for Android
1) Androidify
This is a really cool Google app for Android that lets you create Android characters that look like you. You can customize your character and accessorize it as you please. These characters can be shared with your friends via text messages, WhatsApp messages or through chats as emoticons, animated GIFs and pics. You can also submit your creations to Androidify.com gallery and check out the creations of other people as well.
Go ahead, Androidify yourself!
2) My Tracks
Pretty similar to the Google fit app, My Tracks can be used to record your speed, distance covered, path and elevation while you are walking, running or doing any other outdoor activity. You can view your recorded data, annotate your path and sync the data with Google drive. My Tracks also has support for Android wear and you can use it to record your tracks and later can sync tracks to your phone.
3) Snapseed
Snapseed is one of the best photo editing apps for Android. You will find a lot of photo editing apps on the Play store but Snapseed definitely stands out. You can easily enhance your photos, transform and share them with your friends. The auto-correct feature adjusts photos with a single tap and the images can be easily tuned using Tune Image.
There are a lot of innovative filters that will enhance the photos that you take from your Smartphone. You can easily share your creations via Google+ email or any other service that you prefer.
4) Car Home
With Google’s entry into automobiles with Android Auto, this app will probably become popular by the end of the year. Car Home lets you quickly access functions that you may need while driving, like navigation and voice actions. Google claims that this app turns your phone into an infotainment device, however people all over the world have been reporting compatibility issues with the app on various devices. It is a good concept though and hopefully Google will do something to fix the compatibility issues in the future.
5) Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome remote desktop is a good productivity app from Google that allows you to access and run your PC from your Android Smartphone. You need to set up remote access on the PC that you want to access remotely using the Chrome remote desktop app which is available on Chrome’s web store. Once you have done this, you just need to open the app on your Android device and tap on your online PC to connect to it securely.
6) Google Gesture Search
This app lets you search your Android device using gestures. You won’t be able to search the web with this app, but you can search almost everything on your phone.
You need to add gestures for each search task which can be letters or numbers. The search becomes better with time as Google gesture search learns from your search history and refines your search with each gesture.
7) My Maps
We all use Google maps for navigation very often. But have you ever heard of My maps? My maps is a Google app that frequent travellers will find useful. With this app, you can create your own custom maps and use them anywhere.
8) YouTube Creator Studio
If you have your own YouTube channel, this app will be very useful for you. YouTube creator studio is a Google app for Android that lets you manage your channel from you phone on the go. You can check the stats, get notifications and respond to comments using this app.
It is also easier to monitor your channel and performance on the move with the easy-to-use analytics.
9) Google Authenticator
Are you worried about your privacy? Google authenticator adds a 2-step verification to your phone which makes data theft even more difficult. With the 2-step verification, signing in will require a code by the Google authenticator app in addition to your regular account password.
This additional layer of security helps in data protection even when your phone is in airplane mode. It also supports multiple accounts.
10) Google Santa Tracker
As the name suggests, this is fun app that you can use to track Santa. The concept of tracking Santa isn’t a new one and you will find a lot of apps for this. Google Santa tracker offers a new twist to this concept.
Did you find these Google apps for Android interesting? Do let us know in the comment section below.