10 most essential, can't live without apps
LOS ANGELES - There are over 3 millions apps in the Apple and Google app stores, but which ones are the most useful?
We’ve posed the question to readers on Facebook and Twitter this year, and the ones that routinely topped the charts for us are productivity apps.
--Waze, the traffic routing app, was the overwhelming favorite, followed by the more widely used Google Maps. Waze “makes your trip more efficient and faster," says Frederick Lean of Los Angeles. Without Waze, "it would take much more time to get from point A to point B." Unlike most navigation apps, Waze takes information from riders to alert folks about road closures and better routes to get around. Urban drivers swear by Waze to cut down on their commute time.
The rest of the top choices:
--Duolingo: For learning a language, Duolingo is hard to beat. The app, available for free, on Apple, Google and Windows platforms, offers tools to learn over 20 languages in a game-like fashion.
--Uber, the no. 1 ride-hailing app is a way of life for folks looking for reliable and quicker responding transportation. The app “is super helpful, it gets you where you anywhere quickly and when you’re in New York, that’s essential,” one of our respondents told us in November.
--Workflow: Apple’s 2015 pick for most “Innovative app of the year,” is a $3.99 productivity app that aims to provide shortcuts for daily tasks. Use the app, available for Apple devices only, to, call Uber without having to open the Uber app or text the wife with your ETA, without having to type in where you are--the app uses the GPS to set your location.
--Google Photos. (Free, Apple, Android.) The app debuted in May, offering to back up all your smartphone and computer photos and videos, for free, and share them at the click of a button. For all those who woke up every morning to “you’ve run out of room” nag messages on their phones, Google Photos has been a godsend.
--WhatsApp Messenger: The most popular tool for free texting and phone calls is huge internationally, and growing here, as part of the Facebook suite of apps. Available for Apple and Android devices.
--Podcasts: Remember when we had to go to iTunes to subscribe to podcasts, or download them individually? Now the Apple Podcasts app culls your subscriptions, and let’s you listen to your favorite shows with one-click instant access--no downloads necessary.
--Evernote--For taking notes, both in written and audio form, and having them synched amongst multiple platforms--your phone, tablet and computer, for instance. Free, Apple, Google, Windows.
--Flashlight--there are many variations on this app for Apple, Google and Windows, all are free, and all do the same thing--get you out of a tight jam in a dark corner with some illumination. A must.
--Instagram is the most popular photo sharing app, but it has some limitations. Most of the time, photos are presented in a square format, and it’s hard to get multiple pictures on a page. That is, until you add Instagram’s free and nifty Layout app to your collection. Use Layout to create great-looking collages and more. Free, Apple and Google.
Meanwhile, in case you missed it, researcher Nielsen just released a study of the apps we used more than any other in 2015. The list:
--YouTube
--Facebook Messenger
--Google Search
--Google Play store
--Google Maps
--Gmail
--Apple Music
--Apple Maps
Follow USA TODAY tech columnist Jefferson Graham on Twitter where he’s @jeffersongraham, watch his #TalkingTech video series on USATODAY.com weekly and the daily #TalkingTech podcast on TuneIn, Stitcher, iTunes and SoundCloud.