App Recommendations for Android Oreo on the Nexus 5X
Because I'm so picky about the apps that I install on my phone, I spend a lot of time searching for and researching them. Maybe, if I list my favorites here, it will save someone else some time.
What's Important to Me (my subjective opinion of what makes a "good" app)
- It does what I need it to without doing too much that I don't need it to do.
- It asks for the minimal amount of permissions to do what I need it to do (although it is nice that Android, like iOS, now allows you to deny permissions to apps that request them).
- Well designed UI (I really like material design).
- No ads (I don't mind paying for an ad-free version).
- Still in active development (updated since Android 7 was released).
- Well written (easy on system resources, doesn't crash, etc.).
- Not necessary but open source is a huge bonus.
Other Relevant Information
- I root my phone using Chainfire's systemless root method. I use this method for 2 reasons: (1) I like to keep my phone as close to stock as possible (I even restore stock recovery after first using TWRP to gain systemless root) and; (2) it makes it easy to apply monthly security patches using Chainfire's FlashFire app.
Apps That Don't Require Root
- Weather Timeline - In my opinion, easily the best weather app available for Android 6. A texbook example of material design, several customizable and resizable widgets and easy to configure based on your needs.
- Shuttle+ Music Player - This should be the stock music app on Android (I consider Google Play Music bloatware and remove it from phone). It's lightweight and has a customizable UI implemented using material design.
- Missed Notifications Reminder - An open source app that can remind you when you have missed notifications. Just configure the interval and the types of notifications (for instance, I get reminded of unread missed call, text message and Gmail notifications every 10 minutes).
- Naptime - Doze is a very convenient feature of Android but, for it to better suit my needs, I needed to reconfigure its settings. Naptime allows me to do that.
Apps That Require Root
- Titanium Backup - The most powerful backup tool for Android. Supports scheduling, encryption, syncing and more. Also allows you to freeze apps.
- Root Explorer - My favorite file explorer for Android.
- FlashFire - Allows me to install Android updates (even OTA updates) without hooking a cable to my phone and without having to re-root. A good summary of its capabilities is here.
I will occasionally add new apps to this page. It was last updated on January 1, 2018.