It’s already the beginning of a brand new year, and we’re excited to see what 2016 has in store for us. Last year, 2015, was an eventful year in the Android ecosystem with plenty of smartphones, tablets, and other devices introduced.
Also, we saw a great selection of apps and games rolled out from some heavy hitters and upstart indie developers. Additionally, some of our favorite apps just kept getting better with each update.
As you may recall, we put together a poll and reached out to you guys to get a feel for some of your go-to titles. We picked a few categories and named a couple of top contenders but left things open for the write-in votes, too. Without further ado, here are your favorite apps for 2015.
Each title is linked to the Play Store page.
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Launcher: Nova Launcher
No surprise here, really. Nova has been on the top charts for quite a while, and there’s a reason for that. It’s feature packed, fast, smooth and works across many devices. Compared to other launchers, it is really the best out there.
Runner Up: Google Now Launcher
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Browser: Chrome Browser
Google’s popular desktop browser is also quite popular on mobile, it seems. Utilizing a clean user interface along with a fast app, Google has also built it into the Android system, meaning it can perform things that other browsers cannot. The ability to synchronize content across other Google products is also an advantage.
Runner Up: Opera Browser
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Music Streaming Service:Â Tidal
A relatively new competitor to the scene, Tidal impressed us in our Music App Battles of Android knockout and review. Its ability to stream high-quality music along with a large library gives it the edge over the competitors. Although it did not win our app battle and it is not the most popular service, we believe that it is deserving of the title.
Runner Up: Google Play Music
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Keyboard: SwiftKey
SwiftKey has been around for a while now and has always been on the top charts. The fact that it is fast, easy to use and offers themes to customize the keyboard means it is popular amongst the community. It has an advantage over Fleksy as it has a bigger user base.
Runner up: Fleksy
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Messaging App: Slack
Although WhatsApp is still the favored instant messaging app for the majority of people, we believe that Slack should should take the prize here. Slack offers so much more features than WhatsApp, although it is more suitable for teams than your normal two person conversations. 2016 should bring several new features to both apps.
Runner up: WhatsApp
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Top Android Game: Fallout Shelter
Again, an app that isn’t necessarily the most played, Fallout Shelter created much excitement when iOS received a mobile game based of Bethesda’s Fallout 4. The Android version was shortly released thereafter and gained much appraisal for the gameplay.
Runner up: Monument Valley
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Best Android Productivity app/series: Google Apps (Slides/Docs/Sheets etc.)
Again having the advantage, Google’s suite of productivity apps is our preferred set here. Easy to use, lightweight and the fact that they are free (compared to Microsoft’s required subscription to the service) means that they are used widely.
Runner up: Microsoft Office Series
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Best Android Photo editor: PhotoDirector
Although I personally prefer Snapseed to edit my photos, PhotoDirector is one of the most advanced image tweakers available on Android. Designed for professionals, it offers the most precise and intricate editing tools. The controls that can be found within PhotoDirector make it extremely easy to use for even the novice editor.
Runner up: Snapseed
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
Best Android Security and Anti-Virus app: Avast!
Having a good reputation, Avast! is our choice here. It offers a wide range of features, from phone cleanups to extreme anti-theft (root required). Clean, simple and non-obtrusive means it stands out amongst most the competition.
Runner up: AVGÂ AntiVirus
[spacer color=”264C84″ icon=”fa-android”]
And that wraps up our roundup for The Top Apps of 2015. We are interested to see where the Play Store will lead us to, let’s hope that 2016 again produces some top-notch apps.
What is your favorite app? Let us know in the comments!
