My Most-Used Apps | An Android Edition

I love reading about people's favourite apps but don't remember ever having seen a post that wasn't about iPhone apps. I've never owned an iPhone and nor do I wish to (seriously, don't get me started on Apple products) but I can't help feeling a little left-out sometimes as the App Store does seem to get all the cool apps first. No matter; here are a few of my most-used apps on my Samsung Galaxy S6, which I got in January and love.
The Social Media
What kind of blogger would I be if Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat didn't feature here!? I'm forever scrolling through Twitter, double-tapping my way through my Instagram feed, and I have a ridiculous obsession with Snapchat's filters... (If you think you'd like to see more of the seriously attractive Snapchat selfies below, give me a follow!) I really dread to think how many hours I'd gain per week if I deleted these three. I do also have Facebook on my phone but I don't use that quite so much - I mainly use the Messenger app for keeping up with friends.

 
  

The Practical
Occasionally I do like to spend my time somewhat productively; this is where these apps come in! I use my bank's mobile banking app at least a couple of times per week to help me keep an eye on my spending (especially now I'm actively working on reducing my overdraft each month!) and also find the Paypal app really handy.
The S Health app which came pre-installed on my Samsung has a fab pedometer which I check almost obsessively - I love seeing my steps add up over the day! This also shows me my "active minutes", which is lower than I'd have thought over the course of a shift at work. You can track all sorts with S Health - from your water intake and hours of sleep to your heart rate and stress levels - but those are just the features I use the most. Obviously this one is only available to Samsung users... Continuing with the fitness theme, I use Endomondo to track my running and cycling - it syncs with the GPS so you can see things like how far you've gone, the elevation, and your lap times, which I find really interesting. You can also take part in monthly challenges to win prizes if you're a bit more committed than me, but I've never got round to that... I've used this for years and it does everything I want it to.

 

The last app I'll include in this section is called Clue, which I use to track my menstrual cycles; I've never had a regular monthly cycle since starting my periods at the age of 11 (I mean like, less than two weeks some months and 90+ days other months. Totally random!) but having recently come off the Pill, which I'd been on for about six years, I'm hoping this will help me spot some kind of pattern... I really like the interface and it lets you choose what you want to track - so if a symptom or measure doesn't apply to you, you can hide it. You can also choose to set reminders if you're on the Pill, and there's loads of really interesting information about contraceptive devices, phases of the cycle and so on - I think this would be a really interesting app for young girls who are just starting and getting to know their cycles and their bodies.

The Frivolous
I'm not really one for gaming on my phone and to be honest, I've got pretty bored of this now, but I do still play a game or two now and then; Loop is basically a visual awareness game where you have to make all the little pieces link up - it's oddly satisfying! My latest obsession is Peak which is a brain training-style app, with puzzles that are meant to target specific cognitive skills. I really like that this shows you how you're performing overall and on specific skills, and you can see how you measure up compared to other people your age. The Neuroscience graduate in me loves this!

  

What are your most-used apps? Are you an Android or Apple lover?

xo