THE BEST FOOD ANDROID APPs OF 2018

Cookpad Recipes
Free
Cookpad connects you with a vibrant array of recipes. Easily add favorite recipes, manage shopping lists, and find new recipes you'll love based on those you already like. Once you start using it, you'll have one less excuse to eat out.

---

Seamless
Free
Remember the bad old days of ordering food? You needed takeout menus, knowledge of the terrain ("will they even deliver out here?"), cash, and faith that the person jotting down your order got it right. Seamless takes care of all that, even letting you pay via credit card from your Android. The only drawback? It's not available in every city (or even every state), though it has expanded its range dramatically since it was first included on this list.

---

Untappd

Free
This handy app lets you record each brew you try along with a rating and tasting notes. Think of it as Swarm for beer! No more staring at a tap list, trying to remember which ones you've had before. The app also has a vibrant community of beer drinkers that can point you toward new discoveries, and an extensive list of beers. It's also a handy way to find your favorite brew near your current location. While it's not perfect, it can change the way you think of beer.

---

Yelp

Free
It pays to be a little skeptical of crowd-sourced reviews, but Yelp can tell you a lot more than just what people thought of a bar, restaurant, or just about any other place where you spend money. Many locations list hours of operation, contact information, and menus, making it easy to find the perfect spot in your neighborhood or a new city.

THE BEST WORKPLACE PRODUCTIVITY ANDROID APPs IN 2018

Asana
$9.99 per member per month (basic version is free)
Asana is the 800-pound gorilla of task management for teams, dwarfing other popular services like the capable Trello. Asana is all about workflows and checkbox tasks that can be assigned to individuals. The Android app lets you take your tasks on the go and offline, syncing your progress when you're back on the network. It's a powerful tool with an excellent interface, and new features are added regularly.

---

Doodle
Free
The hardest part of scheduling a meeting is getting everyone to agree. Jeff is free Monday and Wednesday. Jill is available Monday, but not Tuesday. And the other dozen people have their own schedules to contend with. Doodle lets you suggest times, and then see which work best for everyone. It's an invaluable planning tool.

---

Dropbox
Free
Dropbox pioneered the personal cloud service, where all your stuff would be available no matter what device you were using. On Android, it holds its own—even against the highly integrated Google Drive. Dropbox can also act as a seamless backup for your images, automatically uploading every photo to the cloud. It even includes some light image editing tools. If you're the type of person with lots of files already stored in Dropbox, this app is a must-have.

---

Google Drive
Free
If you use Android, you have a Google Account, and that means you have access to the excellent Google Drive cloud storage service. With Drive, you can easily access synced files across all your devices no matter where you are. With the additional Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Photos apps from Google, Drive is the center of a productivity hub on your Android.

---

Microsoft Office Lens
Free
Despite the fact that we are well into the 21st century, paper still persists in offices. But Microsoft Office Lens lets you turn physical documents into digital ones using your Android. It can even capture doodles and notes from a whiteboard. If you want portable document scanning, but aren't keen on getting an Evernote account, this might be the solution for you.

---

Microsoft Word
Free
Microsoft Word is, simply put, the alpha and omega of word processing, and one of the key apps in Microsoft Office 365. You'll find it on every kind of computer in every kind of setting, and now it's available for free on Android. Word plugs into Microsoft's cloud infrastructure to keep your documents in order, but its main selling point is that this really is Word. What you make on your phone will look exactly the same on the desktop. For the worker on the go, it's essential.

---

MyFax
$10.00
While fax machines might not be as visible as they used to be, they continue to be an important part of how companies and governments do business. Enter MyFax, the service that lets you send and receive faxes without the hassle of a fax machine or a dedicated phone line. All from your Android. You can also use this service to send and receive faxes from your email client of choice. Simple!

---

Nine Email and Calendar
$14.99
Nine is a very reliable email client designed to work with all of your accounts. The clean interface and the optional conversation view make reading and replying to email intuitive. One of the coolest features is the ability to customize the notification actions, including an incredibly useful "Mark as read" option. It isn't cheap, but it's only a one-time $14.99 charge for a much-improved email experience that also integrates calendar, contacts, notes, and tasks functionality.

---

Slack
Free
Slack has gone from the new hotness, to controversial productivity tool, to essential office tool faster than you can say "hot take." With a familiar, instant messenger feel, it's easy to get started with Slack. But the service became popular because of its wealth of advanced features, like customizable alerts and a Do Not Disturb function. You can even host VoIP calls through Slack with your coworkers. A free account will get you started, but a monthly fee unlocks even better search tools. And be sure to install the Giphy plugin for maximum productivity.

THE BEST VIDEO AND VIDEO EDITING ANDROID APPs OF 2018

V

Crunchyroll
Free
When we wanted to watch anime back in the bad old days, we had to duplicate third-generation VHS tapes of Neon Genesis Evangelion or, God help you, pay some shifty guy for a CD of RealPlayer files. But now, the streaming service Crunchyroll spoils anime fans with choice. Boasting an extensive backlist of popular anime, this app even debuts episodes shortly after they premiere in Japan.

---

Hulu
$7.99 per month
Hulu has long been the king of streaming TV. It's the best choice for when you want to see current shows and not wait until they're collected for sale or streaming on another service. But it also has a deep well of great movies to draw from, including many obscure gems. If you need to see Brooklyn 99 on your Google Pixel 2, then this is the app for you.

---

Netflix
$7.99 per month
Despite ups and downs in the quality of its library, Netflix dominates the world of streaming TV and movies. Although Hulu has more TV and more varied movie offerings, the sheer volume of movies and TV in Netflix is still remarkable. The service also creates its own—sometimes indispensible—content, including original comedies, cartoons, dramas, and documentaries. Some of the shows have become cultural phenomena, making Netflix a must-have. Shows such as Black Mirror, Stranger Things, and The Crown(the most expensive TV show ever made) are often the conversation topics of the day. And now with offline viewing capability in the mobile app, you can download select episodes to watch at your leisure.

---

Sling TV
$20
Have you ever needed (I mean, really needed) to catch your favorite show but found yourself nowhere near a TV? Technology is finally here to solve the problem with Sling TV, an inexpensive service that lets you watch live TV via the Sling TV web service on any Android device. Get ready to cut the cord and kick cable out of your life.

THE BEST UTILITIES ANDROID APPs OF 2018

Utilities

Microsoft Launcher
Free
Microsoft Launcher replaces the company's Arrow Launcher and takes on a Windows 10-style transparency. It replaces Google Now with a useful and customizable feed for quick access to recent apps, events, and frequently contacted people. The main app list can be organized horizontally or vertically and includes an elegant alphabetical scrollbar for reaching apps quickly. Performance is just as smooth as the stock Pixel Launcher and it doesn't affect the use of Google Assistant, though of course, Cortana would feel more at home as your voice assistant.

---

Network Analyzer
Free
Network Analyzer makes it easy to view information about all of the Wi-Fi networks nearby. With a few taps, you can see the strength of networks in the area on a dynamic graph and view detailed information about your connection, such as your IPv4 Address, MAC Address, and Default Gateway IP. You can even run a network query from within the app; it lets you Ping an IP/Domain Name or even check the DNS Server settings. It's the perfect companion to our article on how to find your IP address.

---

SwiftKey Keyboard
Free
An impressive keyboard replacement, Swiftkey suggests what it thinks is the most likely next word as you type. A pioneer of this technology, SwiftKey can speed up your typing by inserting whole words with a tap. The app also supports Swype-like input, over 100 languages, and 80 colorful themes.

---

Swype Keyboard
$0.99
Swype was the first to introduce dragging your finger from letter to letter to input text, which has since appeared in SwiftKey and even Google Keyboard. The developers are not resting on their laurels, however: Their app has numerous input options, including the powerful Dragon Dictation, gestures, handwriting recognition, and SwiftKey-like predictive text. Swype is a sprawling app that makes mobile typing a breeze.

---

Tasker
$2.99
Let's be honest: Tasker is very intimidating. But we recognize that this is perhaps the most powerful app available in Google Play. With it, you can script basic actions for your Android to perform when specific conditions are met—like flash the LED when you receive a text message. Learning to use something this powerful can be tricky, but the rewards seem worth it.

THE BEST TRAVEL ANDROID APPs OF 2018

Travel

Citymapper
Free
If you're traveling within a major metropolitan area via either public transportation or personal vehicle, Citymapper can plan all your trip details. It has transit information for dozens of major U.S. cities and international hotspots in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Further, it offers multiple transportation options for each city, so if you feel like taking the ferry to work one morning, there's nothing stopping you. Its top features include Commute, which lets you set up your daily travel to and from work, and an alert system that uses natural language to describe service delays or cancellations.

---

Duolingo
Free
If you're looking to learn another language, Duolingo gamifies language learning with bite-sized lessons and a friendly interface. Starting with simple vocabulary and building from there, Duolingo is your guide to learning a new language or brushing up on one you already know. The more you use the app, the more you unlock and—with practice—the more you learn. This free app currently supports Danish, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. Or more practical choices, like Esperanto and Klingon.

---

Google Maps
Free 
Google Maps has been your guide for years, and this excellent app just keeps getting better. With just a few taps, Google Maps tells you exactly how to get to your destination. It even supports walking, bicycle, and mass-transit directions, as well as Uber. The app's road knowledge is so keen that it can tell you which lane to be in while using turn-by-turn directions. And because this is Google, you can easily search for locations nearby.

---

Google Translate
Free
Many people fear not being unable to communicate with people from another country while traveling. Google Translate takes a bit of the edge off, quickly translating either written text or spoken words. You can even use the app to do the speaking for you, and input text through your camera or handwriting. The app can translate 103 languages with a data connection and 52 when you're offline. It can't handle Tamarian, but it's sure to be a handy tool here on Earth. It even works on your watch and while using other Android apps!

---

Swarm
Free
Check out the latest redesign of Swarm, if you have an interesting in life-logging. This bright, colorful app is laser-focused on check-ins, making it easy to let your friends know where you are and earn cute badges in the process. Some classic features have returned to Swarm, like leaderboards and mayorships, but these gamification aspects take a back seat to the action. The new timeline view is a great way to remember the places you've visited in other cities or even identify your habits.

---

Transit
Free
Who needs Uber when so many cities offer world-class public transit? The Transit app shows mass transit options—including busses, ferries, and trains—and the estimated time of arrival in 87 cities in North American, Europe and Australia. Here in New York, it even tells you how many bikes are parked at local Citi Bike stands. This app keeps you in the know no matter where your travels take you.

---

Uber
Free
Uber certainly has its problems. Between its questionable business tactics and its bad press, it's understandable to be suspicious. But the truth is that if you're looking for a way to get a ride, regardless of what city you're in, Uber will be there. You can even use it to order food in some areas. A great feature: You can request a wheelchair-accessible vehicle through Uber.

---

Weather Timeline
$1.49
Weather Timeline gives you hour-by-hour weather for the day and detailed forecasts for the next week. It also happens to be one of the most elegantly designed apps on this list, with simple lines, vivid colors, and clean animations. Our favorite aspects of this app are its animated weather trend charts and assortment of widgets for the home screen. It's an excellent alternative to Weather Underground if you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of information, for a seriously good design.

---

Weather Underground
Free
Weather Underground combines a slick design with a focus on really useful weather information. We particularly like the ability to report weather conditions in your area and the extremely useful comparative forecasts that deftly show how conditions have changed since yesterday. With an accompanying set of useful widgets, it's the best weather app on Android.