My 18 favorite Android apps of 2025

I used hundreds of new apps in 2025, but only a few really stand out in my mind, and some still reside on my phone. While some of my favorite Android apps from 2025 didn’t necessarily launch this year, they have made a firm impression on me, changing the way I use and enjoy my handset. I’m hoping the apps on this list will help you in the same way.

So, without further ado, here are my 15 favorite Android apps that launched in or I discovered in 2025.

Octopi Launcher

The most promising foldable phone launcher on Android.

The best new Android launcher of the year is undoubtedly Octopi. Launching in the era of multi-screen devices with unique form factors, Octopi attempts to accommodate this new breed of smartphone. Users can create specific layouts for each screen and orientation. In theory, this allows foldable phone users to craft four specific home screen designs. It’s overwhelming but brilliant. It’s still not as polished on traditional smartphones as some alternatives, but I can’t fault the developer for thinking outside the box.

Nobook

Facebook is back and lighter than ever.

I ditched Facebook years ago in a bid to simplify my digital life, but I do miss out on specific news streams and Marketplace. Without wanting to use the official app, I tried Nobook, a simple, more customizable version of Facebook Lite. I was impressed. Not only does it remove annoying elements, including ads and sponsored content, but Nobook also reduces Facebook to its roots. It’s one of the apps I recommend non-techies install on their devices for easy access to the social network’s features.

Banana Browser

Ditch dedicated video apps and use this browser instead.

Two browsers feature on this list, and the first is Banana Browser. While it’s an excellent Chrome alternative in its own right, its trump card is how it handles video. Its built-in video player makes it easy to control media playing on almost any website, including TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. For the latter, it also includes ad-blocking and SponsorBlock features.

NotebookLM

The most impactful Google product I’ve used in years.

I wasn’t fond of the NotebookLM app when it first launched. Google certainly pushed it out the door early, and it lacked several features I could access from the mobile site. However, it has improved significantly over the past few months.

I primarily use it as a digital manual for my car and a notebook for upcoming services, and I can easily access pertinent information using the chat feature. Best of all, I can also create notes detailing specific issues I want my manufacturer to investigate at the next service. NotebookLM has been a massive benefit to me in 2025.

OSS Document Scanner

An excellent open-source PDF scanner for Android.

With Microsoft retiring its dedicated PDF scanner app, I embarked on a quest to find a suitable replacement. While I used plenty of great PDF scanner apps in my quest, there’s one that I’ve continued to use. OSS Document Scanner has a lot going for it. It’s free and open-source, has a clean and functional UI, packs automatic capture and cropping features, and includes OCR support. What makes it useful for mobile use is its JPEG quality adjustments and size threshold option, which keeps the size of scans down. It’s not the outright best PDF scanner, but it’s undoubtedly the best for my use.

whoBIRD

The easiest way to discover birdlife in real-time.

One of my favorite finds of 2025, whoBIRD is a must for nature lovers and budding ornithologists. It’s an unusual Android app, sure, but it helps me identify birds based on their calls. It compares recordings sampled in real-time from my phone’s microphone to the BirdNET database. While it’s not always accurate, it does help me narrow down the species. Best of all, it’s free and open-source.

Tomato

A cornerstone of my daily productivity workflow.

There are plenty of timers and Pomodoro apps available on Android, but Tomato really helped me focus this year. I fell in love with its simple, Material 3 Expressive-inspired design, which puts your focus and rest time front and center. That’s all I really need from a Pomodoro. As a result, it has become a part of my productivity app workflow.

Stellarium

My favorite app discovery of 2025 (thanks, readers!)

I was recommended Stellarium by a reader this year, and I absolutely fell in love with it. The app makes exploring and tracking celestial bodies a breeze. It features a gorgeous UI that plots stars and other celestial objects on an easily navigable globe. Better yet, I can tap on any of these to read more about them. The Premium version of the app also allows me to see exactly where a planet or comet will be in the coming days. It’s an excellent educational tool for serious sky gazers and novices alike.

Google Journal

A simple, on-device journal that encourages content creation.

Google launched a slew of new apps in 2025, but one that I really enjoyed using is Google Journal. While it debuted as a Pixel exclusive, you could download the APK and install it on almost any Android phone. As a journal app, it’s pretty barebones, but that’s perfect for me. It stores all info locally, allows me to include images and maps in each entry, and as many words as I feel comfortable with. I’ve used it as a travel log and find it particularly brilliant for this use case.

Next Player

My favorite straightforward video player, with no frills and no fuss.

I needed a fuss-free video player, and Next Player fit the bill perfectly. It supports a wide range of formats, features a straightforward UI, and includes several sorting and filtering options for managing larger libraries. This makes it perfect for those moments I do watch downloaded content on my phone.

Weather Master

The best new Android weather app I’ve used in 2025.

I consider myself a picky weather app user, but Weather Master really impressed me. It’s inspired by Google’s weather frog and draws on numerous design cues from Pixel Weather, but it also allows me to select my preferred source for greater accuracy. More interestingly, it includes valuable insights and summaries that highlight the key weather takeaway without forcing me to scan through hourly data.

Perplexity Comet

Finally, an AI browser that fits into my workflow.

I was an avid Perplexity user, but I can’t say the same for AI browsers. While I don’t use Comet as an agentic browser, accomplishing various online tasks on my behalf, I do find it to be an incredible news browser. I have already used Perplexity as a Google News replacement, and incorporating this power into a browser broadens its appeal. It makes it easier to gain a snapshot of local and global news and then explore these ideas in more detail.

LocalSend

A quick, private way to share files across devices on your network.

I needed a way to connect my various devices, and Quick Share wasn’t cutting it. In stepped LocalSend. While it does have its quirks, it seamlessly integrates into my workflow, allowing me to transfer screenshots from my phone to my PC and videos vice versa. It functions through my local network, which makes it safe and secure. Best of all, it supports a wide range of platforms and operating systems.

Super Display

The best way to turn any Android screen into a second laptop display.

I didn’t spend much on Android apps this year, but easily the best investment I made was purchasing Super Display. This brilliant app turns any Android screen into a tertiary display for my laptop and PC. What sold me was how seamless the experience truly is. I switch on my old Samsung Galaxy tablet, connect it to my PC or the same Wi-Fi network, and boom — second screen.

URLCheck

The Android link safeguard and manager I can’t live without.

Every cross-app link I open on my phone goes through URLCheck. As its name suggests, this app acts as an intermediary, scanning links for viruses, expanding shortened links, removing tracking strings, and, best of all, allowing me to choose the app I want to open with. For videos, this could mean opening Banana Browser. For Google-related URLs, Chrome. For everything else, Firefox. It gives me control over how links are handled on my device.

Samsung Food

My favorite Android food app of 2025.

When it comes to finding, managing, and executing recipes, Samsung Food stands out from the rest. I can easily add new recipes from various sources or search for new ideas within the app, categorize these to build my own digital cookbook, and break down recipes into easily digestible steps with its nifty AI features. This app’s been a boon for my creativity in the kitchen.

DeepSeek

An alternative AI chatbot that offers incredible versatility.

This was something of a surprise at the beginning of the year. DeepSeek burst onto the scene in early 2025 as an open-source competitor to ChatGPT and Gemini. It offers free access to many of its powerful models, packs all this into an attractive Android app, and can be run entirely offline and on-device if you have the technical savvy.

Androidify

Turn yourself into an Android.

Finally, let’s end this list on a fun note. Androidify was relaunched this year with the company’s new bot design as inspiration. It essentially lets me create avatars of myself based on this design using images I feed it. You can also use these images to create wallpapers for your phone and watch faces for your Wear OS watch.

That’s it for my list of favorite Android apps of 2025, including some recommendations from the team or apps that caused a stir in the Android world.

Which apps make your list? Let us know in the comments below.