J. R. Haigh's recommendations for Android
F-Droid (https://f-droid.org/ ) (GPLv3+) – libre software repository, from which the following can be downloaded (To install, you need to enable ‘unknown sources’ because it is separate from Google.); |
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FAST App Search Tool (GPLv3) – quick application launcher from double-clicking or up-swiping the home button; |
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Hanger (GPLv3) – recent application launcher widget for notification bar (tip: pin FAST so that you can quickly get to applications that have fallen off the list); |
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Kiwix (GPLv3) – offline Wiktionary, Wikipedia, etc.; |
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LibreTorrent (GPLv3) – reliably download large files such as those used by Kiwix; |
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RPN (GPLv3+) – step-by-step calculator with no need for parentheses (e.g. compare [[1]], [[Enter]], [[2]], [[Enter]], [[3]], [[×]], [[+]] with [[1]], [[Enter]], [[2]], [[+]], [[3]], [[×]]); |
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Open Camera (GPLv3+) – advanced still and video camera; |
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MuPDF (AGPLv3+) – view portable documents (PDFs) often attached to emails or downloaded; |
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VLC (GPLv3) – media player; |
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LeafPic (GPLv3) – media gallery; |
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Hashr (GPLv3+) – verify files; |
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Amaze (GPLv3) – file manager; |
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Ghost Commander (GPLv3) – advanced file manager; |
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Turbo Editor (GPLv3+) – text editor; |
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Lock Screen (GPLv3+) – in combination with unchecking the ‘Power button instantly locks’ security setting, this is a partial workaround for Android not distinguishing between locking the screen and locking for security; |
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SatStat (GPLv3+) – sensor status with ability to manually or automatically update AGPS data for quicker positioning fix; |
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Transportr (GPLv3+) – public transport planner; |
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Suntimes (GPLv3+) – show, and set alarms for, sunset, twilight times, sunrise, and noon; |
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React (GPLv3+) – test your reaction time; |
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Periodic Table (GPLv3) – chemical element browser; |
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Quill (GPLv3) – draw visual notes, especially with stylus (lacks handwriting recognition); |
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Flym (GPLv3) – feed reader, supports RSS and Atom feeds; |
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WiFi Analyzer (GPLv3) – analyses Wi-Fi channels; |
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Rotation Manager (GPLv3) – set application-specific orientations, a workaround for some Android rotation issues; |
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OsmAnd (GPLv3) – offline OpenStreetMap; |
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NewPipe (GPLv3+) – YouTube downloader for later offline playing; |
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Mitzuli (GPLv2+) – offline translator; |
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Barcode Scanner (search ‘zxing’) (Apache2) – scan barcodes and share via QR codes; |
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K-9 Mail (Apache2) – email client; |
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LibreOffice Viewer (MPLv2) – view office documents; |
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IceCat Mobile (MPLv2) – Web browser; |
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Activity Launcher (ISC) – create homescreen shortcuts directly to specific activities within applications, such as the ‘Tethering & portable hotspot’ activity within Settings. |
All of these applications are libre software (you are free to use, study, modify, and share them) and the offline content files for OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia's wikis are also libre.