![\"Creating](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Creating-custom-Android-Bot-with-Androidify-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Creating")
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Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
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\u2019t necessarily launch this year, they have made a firm impression on me, changing the way I use and enjoy my handset. I\u2019m hoping the apps on this list will help you in the same way.<\/p>\n
So, without further ado, here are my 15 favorite Android apps that launched in or I discovered in 2025.<\/p>\n
What is your favorite Android app of 2025?<\/p>\n
69 votes<\/p>\n
Androidify<\/p>\n
25%<\/p>\n
Banana Browser<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
DeepSeek<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
Google Journal<\/p>\n
4%<\/p>\n
Localsend<\/p>\n
6%<\/p>\n
Next Player<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
Nobook<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
NotebookLM<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
Octopi Launcher<\/p>\n
19%<\/p>\n
OSS Document Scanner<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
Perplexity Comet<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
Samsung Food<\/p>\n
7%<\/p>\n
Stellarium<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
Super Display<\/p>\n
3%<\/p>\n
Tomato<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
URLcheck<\/p>\n
6%<\/p>\n
Weather Master<\/p>\n
9%<\/p>\n
whoBIRD<\/p>\n
1%<\/p>\n
Another app (mention in comments)<\/p>\n
0%<\/p>\n
Octopi Launcher<\/p>\n
The most promising foldable phone launcher on Android.<\/p>\n
![\"octopi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/octopi-launcher-hands-on-4.jpg\"\/ "\\"octopi")
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Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
The best new Android launcher of the year is undoubtedly Octopi<\/a>. 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\u2019s overwhelming but brilliant. It\u2019s still not as polished on traditional smartphones as some alternatives, but I can\u2019t fault the developer for thinking outside the box.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n Facebook is back and lighter than ever.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n 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\u2019s one of the apps I recommend non-techies install<\/a> on their devices for easy access to the social network\u2019s features.<\/p>\n Banana Browser<\/p>\n Ditch dedicated video apps and use this browser instead.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Two browsers feature on this list, and the first is Banana Browser<\/a>. While it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n NotebookLM<\/p>\n The most impactful Google product I\u2019ve used in years.<\/p>\n Tushar Mehta \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t fond of the NotebookLM<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n I primarily use it as a digital manual for my car<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n OSS Document Scanner<\/p>\n An excellent open-source PDF scanner for Android.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n With Microsoft retiring its dedicated PDF scanner app<\/a>, I embarked on a quest to find a suitable replacement. While I used plenty of great PDF scanner apps in my quest, there\u2019s one that I\u2019ve continued to use. OSS Document Scanner has a lot going for it. It\u2019s 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\u2019s not the outright best PDF scanner, but it\u2019s undoubtedly the best for my use.<\/p>\n whoBIRD<\/p>\n The easiest way to discover birdlife in real-time.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n One of my favorite finds of 2025, whoBIRD is a must for nature lovers and budding ornithologists. It\u2019s an unusual Android app<\/a>, sure, but it helps me identify birds based on their calls. It compares recordings sampled in real-time from my phone\u2019s microphone to the BirdNET database. While it\u2019s not always accurate, it does help me narrow down the species. Best of all, it\u2019s free and open-source.<\/p>\n Tomato<\/p>\n A cornerstone of my daily productivity workflow.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n 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\u2019s all I really need from a Pomodoro. As a result, it has become a part of my productivity app workflow<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stellarium<\/p>\n My favorite app discovery of 2025 (thanks, readers!)<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I was recommended Stellarium by a reader<\/a> 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\u2019s an excellent educational tool for serious sky gazers and novices alike.<\/p>\n Google Journal<\/p>\n A simple, on-device journal that encourages content creation.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Google launched a slew of new apps in 2025, but one that I really enjoyed using is Google Journal<\/a>. 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\u2019s pretty barebones, but that\u2019s 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\u2019ve used it as a travel log and find it particularly brilliant for this use case.<\/p>\n Next Player<\/p>\n My favorite straightforward video player, with no frills and no fuss.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I needed a fuss-free video player, and Next Player<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Weather Master<\/p>\n The best new Android weather app I\u2019ve used in 2025.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I consider myself a picky weather app user, but Weather Master<\/a> really impressed me. It\u2019s inspired by Google\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Perplexity Comet<\/p>\n Finally, an AI browser that fits into my workflow.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I was an avid Perplexity user, but I can\u2019t say the same for AI browsers. While I don\u2019t 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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n LocalSend<\/p>\n A quick, private way to share files across devices on your network.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I needed a way to connect my various devices, and Quick Share wasn\u2019t cutting it. In stepped LocalSend<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n Super Display<\/p>\n The best way to turn any Android screen into a second laptop display.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t spend much on Android apps this year, but easily the best investment I made was purchasing Super Display<\/a>. 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 \u2014 second screen.<\/p>\n URLCheck<\/p>\n The Android link safeguard and manager I can\u2019t live without.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Every cross-app link I open on my phone goes through URLCheck<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n Samsung Food<\/p>\n My favorite Android food app of 2025.<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n When it comes to finding, managing, and executing recipes, Samsung Food<\/a> 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\u2019s been a boon for my creativity in the kitchen.<\/p>\n DeepSeek<\/p>\n An alternative AI chatbot that offers incredible versatility.<\/p>\n Dhruv Bhutani \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n This was something of a surprise at the beginning of the year. DeepSeek<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Androidify<\/p>\n Turn yourself into an Android.<\/p>\n Mishaal Rahman \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Finally, let\u2019s end this list on a fun note. Androidify<\/a> was relaunched this year with the company\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Which apps make your list? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png\"\/ "\\"google"){kind=icon}
<\/a>Nobook<\/p>\n![\"nobook](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/nobook-facebook-android-app-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"nobook")
<\/p>\n![\"banana](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/banana-browser-android-5.jpg\"\/ "\\"banana")
<\/p>\n![\"notebooklm](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/notebooklm-audio-overview-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"notebooklm")
<\/p>\n![\"oss](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/oss-document-scanner-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"oss")
<\/p>\n![\"whobird](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/whobird-unusual-android-app-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"whobird")
<\/p>\n![\"tomato](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760187191_508_tomato-pomodoro-app-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"tomato")
<\/p>\n![\"stellarium](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/stellarium-android-app-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"stellarium")
<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/google-journal-on-samsung-phone-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
<\/p>\n![\"next](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/next-player-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"next")
<\/p>\n![\"weather](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/weather-master-weather-app-pixel-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"weather")
<\/p>\n![\"perplexity](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765033523_815_perplexity-comet-browser-android-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"perplexity")
<\/p>\n![\"localsend](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/localsend-feature-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"localsend")
<\/p>\n![\"super](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/super-display-android-tablet-portable-monitor-4.jpg\"\/ "\\"super")
<\/p>\n![\"urlcheck](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/urlcheck-android-app-feature-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"urlcheck")
<\/p>\n![\"samsung](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/samsung-food-feature-2.jpg\"\/ "\\"samsung")
<\/p>\n![\"Deepseek](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Deepseek-reasoning.jpg\"\/ "\\"Deepseek")
<\/p>\n![\"Androidify](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Androidify-app-on-an-Android-phone-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"Androidify")
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