Android for Work: Productivity for Professionals

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If you're only using DocuSign to sign documents, it's entirely free to use.

How We Choose the Best Productivity Apps for Android

If you're in the business of generating documents and collecting the signed copies, however, you'll likely need a paid service plan. DocuSign is also available for iOS, Windows, and the web. Dragon Mobile Assistant for Android is one of the best apps for controlling your phone using voice commands. When you install and set up this free app, you can use your voice to send and receive messages, post updates on social media, write emails, set reminders, schedule appointments, and more.

You can enable an option that allows your phone to wake up when it hears your unique voice, even when the screen is locked. Dragon also has a setting that, when enabled, detects when you're in a moving vehicle and automatically switches to hands-free, eyes-free mode.

Whether you enjoy the efficiency of controlling your phone with your voice or it makes you more productivity due to accessibility reasons, it's hard to pass up this excellent app. Having a reliable file syncing app is indispensable on your mobile device. File syncing and backup apps, such as Dropbox, give you access to your most important documents no matter where you are. When you need to show a proof of address or some other paperwork in a pinch, you can get it within seconds as long as you have the app installed. With Dropbox, you don't even need an internet connection to reach your most important documents, as there's an option to save them offline.

The very best file syncing services can back up photos and videos from your phone automatically, and that includes Dropbox. For its speed, simple interface, and reliability, Dropbox is one of the best file syncing apps. An honorable mention goes to Google Drive for being an outstanding alternative; and while it does come preinstalled on some Android phones we said no stock apps on this list, I know , it requires that you authenticate your Google account to use it.

No other note-taking app has as much functionality as Evernote. This app, which is free for Android, lets you quickly capture any type of note, whether it's a voice memo, checklist, text note, or an image. You can snap photos that contain text, such as a page of a book or a whiteboard from a meeting, and Evernote will not only save them, but also make the text searchable using optical character recognition OCR technology.

OCR works for both typed text and handwriting. It's an excellent app for productivity enthusiasts and essential on Android. Evernote also has apps for all major platforms, including the web, though you'll need a paid account to sync notes among other devices. OneNote deserves an honorable mention for offering nearly all the same features as Evernote, but for free. Using the wrong word or having grievous typos in an important message or document can cause embarrassment and put real strain on relationships.

Grammarly goes a long way to preventing those kinds of mishaps, both for single words and words in context. It's an online tool for checking spelling, grammar, overused words, and other matters related to writing, and it now has a mobile app for both iOS and Android. It installs as a keyboard app and reviews your spelling as you write.

When you're ready for more contextual advice, you can run Grammarly on an entire document or message to have it look for mistakes. The app is free, though some features are reserved for Premium subscribers, such as suggestions for improvement in style and vocabulary. Because it's implemented as a keyboard app, it works in any Android app that uses the keyboard. If you write a lot of important memos from your phone, it boosts your productivity by checking your text faster and more efficiently than if you used your eyes alone.

Like any solid password manager, LastPass remembers the logins and passwords to all your online accounts and keeps them secure. LastPass shines on Android by automatically logging you into your accounts without you having to copy and paste anything. Additionally, it can safely and securely autofill other fields, such as your shipping address when you make online purchases, which speeds up practically everything you do on your phone or tablet.

LastPass has many other functions, too, such as generating secure passwords, giving you space to keep secure notes, and syncing your password across devices. Because it's so well integrated with the operating system, LastPass is our favorite password manager app for Android.

Software for creating diagrams and flowcharts is a lifesaver for anyone who isn't a designer but needs to make a few visuals every now and again.

Put Android to work

Lucidchart, which is available for Android as well as iOS and the web, is the best app for doing so. This app has universal appeal in helping people create professional diagrams for both work or personal use people love it for drawing family trees, for example , and its Android app is surprisingly easy to use.

You create diagrams using a bank of premade shapes, many of which are designed for specific types of visuals, such as org charts, decisions trees, room diagrams, and so forth. All the diagrams you create with Lucidchart sync between other places where you use the app, including the web, where Lucidchart supports collaboration in a manner that's nearly identical to collaboration in G Suite. The app comes preset with lists labeled Next, Waiting, Later, Scheduled, and Someday, plus an Inbox for capturing ideas on the fly. Each task can contain a time estimate, as well as an energy level estimate, which helps you identify tasks you should do when you're starting to flag but still want to get things done low-energy tasks , or those that are best to tackle when you're pumped and focused high-energy tasks.

Nirvana is also available on iOS and the web. While Pocket may not seem like a productivity app, it is in the sense that you can focus on what you need or want to read without most of the usual trappings of the web and its distractions. There are advertisements in the free version of the app, which can certainly lure you away from your essential reading, although having a paid membership gets rid of these potential productivity distractors.

Either way, Pocket still offers a much better experience than scrolling endlessly through news feeds or articles in other apps. Pushbullet lets you share information across devices quickly, easily, and simply. When you use a variety of devices, such as an Android phone, and iPad, and a Windows laptop, Pushbullet allows you to send any information or files you need from one device to another.

In its design and setup, it looks similar to a multiplatform messaging app. You can even use Pushbullet among friends as a messaging app. Maybe you want to send an iMessage to someone, but you'd rather type it out on your Windows computer. Type away, then send the contents to your iPhone via Pushbullet. And finally, copy and paste the message into the app of your choice.

The app has other features as well, such as news notifications, if you don't find them too distracting from focusing on your productivity. RescueTime is an app and service that passively watches what you do on your computer and Android device and records how you spend your time. The idea is to track your time, not necessarily for billing purposes, but so that you can see an accurate snapshot of your daily, weekly, and monthly productivity. When you install and set up RescueTime, you indicate what kinds of apps and websites are productive, unproductive, or somewhere in the middle.

Then it tracks how you spend your time and creates graphs and reports that classify how much time was productive or unproductive. Because the Android operating system allows RescueTime to see which other apps you use, it works nearly the same on Android as it does on desktop. From the Android app, you can analyze the reports from your desktop data, too. Android gives you wide-ranging access to files stored on your devices, as well as the devices' controls, but delving into them without the help of an app can be cumbersome and overwhelming.

Solid Explorer is an inexpensive Android app made for navigating your device and everything on it in a friendly interface. It also includes archiving tools so that you can stuff multiple files into a. When you need to dig around in your Android device, Solid Explorer saves you time and keeps the experience user-friendly. After many exasperating experiences with work timer apps for Android that don't run properly or are annoyingly difficult to quit, Tide feels downright refreshing and calming. This app, which is also available for iPhone, has a timer that you set for the length you want to work, and then it plays a natural white noise track until your focus period is up.

Tracks include natural sounds, such as ocean waves and rainfall. Plus, after any timed work session, you have an option to time a short break, thereby using the Pomodoro productivity method. We also love that Tide does double-duty as a white noise app for falling asleep. Toggl is among the best time-tracking apps , and it stands out on Android for its ease of use. If you need to track time spent in meetings, at a client visit, or while doing anything when you're away from your desk, Toggl is the best mobile app for the job.

You can use it to keep tabs on billable hours or to record time on task for your own productivity purposes. Toggl also wins hearts for having a free tier of service that's actually quite useful, though you may need to pony up to a paid plan for additional reporting tools and project management features. Her articles have also appeared in Wired magazine. She holds a Master's in instructional design and is a doctoral student in Library and Information Management. When she's not feeding her geek side with new gadgets or writing about technology, Marziah enjoys keeping Portland weird with her husband and two children.

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Read more Read less. About the Author Marziah Karch takes a special delight in the challenge of explaining new gadgets and complex technology to beginning audiences. Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

The book, Android for Work, covers the essential tools needed to effectively use your Android phone for both business and casual users. It shows how to use each of the major areas that are included in all of the major Android phones from email to GPS maps to business productivity applications and everything in between. The books is aimed at the business professional but has application to every user. It's certainly a must-read for the professional but also has useful information for every user showing how to setup the phone and describing many, many useful downloaded apps for all users.

The bottom line is that I absolutely loved the book. I have had my Nexus One phone since the first hour it was offered by Google but never used it to it's full capability until I read this book. I kept my phone next to me as I read it and found I was picking up the phone constantly to adjust it's settings or to download the apps that were recommended by Ms. I have never felt more in control of a personal productivity device before. I couldn't recomend this book more for any professional or casual user who wants to expand their use and enjoyment of their Android phone.

Though I had owned an Android phone for almost two years before I got this book, I was barely scratching the surface of all of my phone's applications and productivity. Karch's suggestions, I am now able to effectively communicate with students and colleagues, even when I'm traveling, with a minimal drop in productivity. I am often able to leave my bulky laptop at home and navigate both personal and work emails, along with attached documents, easily and efficiently through my phone.

Karch's suggestions also allowed me to get the maximum use out of my first-generation Android phone up until time for my contract renewal and the ability to purchase a replacement at a reduced rate. So the book is not only a time-saver but a money-saver as well! I got a new android phone and was having trouble using it.

The 20 Best Productivity Apps for Android in 2018

After reading this book written for those of us who aren't programmers I can understand how to use the phone with it's various bells and whistles. I'd recommend it for anyone with an android phone, including new users trying to figure out how they work and current android owners so they can get more use out of their phone.

Use your own device

For full disclosure, I do know the author in person.

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