The best apps for all your devices

Plus a pair of nifty new widget options  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ # Brought to you by: =​ I may live and breathe Android — but guess what? I also use other types of devices. I rely on a Windows computer for work stuff, for instance, and I carry around a Chromebook for after-hours noodling. Plus, I've got other (alleged) humans in my life who use different types of devices beyond that. And while companies like Apple may like to pretend that everyone can live solely within their carefully controlled universe, here in the real world, it’s much more practical to pick programs that work equally well everywhere — whether you simply want to avoid limiting yourself to a single locked-down ecosystem or you just acknowledge that everyone else in your life doesn’t necessarily make the same choices you do. That's why this week, I want to share a fresh 'n' zesty collection of the best cross-platform productivity apps — exceptional apps that work on any type of device and make it easy to move from one platform to another (or to collaborate with anyone on any platform) without missing a beat. There's some awesome stuff there just waiting to be embraced. You'll find the full list, along with a couple other timely tips, in this week's Things to Try section. JR Today's read: ⌚ 3 Things to Know: 1 minute 30 seconds ⌚ 3 Things to Try: 45 seconds ⌚ Just for Funsies: 20 seconds ​ Thanks again for your patience — and for all the well wishes. 🙏 I truly appreciate your understanding while I've worked my way through knee surgery recovery and missed a couple of issues as a result. I'm happy to report things are moving along slowly but surely, and while I've still got plenty of physical therapy ahead of me, I'm starting to feel vaguely like a functioning human again. I can't tell you how much it means to have your support. [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Know This Week 1. Google's got a serious Android perception problem ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Apple's convincing an entire generation of phone-buyers that Android is behind the times — and it's increasingly critical for Google to correct that misperception. 🔎 KNOW MORE: More and more data suggests Apple's winning the messaging war and reinforcing the woefully off-base idea that Android devices are limited, lower-end alternatives to the magical iPhone standard. - Apple's share of the US smartphone market has been growing for a while now, but most eye-opening of all is the fact that some 87% of teens supposedly now own iDevices and plan to continue buying 'em. - Especially in the States, the way Apple very deliberately dumbs down its iMessage experience and makes Android phones look like second-class citizens is a huge part of what's driving this trend, but it also doesn't help that the most widely purchased Android devices are low-end clunkers that only reinforce the perception of Android being junky. - If Google wants to turn the tides with this, it's gotta start making the distinction between those bottom-of-the-barrel blah devices and the higher-end exceptional-experience options that make the iPhone look bland, old-fashioned, and boring — and now's the perfect time to make that happen. 📌 READ MORE: Dive deeper into the state of this mess and why there's actually a possible light at the end of the tunnel in [this fiery new madman rant analysis](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. A major Android messaging upgrade could be coming ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google appears to be working on a significant improvement to its Google Messages app that'd make it infinitely more useful. 🔎 KNOW MORE: As it stands now, Messages — the de facto default Android messaging program — can run only on one Android device at a time. - Google does offer a Messages web app for computers, but it's fairly limited in how it works and not at all optimal for tablets or secondary phones. - But some under development code suggests the Android Messages app could soon support a true multidevice setup — where you could install it anywhere and simply sign in with your Google account to send and receive messages. - This kind of multidevice capability used to be available back in the days of Google's old Hangouts messaging platform, ironically enough. And getting it back now would certainly be a welcome leap back in the right direction. 📌 READ MORE: You can see all there is to know about this under-development possibility in [this new report](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. An Android credit card glitch is about to be fixed ➜ THE SHORT VERSION: Google's rushing out a fix for a freshly discovered glitch that could let someone grab credit card info off your phone — but, most important here, the odds of anything actually happening to you in the meantime are incredibly low. 🔎 KNOW MORE: The issue was revealed this week and is being addressed in the next Android security patch, which should hit all devices running 2020's Android 11 software and higher soon. But, again, there's really no reason to panic. - The loophole works only if you're actively using Android's App Pinning system to lock a specific app to your screen (and if you don't know what App Pinning is, it's safe to say you aren't using it!). - When a single app is locked to your screen with that system and two specific options are also activated around it, someone could theoretically use an NFC reading tool to remotely reveal your credit card info — if (a) they were physically near you and (b) you had a credit card set up within Google Wallet for NFC payments. - Realistically speaking, it's extraordinarily unlikely for all of those variables to come together. But it's still good to see Google addressing this so quickly — and it's also a good reminder of why using a device that receives timely software updates is so important. 📌 READ MORE: [This detailed article]() has all there is to know about the issue. #top SPONSORED MESSAGE One calendar to rule them all 🧙 =​ We’ve all heard the phrase: “I’ll send you a calendar invite.” Sure, but where?! Zoom? Teams? 365? Scheduling across multiple platforms gets old fast. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just have one calendar to manage, not several? Pro tip: [Calendar.com](=) integrates with your entire stack, so you don’t have to flip through applications just to know when Tuesday’s budget meeting is! Here’s why [Calendar.com](=) is trusted by 80k business like Meta, Oracle, and Amazon: ✅ Syncs Google Cal, Zoom, Teams, Office 365, HubSpot, and more 🗓️ Scheduling links make it downright ~brainless~ to book meetings 📲 Share your public cal with your team, keep your private cal for your eyes only It even has a nifty analytics feature, so you can track how you spend your day over time. ➜ [Ready to put the ‘pro’ in ‘productivity’? Make the switch to Calendar.com today!](=) [SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE ➜](=) #top [] ❱❱ 3 Things to Try This Week 1. Find the best apps for all your devices We talk plenty about the best apps for various purposes on Android — but for most of us, the real world is far more complicated. Here in the reality of 2023, there's something to be said for finding tools that work equally well across any device in your life, whether we're talkin' a Windows computer you use for work, a Chromebook you use around the house, or maybe even (gasp!) an iOS device your significant other insists on carrying. ➜ They aren't always the obvious choices, but once you start diggin' around and seeking out cross-platform apps for getting stuff done, you can find some truly tremendous treasures. ⌚ And each of 'em will take you two to four minutes to set up and try out. 📌 [Check out my full collection of the best multiplatform productivity apps](=) and see if any of 'em might fit into your multidevice reality. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Uncover Keep's new text formatting feature We've been hearing about Google Keep's long-awaited text formatting addition for ages now, and this week, it's finally starting to arrive. ➜ Yep, that's right: At long last, you can apply native text styling — making any words bold, italicized, or underlined and even using strikethrough text and headings — within any Keep note. Hip, hip, hoorah! ⌚ The update that enables this should be showing up on your phone any minute now, if it hasn't already, and it'll take you 20 seconds to find: - Just [open up the Keep app]( on your phone (or tablet). - Tap the plus button in the lower-right corner to start a new note. - Look for the newly added A symbol in the lower-left area of the text editing box. ​ Tap that son of a gizmo, and hey, how 'bout that? You've got yourself a fancy formatting bar just waiting for your tender caress. ​ If you don't see the A option yet, don't worry: It's actively rolling out as we speak, and these things can sometimes take a few days to reach everyone. Check back every day or two, and you should see it in front of your suspiciously moist eyeballs before long! --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Try out a pair of nifty new home screen widgets In other 'Bout Time! news, Google's finally getting around to giving us a couple o' welcome new widget options that are well worth your while to consider. ➜ They're widgets for custom stock tracking and connected TV controlling — two things we heard about months ago and have been waiting to actually enjoy. ⌚ Each will take you all of 12 seconds to find and put into action. 📌 I've got all the steps you need to make it happen in [this quick 'n' simple guide](). --------------------------------------------------------------- [SPONSORED]​ 🕰️ “Incredible.” “Game-changing.” “Like having a superpower.” That’s how people using Upword, an AI-powered research assistant, describe it. Like a cross between Chat-GPT and an actual, full-time research assistant, [Upword](organizes your content and synthesizes entire sections of text, cutting your reading time by a whopping 85%. Readers of The Intelligence newsletters can [try Upword for free with a 7-day trial]( — start today and save yourself tons of time. #top [] ❱❱ And Just for Funsies... Sticking to your phone's stock emoji options is, like, so 2019. Few mere mortals realize it, but Google's got a great little system for cookin' up your own custom emoji creations — and as of this week, it's especially easy to access from any device, anytime. The system's called Emoji Kitchen, and it gives you the power to combine multiple emojis together to make all sorts of wild new expressions. 📌 All you've gotta do to access it now is [search for the phrase "Emoji Kitchen" within any Google Search prompt](, anywhere. Tap the Get Cooking button in the emoji box at the top of the results that appear, and you can then pick any two emojis and mash 'em up into a single mutant symbol — like, say, merging a funny-face mustache man and a loaf of bread to make the most amazing bakery item imaginable. Mmm...mustache bread. Once you've made your creation, you can share it anywhere as an image to delight and/or horrify everyone you know. In advance: You're welcome — and I apologize. #top See Ya Next Week If we can be completely serious for a second, I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am to be back here and hangin' out with ya again. We've got an action-packed fall ahead of us, with everything from Android 14's arrival to Google's next big hardware shindig. And we might have a few fun surprises here in these humble newsletter quarters of ours, too. Have yourself a delightful weekend — and rest up, won't ya? We've got some awesome adventures ahead. What'd you think of this issue? Pick a face to vote and let me know! [Loved it]([It was all right]([Coulda been better]( ​ ➜ Did you enjoy this issue? [Copy your custom referral link]( and share it with other people to spread the word and earn [all sorts of awesome rewards](=)! ➜ Hungry for even more? [Try a Platinum membership]( to gain access to three premium Android Intelligence publications along with oodles of other advanced resources. ➜ New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up now](). ➜ Not feelin' it anymore? Sorry to see you go — but no worries: You can [unsubscribe or update your preferences here](=). [Get even more Android Intelligence. Upgrade to a Platinum membership today.](=)