These are the 5 apps I can t live without Tom's Guide Skip to main content Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us.

These are the 5 apps I can t live without

By Marc McLaren published 12 September 2022 The five Android apps I'd be lost without (Image credit: Tom's Guide) You might think that if you spend your days reading and writing about phones, the last thing you'd want to do in your downtime is spend even more time using them. But the five apps here are my favorites precisely because they help me enjoy those rare moments when I'm not editing copy about the iPhone 14 Pro Max or Google Pixel 7. Although actually, that's a bit of a lie - because one of them is an app I use for work rather than play. However, I had to include it even though it didn't fit the narrative, simply because it's so good that I always want to tell people about it. Still, the other four are very much aligned with my hobbies, and maybe they'll be useful for yours, too.

1 Komoot

(Image credit: Komoot) Like about 70% of the world's population, I bought myself a bike during lockdown and discovered that after a 30-year break from cycling I actually really enjoyed it. I also quickly learned that I had much more fun tearing down muddy trails than dodging idiots in SUVs on the road, and that's where Komoot comes in. Komoot excels with off-road action, providing hyper-detailed maps that show even the smallest tracks and serving up recommendations from other users who have ridden them. You can create and save routes your own routes, too, and though I also use Strava I find Komoot's ride-recording interface to be far superior, not least because you can view both the route and your stats at the same time. It's free but offers various in-app purchases and can also be used for hiking. Download Komoot: App Store (opens in new tab) / Google Play (opens in new tab)

2 Songkick

(Image credit: Songkick) Music is an even bigger passion of mine, and I would literally not be able to keep track of the various gigs I go to without the brilliant Songkick. Think of it as a personal assistant purely for alerting you to upcoming concerts and you won't be far wrong. You simply tell it which bands and artists you like, where you are, then let it do its thing; as soon as new dates are announced, you'll get a notification telling you who's playing and where, and linking you to the ticket-purchasing page. Better still, if you connect it to your Spotify account it will scan your library so you don't even need to manually add your favorites. Once you purchase tickets it'll also remind you what you're going to, which is very handy if (like me) you regularly buy them months in advance then forget about them. It's a one-stop shop for music lovers. Download Songkick: App Store (opens in new tab) / Google Play (opens in new tab)

3 SkyView

(Image credit: Skyview) As a true nerd, I've always been fascinated by the night sky. I don't always have time to set up my telescope-and-camera combo, which I use for a spot of astrophotography now and again, but Skyview is one of several apps that bring the stargazing experience to my phone instead. It's incredibly easy to use; just point your phone at the sky and it will tell you what you're looking at, be it planet, star or constellation. Lots of other apps do this, and some actually do it better - for instance I'm also a big fan of SkySafari (opens in new tab) and Stellarium (opens in new tab), both of which offer far greater functionality overall. But what I like about SkyView is that it uses AR to overlay the stars and what your camera is seeing, making it much easier to pinpoint exactly what you're looking at. Plus, it does this in the free version, rather than requiring a paid upgrade. For the astronomy curious beginner, it's a great download. Download SkyView: App Store (opens in new tab) / Google Play (opens in new tab)

4 JustWatch

(Image credit: JustWatch) I spend far too much of my free time hunting through Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, AppleTV Plus and other streaming services searching for the show I want to watch… or at least I used to before I discovered JustWatch. My colleague Henry Casey first alerted me to the genius of JustWatch, and I'm forever grateful to him for doing so. Simply search for the show or movie you want to see and it will tell you exactly where to find it, across 37 streaming services. Plus, you can link your own accounts to it and it'll tell you at a glance whether it's available on anything you already subscribe to. Absolutely essential. Download JustWatch: App Store (opens in new tab) / Google Play (opens in new tab)

5 Otter

(Image credit: Otter.ai) The sole work-related app in my list is Otter - a transcription app. Boring, right? Well maybe, but it's also brilliant. Simply press record before you talk to someone and it'll use powerful AI to give you real-time transcription of what's being said. It's impressively accurate - right down to punctuation and line breaks - and can even identify who's speaking. Then, once you're done, it's uploaded to the cloud for safe keeping or easy sharing with colleagues. It may not be as much fun as the options above, but it's worthy of a place on any smartphone. Download Otter.ai: App Store (opens in new tab) / Google Play (opens in new tab) Next: From our Senior Editor Kate Kozuch: these are the 5 iPhone apps I can't live without.Today's best Google Pixel 6 dealsPlansUnlockedGet $50 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractGoogle Pixel 6 (Installments 128GB) (opens in new tab)Google Pixel 6 (Installments 128GB) (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$33.71/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtexts4GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds) (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtexts4GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$33.71/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Get $47 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractGoogle Pixel 6 (128GB) (opens in new tab)Google Pixel 6 (128GB) (opens in new tab)$449 (opens in new tab) upfront$30/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddataCalls: to the US, CA, MEX and more + Unlimited Global TextData: Unlimited 2G after using 20GB 4G LTE/5G data (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtextsUnlimiteddataCalls: to the US, CA, MEX and more + Unlimited Global TextData: Unlimited 2G after using 20GB 4G LTE/5G dataView (opens in new tab)at Twigby (opens in new tab)$449 (opens in new tab) upfront$30/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Twigby (opens in new tab)Get $50 off this p... (opens in new tab)No contractGoogle Pixel 6 (Installments 128GB) (opens in new tab)Google Pixel 6 (Installments 128GB) (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$38.71/mth (opens in new tab)Unlimited minsUnlimitedtexts10GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds) (opens in new tab)No contractUnlimited minsUnlimitedtexts10GBdataCalls: Calls to MX & CA includedTexts: Messaging to MX & CA includedData: (slowed to 128kbps speeds)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)Free (opens in new tab) upfront$38.71/mth (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)at Mint Mobile (opens in new tab)We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Be In the Know

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Marc McLarenFormerly Editor in Chief (U.K.) on Tom's Guide, Marc oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage, and was also responsible for the site's U.K.-focused output. He is now U.K. Editor in Chief on TechRadar. Marc previously edited the tech website Stuff and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and much more. He also spent years on a music magazine, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people's fun, and on a car magazine. An avid photographer, he likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). When he gets time, he also enjoys gaming (console and mobile), cycling and attempting to watch as much sport as any human can. He's also fallen in love with Wordle over the past six months and is the author of our today's Wordle answer column, in which he supplies hints and strategy tips for the mega-popular word game. Given he's completed every single Wordle so far and only lost once, and analyzed every Wordle answer in search of patterns, he's well qualified to help you safeguard your streak. More about apps VPN Black Friday deals 2022: Early savings and bundles Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which is the best music app?Latest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra benchmarks just leaked - and it's not good newsSee more latest ► Topics Android Apps Apps Smartphones See all comments (0) No comments yet Comment from the forums MOST READMOST SHARED1LG C2 OLED is lowest price ever before Black Friday - and it's our favorite OLED TV2Padres vs Phillies live streams 2022: How to watch NLCS Game 4 online right now3WinkBeds mattress sales: Get $300 off an award-winning bed-topper4Avocado mattress sale: Save hundreds on an eco-friendly bed-topper 5What to watch this weekend: 9 shows and movies on Netflix, HBO Max and more (Oct. 21-23)1LG C2 OLED is lowest price ever before Black Friday - and it's our favorite OLED TV2Padres vs Phillies live streams 2022: How to watch NLCS Game 4 online right now3WinkBeds mattress sales: Get $300 off an award-winning bed-topper4Avocado mattress sale: Save hundreds on an eco-friendly bed-topper 5What to watch this weekend: 9 shows and movies on Netflix, HBO Max and more (Oct. 21-23)