I’m back! This is a continuation of my series on platform-specific hidden gem apps that you have discovered that are the best in their class for your usecase.
We’ve done iOS+MacOS so far so lets get universal and share our Android hidden gems.
For mine, I would say NewPipe for YouTube… Lets do it!
Edit: Please try to avoid apps that cannot be purchased (subscription apps) since it is important that the creator cannot cut you off once you’ve taken time/effort/money to integrate it into your workflow and dependance. No Apollos, which have that fatal flaw + relying on an external API that they additionally cannot gurantee
Syncthing.
Allows you to use a laptop and sync your phone to it. No iCloud or Google drive needed. All syncs locally.
Wanted to also suggest Resilio Sync if you need something a little less fussy or smaller learning curve. I use it for many thins between devices, I never really “got” Syncthing altho I support their mission and excellent work the community benefits greatly from.
Syncthing is a bit comprehensive and less streamlined, I would say. I would definitely have to sit down for at least 1/2 day to get everything playing nice.
With Resilio, you can be up and running in like 20 minutes on the longer side. You can setup a sync folder and use a QR code to have everybody talking in a few minutes and customize the fewer but necessary options.
No offense to Syncthing, Resilio was probably inspired by it (conjecture)
Aegis is a FOSS, local only 2 factor TOTP generator. Essentially a Google authenticator without the Google.
I feel like KeePass is a preferable portable format that you can do everything any TOTP app can do without being tied into non-standard apps. Like .kdbx is a standard that works in any KeePass app
Local to the Device? Google already did that to me. Then my phone died and I had the world’s worst time trying to convince some of my vendors that I really was me. Like, I had to get my ID notarized in person and sent that paperwork off by international post in one example.
I wouldn’t want to go through that drama again. I moved to Authy, they keep my tokens encrypted on a cloud service. I could potentially be convinced to move to something self hosted, but never local-only again.
Authenticator Pro works with my Samsung Wear OS watch. I get the codes on my watch instead of switching between apps on my phone to get codes.
Aegis is what I have used for 2fa for quite some time now, but I think I should also mention Authenticator Pro . The feature set is similar to Aegis and, it’s got a design that some people may find attractive.
P.S: It also has Wear OS support, so that you can see 2fa codes from your watch (I can’t tell how well this feature works as I don’t own any wearable devices)
AntennaPod. It’s easily the best podcast player I’ve tried, it’s open source too which is nice.
It does! Gpodder2go! It’s super easy to host, too
KDE Connect (FREE, open source) is definitely a gem. I love using my phone as a remote mouse and keyboard for my HTPC, and syncing clipboard, files, links, and notifications with the other devices I’ve paired with. (BTW, despite the name, you don’t need KDE - or Linux even - to use it. It works on Windows and Android too.)
URLCheck (FREE, open source) is fantastic. It’s a little pop-up that appears when you click a link, showing you the full URL and letting you modify it before you open with your browser/associated app (e.g., to remove tracking parameters):
URLCheck acts as an amazingly customizable and powerful intermediary when opening url links, allowing, among other things: to remove trackers, affiliate links, unnecessary elements, check Hosts, facilitating link holding and sharing, protecting against certain phishing techniques and many more…
I switched to Device Connect because there’s an issue with KDE Connect & mconnect (since a few months ago) where it re-pairs every time the phone loses network connection. DC has far fewer features, but its reliable and doesn’t require running a KDE or Gnome service stack.
So I did NewPipe for using YouTube and that’s all I have to say on the matter 😘
