When you think of Google apps, you picture apps like Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Assistant. These apps are so common that it feels as though they are a part of Android. If you visit Google LLC's Play Store page, you'll find an ocean of apps there. But lost in that ocean are some true hidden gems.
App developers at Google have been busy bees over the years, experimenting with a lot of unique ideas. There are many useful apps that they have created for Android that don't get prime-time coverage. So, let's look at some of those unsung heroes.
1. Socratic by Google
Socratic by Google is an AI-powered educational app. Imagine you are stuck on a question from your Math exercise. You will instantly look for help by typing the whole question into Google. Right? This is where Socratic comes in handy. With this clever app, you can scan that question and fetch the solutions from the best sources.
It is specially designed with Google's AI-powered algorithms for high schools, colleges, and universities. In addition, you can find solution videos for different subjects with a step-by-step explanation of the processes and methods. With its Voice Assist feature, Socratic lets you ask any question by speaking to it.
Socratic has partnered with teachers and experts to bring you visual explanations in each subject so that you can learn the concepts behind any problem. It currently works for Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, and Literature. The app hints towards adding more subjects in the future.
2. PhotoScan by Google Photos
PhotoScan is an extension of Google Photos. It's a scanner app for your old printed photos. The app is straightforward to use—just hold your phone on top of an image and move it in the way the app tells you to. The app then scans, combines, and enhances the photo. The results are surprisingly good.
It would be wrong to assume that PhotoScan would work as great as a physical scanner or a professional service. But as an app, it is among the best out there.
The app uses Google's artificial intelligence to calibrate the colors and remove glare. It also crops the photos automatically by detecting the edges and has the functionality to straighten or rotate the images. Moreover, you can automatically back up all scanned images directly to Google Photos.
3. Grasshopper
Grasshopper is an educational app by Google for learning to code in a fun way. Grasshopper offers different games and fun challenges through progressively difficult levels for developing your abilities. You can then graduate from the basic level to a more advanced level through visual puzzles and problem-solving.
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Industry-standard JavaScript is just a few taps away on this app. It gives you real-time feedback and provides useful guidance. It also has an achievement and rewards system to encourage you to stay consistent in your learning journey.
Once you've completed all the levels, Google will provide an eCertificate, and you can finally start your professional coding career.
4. Read Along by Google
Read Along is a reading app for children aged five years or above. Its primary function is to make reading more interactive and fun for the kids and promote independent learning. It helps them improve their reading skills in English and eight other languages.
It contains interesting stories and badges/achievements collection with a virtual assistant named Diya, which keeps children engaged. It is a child-friendly app, so it is safe for them to use. Moreover, it contains no ads and works offline as well. You can optimize its content according to the difficulty level.
It also has a feature of Multi-Child support through which multiple children use the same app and create an individual profile for their progress. The app recommends books to each child according to their reading abilities and level.
5. Crowdsource
Crowdsource is an interactive application to help Google enhance its AI technology. You can use your abilities, such as recognizing an object from an image or the sound of a specific bird, to help Google improve its AI system. In turn, you will be given different perks.
You can earn badges and get recognized in the Google community for your contributions. It also gives you an opportunity to attend Hangouts meetings with Google experts and other contributors to improve the Google ecosystem and its products.
You can provide services such as image label verification, image capture, translation, translation validation, handwriting recognition, sentiment evaluation, and many more.
6. Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture is an excellent app for art and history lovers. It contains stories and knowledge of more than 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries.
It has some great features such as Art Selfie in which you can discover portraits that look like you, 360 videos and virtual reality tours to take panoramic tours to your favorite places, Street View to tour famous landmarks and sites, and much more.
Another great feature is Explore by time and color, in which you can travel through time and see the rainbow through art. Moreover, it also finds museums and exhibitions nearby you.
This app provides a great digital experience and mental diversion from anywhere in the world.
7. Chrome Remote Desktop
There are several remote desktop viewers available for Android. Some of them are paid, some of them are free but limited. Chrome Remote Desktop is a rare example that is totally free and fully functional.
If you don't want to deal with yet another app on your PC, you can install an extension on your Chrome browser to access your PC from anywhere in the world using your Android phone.
The best part is that it works for the whole PC and isn't just limited to the Chrome browser. As long as both your PC and Android device are online, you'll be able to access your PC securely.
8. Google Tasks
Google Tasks is a to-do list app to manage your daily tasks and routines. Google Tasks has excellent integration with Google Calendar and Gmail, which helps manage and perform daily tasks efficiently, and you can edit, view, and manage tasks from any device on the go.
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You'll also find your Tasks in the Google Calendar sidebar. The app can create tasks from your email quickly and provides nifty task management features such as sub-tasks in which you can break the main task into smaller, more achievable goals.
Due dates can be efficiently set for tasks and projects by adding a reminder date to any note. Also, you can add a checklist to any note, allowing you to check off multiple steps in a project.
The Best Lesser-Known Google Apps
It is natural to go for the apps with the best ratings and download numbers. But once in a while, it is worth trying apps with average figures. The app might not be suitable for some people, but it might be essential for you.
So, check out the Google apps mentioned above and go ahead and discover more exciting apps from the Play Store.