I dumped 8 popular Android apps for these better open-source alternatives

There’s some great open-source apps for managing passwords, playing podcasts, and more. I dumped 8 popular Android apps for these better open-source alternatives. I replaced 8 popular Android apps with great open-source apps.

Last month, I detailed my preferred replacements for Google’s more popular apps. Today, I’m looking to address some of the more important stragglers on my phone that weren’t made in Mountain View. Not every app on my phone is made by Google, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good open-source alternatives for these products.

In fact, while some of Google’s apps are rather difficult to replace due to their unmatched service integration, many of the apps on the list below are far simpler to switch out. Which Google app would you find most difficult to replace on your phone. 974 votes Google Keep 16 % Google Maps 31 % Google Play Store 15 % Google Clock 3 % Google Chrome 6 % Quickshare 2 % Gboard 6 % Google Tasks 2 % Google Photos 7 % Gmail 9 % Pixel Weather 3 % Another Google app (elaborate in the comments).

IPhone Duo is the first iPhone that can run two apps on the screen at the same time. Unfold the phone in landscape orientation, and Split View puts two apps side by side on the 7.6-inch inner display.

It’s especially handy for things like keeping Messages open next to Maps, or Safari next to Notes. If there’s an app combination that you use often, you can lock two together as an app pair, and they will always launch together.

Here’s how to do both. Open Two Apps in Split View The way it currently works, Split View can be invoked on the iPhone Duo’s inner display in landscape orientation.

Here are the two ways to start it. From an App You’re Already Using: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, pause in the center, then keep dragging the app toward the left or right edge.

The app will settle into that half of the screen, and the Home Screen will appear on the other half. Now select the second app you want to open.

You can tap its icon from the Home Screen, swipe down to search for it, or swipe leftwards to find it in the App Library. Tap the second app, and it will appear alongside the first.

From the Home Screen or App Library: Touch and hold an app icon, then tap Open in Split View. We’ve found that in certain cases, two windows of the same app also work.

Apps that support multiple windows include Safari, Mail, Notes and Files. This way, you can have two webpages open at once, or your inbox next to a draft.

To swap the two apps around, just swipe up from the bottom of either app, pause in the center, then drag it to the opposite side. Lock Two Apps as an App Pair With both apps open in Split View, tap the divider between them.

There isn’t really a second step – that’s essentially it. The apps are now paired, and the next time you open either one, the other one will open with it automatically.

To unpair them at any time, just drag the divider in the center, all the way to the left or right edge of the screen. The app you push off will close, while the other will return to full screen.