2 Android apps I can’t live without: SkipLock and Shush

One of the benefits of having an Android device – I have the Nexus 5 and it’s the best phone I’ve ever had – is that you can use apps that really allow you to tweak and improve your phone. Unfortunately, Apple still does not allow you to use apps such as the ones I’m about to describe, which is a big reason that I’m an Android user now.

SkipLock and Shush! are two of my favorite apps at the moment. Both are brilliant apps that make you question why they aren’t built into the operating system of every phone.

SkipLock takes into account that you want your phone locked for security…but only when its not with you. It allows you to keep your phone unlocked when it is connected to bluetooth or wifi points that you select. For instance, when you’re driving there is no reason to have your phone locked, so just select your car’s bluetooth in the SkipLock settings and whenever your phone connects to your car’s bluetooth, your phone is unlocked. Same thing goes for your home wifi. Why have your phone locked when its at home with you?

Ever silence your phone in the morning for a meeting and then realize hours after the meeting that you’ve missed several calls and texts because you forgot to turn your ringer back on? With Shush!, every time you silence your phone or put it on vibrate, a notice comes up and asks if you want to put a timer on it. Have an hour-long meeting? Just select an hour on Shush! and as soon as that hour is up, your phone’s ringer is back on the way it was before you silenced it.

What are some of your favorite Android apps?