Apps that come with your Android phone

Explore your Android phone’s built-in apps and how useful they can be in day-to-day life.

Learn about the apps that come pre-installed on an Android phone. These are free, and include apps that help you in everyday life, help you communicate, keep organised and get you to where you're going.

Before you begin

This course is about apps by Google that are included with Android phones. Your model of Android phone also includes apps from your phone’s manufacturer, which may do similar things. It’s up to you whether to use a Google app, or your phone’s branded app.

How to find apps that come with your Android phone

A new or used Android phone comes with a set of Google apps to get you started:

Each Android phone is different, but most have a similar set of Google apps.
These are usually already installed, but if they aren’t, can be downloaded for free from the Play Store.
The Google apps have icons on the Home screen.
On some Android phones you may need to swipe left or right on the Home screen to see more of the Google apps.

There are lots of Google apps, so this course will cover the following useful apps:

Google Wallet
Google Calendar
Keep
Messages by Google

Google Meet
Gmail
Google Podcasts
Google Files

Google Photos
Google Maps
Find My Device

Android tablets include a similar set of Google apps. They might look slightly different or have different features, but they should work in the same way.

Keeping Android apps up to date

It’s important to keep apps up to date so you get the latest features and security improvements. Keep them updated automatically from the Play Store:

On the Play Store app main screen, tap the profile circle in the top right corner, and then choose Settings.
Tap Network preferences, then Auto-update apps, and the option you’d like to use.
Over any network means apps update automatically even when your phone is using mobile data. You can also use Over Wi-Fi only.
Don’t auto-update apps turns off automatic updating, which isn’t recommended.
Update apps manually by tapping your profile circle, then Manage apps and device.
If you can see an Updates available option, tap Update all.

Android phone apps for everyday life

Some of the Google apps are designed to be used for everyday things. These apps include:

Google Wallet lets you pay for things in shops, by linking to your bank account or credit card.
Google Calendar helps you keep on top of your appointments and dates. It can send you notifications when an appointment is coming up.
Keep lets you quickly note something down, and is much quicker than using a word processing app.
Chrome is Google’s Android web browser and is an essential app for browsing the internet safely and securely. Your phone probably also has a browser from the manufacturer you can use instead.

Android phone apps that make communication easier

There are Google apps dedicated to giving you more ways to communicate and more useful features:

Messages by Google can be used to send texts, images, and video to others.
Gmail is the Android phone’s Google email app, which can be used with a Google Account and Gmail address, or another email address such as Outlook or Yahoo.
Google Meet is an app for making video calls to other Google Meet users in a way that’s very easy and straightforward.

When you use the Gmail app you can send emails to any email address. When you use the Messages by Google app, some features such as sending photos or video, only work when sending to other Messages by Google users. Google Meet works on Android devices, Apple smart devices, and Apple and Windows computers in a web browser.

Android phone apps that help keep you organised

Some of the Google apps help you keep the information on your Android phone organised and also sync it to the cloud:

Google Files lets you access and organise the storage on your Android phone, including files, documents, and photos. You can also use the app to delete files you don’t want and access your Google Drive cloud storage too.
Google Photos requires a free Google Account and uses this to organise the photos you take on your phone camera and syncs and backs-up the photos to the cloud.
Google Contacts saves information about people you call or email, under their name, so instead of having to type a number or email address, you can just tap their name in a list.

Android phone apps that help you get around

Your Android phone has location services which let you use apps that help with navigation but also give you information personalised to where you are:

Google Maps lets you see your location on a street map and will give you directions to a destination you choose. It can also show you things nearby that may be of interest.
Find My Device is a service and an app that helps you find your Android phone if it is misplaced. You can sign in securely on a computer and see your Android phone’s last known location.

There are many other apps that can use location services, including apps to track bushfires, traffic, and local weather.

You can use the Settings app and the Location category, to turn off location services if you aren’t comfortable with using this feature. This Settings page also shows which apps on your Android phone can access your location.