There are lots of Android apps that let you waste time. Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook might keep you updated on the news, but they don’t make you much smarter or more sophisticated.
What if you want to kill time on Android constructively? What if you want something that enriches your mind? Today, we’re helping you out by listing the top 5 apps to constructively kill time on your Android.
5) Improve your Vocabulary with VoLT or Today’s Word
Do you need to boost your vocabulary? If social media and texting have whittled away your vocabulary, then VoLT and Today’s Word promise to help you get it back.
VoLT is an app that lets you swipe through cards offering a definition for unique words. Those definitions include a memory key and a selection of synonyms and antonyms for that word. You also get usage examples and tests to see how much your brain can store.
Meanwhile, Today’s Word delivers a new word to your phone every day. That word comes in a notification. You can choose when the notification appears. View the word, learn its definition, and absorb it into your vocabulary. You can also view words of the day for the past 30 days.
4) Memorize Everything with Memrise
Memrise is an award-winning Android app that’s surprisingly free to use. It uses learning cards (called “Mems”) to help you memorize specific information.
Memrise is primarily designed to help you learn languages. That’s what the app was built for. To date, there are over 100 languages included in the app.
However, Memrise has since branched into hundreds of other topics you may want to memorize – like geography, famous works of art, literature, JavaScript, and almost anything else you can think of.
If you want to internalize nuggets of knowledge or improve your language skills in your spare time, then Memrise can help.
3) Learn Languages with Duolingo
Duolingo is a free language learning app used by millions of people around the world. You setup a daily training target – like Casual (5 minutes per day) or Regular (10 minutes per day) and then aim to hit that goal with daily language lessons.
Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Irish, Russian, Turkish, Danish, and Norwegian are all listed as languages for English speakers. Yes, you can learn Irish.
There’s even a course for Esperanto. Meanwhile, new courses are being added to Duolingo all the time, including courses that are “in beta” or “hatchling” (in development). In the near future, you’ll be able to take a full course in Klingon.
With mobile apps and a fantastic desktop/tablet browser interface, Duolingo is one of the world’s most popular ways to learn a language. And it’s a great way to productively kill time on Android.
2) Any Podcast App
Whether it’s Audible (for audiobooks) or any podcast app for other spoken word entertainment, podcasts are a great way to pass the day and teach you valuable information about the world around you.
At the very least, they allow you to keep up with sports and news. Some of the most popular podcasts, however, are designed to improve your life in some way or another. Popular podcasts that don’t feel like a waste of time include:
-Stuff You Should Know
-Stuff You Missed in History Class
-TED Radio Hour by NPR
-Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
There are dozens of other excellent educational podcasts that I haven’t covered. Pick a topic you want to learn more about and I can virtually guarantee you’ll find a podcast about that topic.
Google Play Music now supports podcasts, and all of the above podcasts can be found on there. Alternatively, apps like Podcast Addict get the job done equally as well.
1) Forest
Forest is one of the coolest apps you’ve never heard of. Forest encourages you to stay off your phone or computer by growing a tree.
You activate the app and the tree continuously grows. But it only grows when the app is in the foreground on your screen. If you minimize the app or switch to a new app, your tree won’t grow.
Every day with Forest, you start with a forest filled with trees. Every tree represents 30 minutes of hard work.
Instead of wasting time on your phone, fire up Forest and read a book. You’ll avoid being tempted by your phone or computer and you’ll become a better person for it.
By the way, you can set certain apps to be whitelisted in forest, so an incoming call from your mom won’t kill your tree.
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