New essential Android apps thread

Azza said:
I can't decide between Hello or Evolve to use as my SMS app.
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Used Hello for a few months; it started off really well, brilliant UI, really lightweight and quick, then the developer started adding useless features (hellocam, iMessenger type arrangement etc) and it started bloating reasonably quickly between updates.

Currently using QKSMS and while it's brilliant at the moment (only annoyance is no auto-retry or any ability to retry sending a 'failed' text), i can see it going the same way as Hello :(
 
visibleman said:
Used Hello for a few months; it started off really well, brilliant UI, really lightweight and quick, then the developer started adding useless features (hellocam, iMessenger type arrangement etc) and it started bloating reasonably quickly between updates.

Currently using QKSMS and while it's brilliant at the moment (only annoyance is no auto-retry or any ability to retry sending a 'failed' text), i can see it going the same way as Hello :(
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I still use Hello. Just a case of disabling those useless features from the settings :p
 
some reason the one type of app that always get's mentioned about being bloated is the sms apps. why is this? i've never found an sms app to be noticeably slow so whats the issue of features that aren't wanted if they don't have to be used?
 
Fairly sure the answer is no said:
some reason the one type of app that always get's mentioned about being bloated is the sms apps. why is this? i've never found an sms app to be noticeably slow so whats the issue of features that aren't wanted if they don't have to be used?
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Since dreaded Hangouts replaced the stock aosp sms app on a lot of roms, I've been using good old SMS Messaging available on the appstore, as it works in conjunction with SMS Backup really well. Recently I discovered Textra and haven't looked back really. It isn't bloated and sports a clean UI and looks great.
 
Fairly sure the answer is no said:
some reason the one type of app that always get's mentioned about being bloated is the sms apps. why is this? i've never found an sms app to be noticeably slow so whats the issue of features that aren't wanted if they don't have to be used?
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Exactly & I haven't found Hello to be any slower since them adding in the new features anyhow. If you don't want the features disable them if you can.
 
Matteysan said:
....I haven't found Hello to be any slower since them adding in the new features anyhow.
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Wish i could say the same, except for me the start-up and conversation opening lag got worse and worse with every update (file size jumped up five fold in the 4/5 months i used it).


Kainz - Textra is a good app, just wished they had a features to sync their database with Android's default.
 
Been using Hello, and I think it's good. Really like the UI, disabled those features though. I tried QKSMS but found it quite buggy and unreliable to be honest.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Can I ask why people don't like Hangouts? Do you guys not message people over data, only sms? Even then, what do other SMS apps have that Hangouts doesn't?
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For me it was the "people you may know" bit being there. I don't need it, I don't want it from an sms app & there was no way to hide it.

Hardly anyone I know uses anything other than sms.

[edit:- seems they removed that bit from it now. Still prefer Hello.
 
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I've never even noticed 'people you may know'. I want to message someone, I open the app and message them, I don't go looking for them in 'people I may know' :)

I assume, it knows people that use Hangouts and those that don't, so it will use data instead of text if it can, automatically? All my family uses Android, so we use Hangouts including group chat, I find it very useful.
 
Hangouts replaces the old SMS app in KitKat. My problem with Hangouts was that it was a clunky mess to use. All I wanted to do was message (sms) friends and even that was awkward in operation because it insisted on looking at my Google+ contacts etc and suggesting I add xyz.

I mainly use Watsapp/Telegram and SMS messaging for comms.
 
Again, I've never noticed this? I open the app, I either tap a discussion already going or I tap '+' start typing their name into the 'To' bar and it shows me the person I want... I don't see people's issues?

I like that, unlike Whatsapp, conversations are stored. I can switch to carry on the conversation on my PC (obviously, the data discussions) which is great. My only issue is it wont backup my sms messages and sync them across devices.

Anyway, each to their own, eh. That's what makes Android so good :)
 
AndyCr15 said:
Again, I've never noticed this? I open the app, I either tap a discussion already going or I tap '+' start typing their name into the 'To' bar and it shows me the person I want... I don't see people's issues?

I like that, unlike Whatsapp, conversations are stored. I can switch to carry on the conversation on my PC (obviously, the data discussions) which is great. My only issue is it wont backup my sms messages and sync them across devices.

Anyway, each to their own, eh. That's what makes Android so good :)
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The issue is, Hangouts in its current form is pap, It needs a lot of work before it becomes viable, It may be standard on android from kitkat, but most people don't really care about updates so they haven't got it & the people i've tried to get to use it gave up after 5 minutes stating it wasn't worth it :p These are mainly people using Samsung phones.

But as you say each to their own :)
 
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