Turn your Chromebook into a uniquely versatile modern computing machine with these Chrome-OS-enhancing apps.
We’ve heard plenty about how Android apps on Chrome OS are a big deal, but when you first find yourself staring at the Google Play Store on a dual-purpose device, it can be tough to know where to begin.
The trick is to figure out which Android apps actually enhance Chrome OS in a meaningful way — either by filling in a gap in the platform or by adding something new and practical into the experience. But in a sea of overlapping titles and mobile-specific utilities, singling out such a selection isn’t always easy.
That’s why I’m here to help. I’ve spent countless hours living with Chromebooks and using them as both productivity and entertainment tools. I’ve explored the available Android app options and pinpointed the programs that expand a Chromebook’s capabilities in measures that matter. I’ve even gone on business trips carrying nothing but an Android-app-enabled Chromebook for all of my work and (ahem) procrastination needs.
Start with the titles below — all free, unless otherwise noted — and watch your Chromebook transform from a cloud-centric laptop into a platform-defying all-purpose device .
We’ll kick things off with the most obvious of the bunch: If Google Docs doesn’t cut it for you and Microsoft’s Office Online offering is equally inadequate, the Android versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are precisely what you need. They’re fully featured and fantastically familiar, as long as you have an Office 365 subscription — and they fill a formerly unaddressable void left by Microsoft’s lackluster web options.
Need a desktop-caliber office suite without the recurring fee? MobiSystems’ OfficeSuite Pro is the next-best thing to Microsoft’s standard-bearer. The app costs $15, plus an additional $10 for a font pack you’ll probably want. (And remember: Once purchased, you can use the program on any Android device as well.)
OfficeSuite Pro provides a desktop-caliber, Microsoft Office-like experience at a more affordable price. (Click any image in this story to enlarge it.)
Evernote users, take note: The Android version of the app boasts offline access and a more touch-friendly interface than its web counterpart. It also has some nice additions like the ability to create a quick note via an optional persistent notification.
OneNote’s Android app one-ups its web-based equivalent by providing offline access to your notes along with enhanced handwriting support. What more do you need to know?
If you’ve got a Chromebook with a stylus, you’re gonna want this $3 note-taking utility. The awkwardly named MyScript Nebo gives you a powerful set of tools for writing and drawing on your device’s screen. You can format text and even draft diagrams, and the app will translate everything you do into plain text, HTML or a fully formatted Word document.
MyScript Nebo translates all of your stylus-made scribbles into regular formatted text.
For many people, Chrome OS’s long-standing Achilles’ heel was its lack of a video-call-capable Skype client. This shortcoming is fixed by way of the Skype Android app, which keeps face-to-face conversations a couple taps away.
I know, I know: Hangouts? In 2017?! Google’s messaging strategy may be a mess, but its ever-pivoting Hangouts platform provides one super-useful function for any Chromebook user: the ability to make and receive actual phone calls, from your own number, using only your computer (and a regular data connection). Just install both apps, make sure you have either a Google Voice account or a verified phone number and then open either app and tap the phone tab to get going.
Your laptop becomes an extension of your phone with Google’s Hangouts Dialer and Hangouts apps.
If you rely on Facebook’s Messenger system for any sort of communication, using the standalone Android app is infinitely better than keeping the full Facebook website open all day (or picking up your personal phone every time a new message comes in). Just note that you may want to go into the app’s settings and disable “chat heads,” as (a) they’re kinda distracting in general, and (b) they don’t work consistently well on all Chromebooks.
Stuck living in Microsoft’s email universe? Leave Outlook’s lackluster web version behind and give yourself the pleasure of using the Android app instead. It provides offline access to your email and is noticeably faster than its browser-based brother.
The Outlook Android app runs circles around Microsoft’s web-based email interface.
Google Calendar’s web interface may be sporting a fresh facelift, but the Android version of the service still has the more contemporary and touch-friendly UI. Especially if you’re accustomed to using Calendar on your phone, it’s well worth having the app around on your Chromebook.
If you use Trello for project management, trust me: You’ll want the Android app for any touch-oriented work. It’ll feel like you’re working on a tablet instead of clumsily trying to claw around a website with your finger.
Google’s excellent Trips app automatically compiles itineraries based on info present in your Gmail inbox (flight confirmation emails, rental car receipts and so on). It’s available only as a mobile app, but now that you have a Chromebook, that restriction’s irrelevant.
Google Trips doesn’t have to be mobile-only when you have a Chromebook around.
Maps’ web interface is no slouch, but the Android app gives you a slew of time-saving touch gestures as well as useful extras like traffic alert notifications.
Next stop: maximum productivity.
Let’s be honest: Web-based video editors are a bit of a letdown. And most of the options on Android are either overly simplistic or so clunky and complicated you’ll never want to use ’em. Goseet’s VidTrim achieves an admirable middle ground: It’s simple to use, and it handles all the basics most folks will want from an on-the-go video editor. Equally important, it works flawlessly with Chrome OS. (Consider the $2 Pro version if you want to nix the ads.)
Google’s mobile image-editing app is really good — and also ridiculously easy to use. Throw it on your Chromebook and prepare to polish photos like a pro (and in a way that was previously impossible on the platform).
The Snapseed Android app makes advanced photo editing a snap.
Ever need to sketch out ideas for an important company presentation (or, y’know, maybe just your own in-between-meetings amusement)? Autodesk’s popular SketchBook app has your name written all over it — especially if you have a Chromebook with a stylus. If you’re really serious about your sketches, a $5 in-app upgrade will get you a ton of extra tools for making the perfect creation.
