This is an update to a list I made back in 2019. https://alternativeto.net/lists/8035/minimalist-android/. A lot has changed since then, including me - now I only list apps I use on a regular basis, not just those I install.
I only really use a phone for calling / texting people. Sometimes, I might use a browser to get directions, check hours at a restaurant, or look up the capitol of Zaire if someone asks. My phone app profile reflects this - no social media, no rideshare, no spotify or games.
If you are looking for a minimal phone without having to go pick one up from Minimal, consider the below options on a newly Graphemed Pixel!
I currently own a Pixel 6a which has Graphene installed. Super easy to do if you are able and highly recommended. This OS currently only supports Pixel phones and tablets, but hopefully one day will be installable on a keyboard phone, like Unihertz or Minimal. One can only dream.
I've tried using Obtanium a few years back, but with that app, even downloading and installing Signal was impossible. At current, F-Droid is my go-to for grabbing free and opensource apps.
An anonymous client for downloading playapps which aren't available on fdroid. I'll flag those items further down the list.
My favourite online messenger. Battle tested for privacy with its end-to-end encryption and capable of group chats, disappearing messages, and voice and video calls. Not available in f-droid so I use the Aurora Store to download and keep this updated. I thought about trying the modified Molly frontend for Signal, which is available on F-Droid, but it doesn't do anything I need extra and it's a bit challenging telling people "I'm on Molly" without making it weird.
I use an alternate phone number with jmp.chat for job interviews and other throwaway activities and use Cheogram to connect with that number.
Front end client for Tuta webmail. Free accounts are a bit hobbled, but I prefer the user experience on Tuta to Proton for personal email (and the fact this app is available on F-Droid).
Vanadium, which comes native with Graphene, is terrible at blocking ads. I find Ironfox buggy and Cromite hopelessly outdated and Brave unavailable on F-droid and way too bloated. I use the DuckDuckGo browser, which is based on Chrome and pretty stripped down. It's worked well for me in the past and continues to do so.
Note: I generally don't log into any online services using my phone. Just a personal preference and I've never had a need to do something like online shopping or banking which couldn't wait until I got home.
Used for watching Youtube videos. F-droid has a custom repo for this since it needs to be updated quickly to keep up with Youtube updates. This sees a lot of mileage on my Pixel tablet. Word of warning for US viewers - if you download too many videos with this app, Youtube may block your IP for a bit.
I actually use the Graphene stock camera, but this app is magnificent when using an Android device compared to the stock camera. Great for both still pictures and video capture.
Great for recording notes and songs at the mall to analyze on Shazam later. :)
I use the Graphene gallery for viewing pictures and videos, but Fossify builds a mean gallery too. Comes with a basic image editor too!
I use Graphene's stock pdf viewer, but mupdf is no slouch and does a great job displaying documents.
Aside from the above, here are some tips for people using Android instead of Grapheme like me:
Are there any apps I've missed? Please feel free to let me know in the comments below.
