While Windows Phone’s app ecosystem may not be as big as iOS or Android’s, it does have a number of quality applications. Here are 10 apps that every Windows Phone owner should install on their phones besides the usual suite of social media and Lumia apps.
myAppFree
As the name suggests, the app allows users to download a paid app or game for free! The featured app changes once every 24 hours, so users are encouraged to keep checking everyday. myAppFree is a great way to score some paid apps and games or even discover hidden gems in the Windows Phone Store.
Comicana
If you love to read comics, then this is the app to have on your Windows powered phone. The app can read standard comic book file formats like CBR, CBZ, and CB7 and files can be downloaded from OneDrive or Dropbox accounts. Users can also transfer files directly to the phone’s memory. The interface is quite intuitive and makes reading your favourite comics fun.
Adobe Photoshop Express
The Adobe Photoshop Express is another good photo editing app besides the Lumia Creative Studio. The freemium app allows users to add filters, make adjustments to the picture quality, add borders, and remove red-eye. There are also additional filters and adjustments that can be accessed either by purchasing them or by signing in with their Adobe ID.
6Tag
Even though Instagram is available on Windows Phone, the fact that it seems to be stuck in perpetual beta means that users will have to look towards third party apps like 6Tag. The app comes with almost all the features that you would find on Instagram and is regularly upgraded to keep pace with the official app.
Gaana
While Windows Phone already come with a great streaming service in the form of MixRadio, Gaana’s collection of tracks in Indian languages makes it a must-have in the country. Users can access a number of playlists and songs as well as download tracks after subscribing to the service.
MetroTube
Since Google doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to release a proper YouTube app for Windows Phone, users will have use third party apps like MetroTube. The app costs Rs. 62, and allows users to view, comment and also download YouTube videos on their Windows smartphone.
Netflix
Netflix was released in India just a few days ago and the official app is already available on Windows Phone. The app allows users to view their favourite TV shows on their phone. Subscription plans for the service start at Rs. 500 per month and the first month is completely free.
ABP Live/NDTV
What makes the official apps from the ABP Live and NDTV different from other news apps is that it gives users access to live video from their TV channels. ABP Live offers its English, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, and Punjabi news channels. NDTV lets users watch 24x7,India, Profit, Prime, and Goodtimes channels.
Poki
Poki is a third party client for Pockets, a service that allows users to save articles or videos for reading or viewing later. Users can save URLs on Pockets in their desktop or tablets and then read it later on their Windows Phone. The layout of the app is very beautiful and users can also choose to listen to articles if their are unable to read them.
Office Lens
Microsoft’s Office Lens is one of the best document scanner apps available on Windows Phone. The scanner comes with dedicated modes for scanning documents, photos, business cards, as well as whiteboards. The scanned documents are saved in OneNote and a copy can be saved in OneDrive as a PDF, Word, and PowerPoint file.