Software & Apps > Apps The 7 Best Android Apps for Chromebook of 2023 Find the top Chrome OS-Compatible Android Apps By Jerri Ledford Jerri Ledford Senior News Editor, Fact Checker Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 6, 2023 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services Chromebooks made after 2017 have the ability to access Android apps from the Google Play Store. We reviewed dozens of apps to find the best Android apps for Chromebook that cover a little bit of everything. Before You Can Use Chrome OS Android Apps In order to download Android apps from the Google Play Store, your Chromebook should be running Chrome OS Version 53 or later. If you're not sure what version your Chromebook is, go to Settings > About Chrome OS to find out what version you have. If you're running anything older than Chrome OS Version 53, you'll need to update your Chromebook before you can download any of the apps mentioned in this article. After the computer updates and reboots, go to Settings > Google Play Store and enable the Google Play Store. Then you should be ready to download any of these apps that look interesting. 01 of 07 Best File Manager: Astro File Manager & Cleaner What We Like Cloud manager to keep all your cloud-based storage clean and easy to access. Backup Assistant to help backup all the data you don't want to lose. Sort and categorize files in a way that's convenient for you. What We Don't Like App collects usage data that doesn't need to be collected. Can be buggy immediately after updates. The file manager built into Chrome will do a passable job of helping you manage and access the files you have stored on your Chromebook, but there are apps like the Astro File Manager & Cleaner that will make that so much easier. Astro gives you a single place to store and manage your files. You can sort and manage, and even back up your files however it's convenient for you. Download Astro File Manager & Cleaner 02 of 07 Best Task Tracker: TickTick To-Do List What We Like Easy to add to-do list items with deadlines and reminders. Syncs across devices. Can add subtasks. What We Don't Like Some features hidden behind paywall. Custom notifications may not alert you to a deadlined task. Status function can be a little laggy. The TickTick To-Do List is an improvement over the Google Tasks list that's standard on Chromebooks. While there's nothing inherently wrong with Google Tasks, TickTick gives users more and more robust features, including the ability to tag tasks, and it includes a Pomodoro timer as well as a habit tracker designed to help you build new habits using daily task reminders. Download TickTick To-Do List 03 of 07 Manage Multiple Email Accounts: Aqua Mail Email App What We Like Access multiple email accounts from different email services in a single app. Includes an OAUTH2 authorization feature for some mail providers. Integrates with cloud storage for backups and restores. Allows access to POP and IMAP email accounts. What We Don't Like Free version is ad heavy. Forces you to use "sent with Aqua Mail" signature line. The default email app on a Chromebook is fine. It does most of what most users need. But if you're one of those users that needs a little more for your email, Aqua Mail provides. From the ability to connect multiple email accounts from multiple services to the integration with cloud storage and robust security features, Aqua Mail has a solid set of useful features. Download Aqua Mail 04 of 07 Best Browser Alternative: Firefox Focus What We Like Blocks website trackers. Completely erases browsing history. Faster page load times. What We Don't Like Can be buggy. Can cause computer battery to drain faster. The Google Chrome browser is well-suited for the Chrome OS, but if you're not a fan of Chrome for whatever reason, Firefox Focus is a good, secure alternative. The security is the best feature of the browser, as it hides your browsing history and prevents websites from tracking your movements while you're online. But an added feature is the speed with which pages load on the Firefox Focus browser. Download Firefox Focus 05 of 07 Photo Editor Pro - Polish What We Like More than 60 photo filters. Collage maker included. Body editor for slimming faces and bodies. What We Don't Like Limited facial editing features. Some features hidden behind a paywall. Polish is a full featured photo editor offering tons of filters and great features. Users can adjust the lighting and color of images, add one of dozens of filters, and add text or create collages. There are some limits to the editing capabilities, though, and some (like skin alterations or healing brushes) are noticeably missing. Still, if you need a free photo editor, this one features fewer adds that some programs, and does a good job of editing photos in the process. Download Photo Editor Pro - Polish 06 of 07 Take Notes & Markup PDFs: Squid What We Like Ability to capture handwritten notes. Combines gestures with stylus or active pen for more control. Lots of page templates to choose from. Can open and edit PDFs. What We Don't Like Some features hidden behind paywall. Limited text formatting capabilities. No ability to convert handwriting to text. If you have a Chromebook with an active pen or stylus, being able to take handwritten notes can be useful in all kinds of situations. Squid is a great little program for taking handwritten notes that lets you use your stylus or active pen. There are numerous templates included, and users can combine gestures with the inking capabilities to create and move through documents faster. Another great feature is the sharing capabilities included with Squid. Share your notes or store them in the cloud. Because Squid keeps notes in vector format, there's no worry about not having enough resolution to zoom in on even the smallest handwriting. Download Squid 07 of 07 TuneIn - NFL Radio, Free Music, Sports & Podcasts What We Like Includes access to live, streaming sportscasts. Stream radio and podcasts. Commercial Free. What We Don't Like Requires a subscription after free trial ends. Ad heavy, even with paid subscriptions. If you're looking for an app to stream music, sports, or audiobooks while using your computer, TuneIn is one of the top-rated apps to get all three of those things and breaking news. There's just one problem: while this app does have a free trial, once it's over, you'll have to pay for the subscription, and it's usually billed annually rather than monthly. Still, the subscription service is reasonably priced, especially when you consider you can stream NFL football broadcasts for free, and you'll have access to plenty of music and audiobooks. Download TuneIn Can You Use a Chromebook as Your Main Computer? Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit