---
title: Smartphone Apps I Use
date: 2024-01-17
---

This is most of the apps I use on my smartphone in January 2024,
and some thoughts on how difficult it will be to give it up.

| App | Purpose | Need |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1Password | Password Manager | I'll have to rely on the browser version
| A Better Route Planner | Electric Car Trip Planner | The new phone has some version of Google Maps, and longer trips can be planned on the computer beforehand
| Amtrak | Rail Travel App | this one could be tough. Having the Amtrak app is very helpful on train voyages when problems happen.
| Andronome | Metronome | I bet I can make a web app on woozle.org to do this.
| AntennaPod | Podcasts | I think there's a podcast app for KaiOS.
| Authenticator | 2-Factor Authentication | There's a TOTP app for KaiOS. I may need to update it.
| Awful | Something Awful Forums Client | I'll use the web version.
| Book Reader | Ebook Reader | I wasn't reading books on the phone. What's funny is that I read Moby Dick on my Nokia 5310. But the smartphone is too distracting to read.
| Calculator | Calculator | KaiOS has a calculator.
| ChargePoint | EV charger app | I may have to either pay more and use my credit card, or get their plastic card for in-network rates.
| ConnectBot | ssh client | There's one on my laptop.
| Contacts | Address Book | There's one built into KaiOS.
| Electrify America | Car Charger Network App | same story as ChargePoint.
| EVGo | Car Charger Network App | same story.
| Firefox | Web Browser | KaiOS has a browser. I bet it's awful. But I don't think I'll use it much.
| Fitbit | Fitness Tracker | Gonna have to give this one up.
| Gmail | Email Client | I'm already off gmail.
| Google Calendar| Appointment Reminder | This may be the thing that pulls me back. Getting push reminders of upcoming events has been a big deal.
| Google Home | Smart Home Manager | I think I actually need to keep the phone just for this app.
| Google Messages | Text Messages | It'll be SMS only for me.
| Google News | News | good riddance.
| Google Photos | Photo manager | web version.
| Google Podcasts | Podcasts | they're killing this anyway.
| Google Pay | Tap to pay app | credit cards have tap to pay.
| Listen Audiobook Player | Audiobook player | I'll have to see if I can find a KaiOS app for this.
| Mattermost | Chat | No more work push notifications for me, so sad.
| Open Camera | Camera | The camera is not as big a part of my life now as it once was.  I can get snapshots with the dumbphone. Not good ones, but good enough. I grew up with crummy 110 film cameras. It'll be okay.
| Plex | Video/Music Player | maybe I can copy video files over, for the train trips. Will I want to watch movies on a 2-inch screen, though? Good thing I have a laptop!
| PlexAmp | Music Player | I will have to copy music files over to my phone, like I did 20 years ago. It'll be okay.
| Proton Mail | Email | laptop ahoy!
| Signal | Chat | Ironically, Signal is the one app that absolutely cannot run without a smartphone. And it's where most of my friends are.
| gStrings | instrument tuner | I may have to buy a guitar tuner!
| YouTube | Video Player | comes with the phone, although, again, 2-inch screen.
| YouTube Music | Music Player | same story as PlexAmp. Music files on phone.
| Work Apps | Work | I'll just use my work laptop for work. It'll be fine, the main inconvenience will be when I forget to do my timecard, I'll have to grab the laptop.
| Banking Apps | Banking! | they all have web sites I can use, although one of my credit cards leans fairly heavily into the app.