The Galaxy Note 7 is arguably one of the best smartphones released this year. Building on the already excellent Galaxy S7 edge, the Note 7 adds on it by offering the usual strength of Samsung’s Note devices — S Pen and a big screen — with the benefits of a water-resistant build, a curved AMOLED display, and a beefy 3500mAh battery thrown in.
Just like with every other device though, using certain apps on the Note 7 can further enhance the experience of using the device. So, check out our recommendations below on some must-have apps for the Galaxy Note 7.
Nova Launcher
The latest version of Touchwiz on the Galaxy Note 7 is once again a step up from what is found on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. The new version features less cartoonish icons and a cleaner notification panel. However, the stock Touchwiz launcher still does not hold a candle to the customization options and features offered by Nova Launcher. Besides supporting icon packs, Nova launcher packs in features like widget overlapping, gestures, a night theme, custom grid size, and much more.
If you really want to make the most of the big and beautiful Super AMOLED screen of the Note 7, Nova Launcher is definitely one of the must-have apps that you should install on it.
If were already using Nova launcher on your previous device and are looking for a new launcher to try, check out Action Launcher.
SketchBook
If you are an artist, love drawing, or if your work involves a lot of designing, the Galaxy Note 7 is the perfect device for you. The new S Pen bundled with the device not only features a thinner tip for improved precision, it also comes with 4096 pressure points for better and precise pressure detection.
But what’s the point of the S Pen if you are not able to take full advantage of it? While Samsung’s suite of apps do a pretty good job at it, they are not exactly meant for an advanced user. The SktechBook app from Autodesk is the perfect app that an artist needs to take full advantage of the S Pen and come up with stunning designs and drawings. It has all the tools that one can possibly need in a fast, fluid and simple UI.
In case SketchBook does not fulfill all your requirements for some reason, try out the INKredible for scribbling, note taking, or for designing purposes.
Galaxy Button Lights
Samsung used to offer a handy option to completely disable or select the timeout of the backlight of the capacitive buttons. However, the company has removed this feature in recent versions of Touchwiz. Thankfully, the Galaxy Button Lights app will let you adjust the backlit timeout of the capacitive keys according to your liking. You can also completely turn the backlit off using the app if you wish to.
App Lock
Just like the Galaxy S7 and Note 5 before it, the Galaxy Note 7 also comes with a fingerprint scanner integrated into its home button. In fact, the handset also comes with an iris scanner that can be used to unlock the phone and authorise transactions in Samsung Pay. However, despite all the advanced features that Touchwiz offers, there is no way to lock apps using the fingerprint scanner on the Note 7. The Galaxy Note 7 does come with a secure folder feature that can be unlocked using the iris scanner, but it does not work with applications.
Nonetheless, since the handset runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, it supports all the necessary APIs that third-party apps can take advantage of. One such app is App Lck that lets you lock applications and system settings on the Note 7 which can then only be unlocked using the fingerprint scanner of the handset. The app has an easy and straightforward UI and offers all the functionality that you might ever need.
Solid Explorer
While Samsung bundles a ‘MyFiles’ file manager app on the Galaxy Note 7, the app is not as powerful and intuitive to use as Solid Explorer. With 64GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot that accepts cards of up to 256GB, a decent file manager on the Note 7 is very important especially if you plan on storing a lot of files on the device.
Apart from offering basic file manager capabilities. Solid Explorer also lets you connect to NAS, SMB, Google Drive, Dropbox, and other network disks. Its dual-pane UI is also perfect for the big screen of the Galaxy Note 7 as you can easily drag ‘n’ drop files around.
What are you favorite apps for the Galaxy Note 7 that you think are a must-have for the device? Drop in a comment below and let us know about it!
