Most of the best tips come from readers, and three of them stood out when I was searching for weird Android apps worth installing today. StellariumFooview and Ampere phenomenally solve three strange and specific problems: need context around stargazing, faster device navigation, or transparent charging measurements? – and they do it with the kind of polish that makes them stick.
Why these three applications? It’s everyone’s best guess
Now that Android offers millions of titles on Google Play, finding what to play can be the hardest part. Industry trackers like data.ai often observe that users tend to browse dozens of apps each month and rely heavily on a smaller core. The apps below are rare in that they combine utility and depth without weighing down or bulking up your phone – and, most importantly, they add something genuinely new to a device that the vast majority of us already consider “complete.”
Stellarium when you want to turn your phone into a star map
If you’ve played with Sky Map and are ready to move on, Stellarium is the next level version. Point the phone at the sky and it will greet you with clear, annotated skies, beautifully drawn constellations in a beautiful artistic display, labeled deep sky objects, and a smart pointer guiding you to what you’re hunting. The app’s vivid, well-designed information maps read like mini field guides: position, magnitude, object class, and orbital context, all at your fingertips.
The determining factor is visibility planning. Rather than just telling you where something is, Stellarium effectively simulates time spent by popping up windows when a comet, planet, or galaxy climbs high enough to be worth a look. This is the difference between passively scanning the sky and planning an observing session. For the casual viewer, it’s transformative; for astrophotographers, this is a huge head start.
A premium class of subscribers enjoy the most powerful tools, and that’s where the serious skywatchers will reside. In practice, combining Stellarium with a pair of basic binoculars or a tripod-mounted phone can turn a cloudy pastime into a confident ritual. As for context, key astronomy organizations like the American Astronomical Society cite timing and altitude as the most important factors in what you’ll actually see – the precise variables that Stellarium helps you conquer.
Fooview streamlines shortcuts and multitasking
Fooview is the kind of app that’s hard to describe until it’s in your hands. It’s a floating, customizable control puck that relies on the app you’re currently in and unlocks quick gestures for actions you place in menus or with multiple clicks. Tap to switch apps, flick to go home, long swipe for a screenshot and immediate OCR of any text in that screenshot – yes, it does OCR on the fly and quickly.
The learning curve is real. You’ll spend an hour tweaking the gestures, permissions, and feature set you actually want. But it’s the rare utility that seems to compress time on every level: split-second copies of on-screen text, one-handed multitasking, and smart edge cases (like quickly searching the web for anything you see without leaving your current app). Productivity enthusiasts will love it; casual users might bounce back.
Note: Fooview requires Draw Over Other Apps and the Accessibility Service on Android. Google has tightened the risks of disclosure and abuse of these capabilities in recent releases, so think of it as a powerful tool: enable only what you need and examine why the app says it needs this access. When used responsibly, it is life-changing.
Ampere makes sense of charging data on Android
Battery enthusiasts know the difficulty of testing new batteries. Ampere is all about putting power front and center, making it much easier to check whether your charger, cable, and device are actually delivering the worrying “expected speeds.” Swap the cables, watch the numbers and you’ll soon see the bottleneck. These aren’t lab-grade instruments – Android only publishes approximate readings through the system’s APIs – but for basic diagnostics it proves surprisingly informative.
The interface is minimal in the best possible sense. A single screen will show the charging or discharging status, battery voltage and current as well as the mAh charged or discharged. Supportive Features: One of the best features of this charger is its cooling program which, when activated, cools old packs up to 3x faster using a secure C/10 fast mode, allowing you to pack up and leave without waiting for your pack to even out all day whenever you want it ready. Optional extras like widgets, battery temperature, and full charge alerts are hidden behind a small fee. For the majority of people, the free tier is enough to test if that 65W brick is still working or if your external battery isn’t producing as much.
What power users should know about these three apps
- Accuracy and hardware: Apps like Ampere show what the phone measures; USB-C negotiation (PPS, PD, proprietary fast charging) already takes place before the software examines the data. Interpret results relatively, not as laboratory numbers.
- Permissions and Overlays: The magic of Fooview is persistent overlays and accessibility hooks. And with privacy standards evolving, Android still needs voluntary consent and simpler foreground notifications. This is great for users: just be prepared for a few prompts during the setup process.
- Planning vs. Spontaneity: Stellarium’s planning features are great to use with the local conditions you used to create/represent them in-game. Groups like DarkSky International point out that light pollution trumps equipment; just clear a local sky and let the app’s timing suggestions go from there.
The Verdict on These Readers’ Choices and Why They Stick
Stellarium can make an astronomer out of anyone – at least from their couch. Fooview turns your phone into a chameleon control center, saving seconds on everything. Ampere adds charging secrets without purchasing additional hardware. None of them are default apps, but all three offer real, instant wins – exactly the kind of “weird” apps that take up a permanent spot on my home screen.
