4 more open-source Android apps I’d use even if they weren’t free

Android supports such a huge library of apps that some of them will simply go unnoticed. I know it's true because my latest list of open source apps it wasn't enough. Here are four more free apps that are so amazing that I would pay for them even if they weren't free.

PPSSPP

The best way emulate the PSP experience on any Android device this is via PPSSPP. It is a free and open source PSP emulator that is compatible with almost all PSP games. You can get great performance from it even on older Android hardware. For example, even on a mid-range phone, I usually get 60 frames per second when playing most games at maximum settings.

You can turn the resolution up to 4K, turn it on smoothingshaders and image upscaling for superior graphics that look better than the real PSP. You can play multiplayer games over the same Wi-Fi network. You can even plug in a controller and it will just work (no setup or setup required). There are also options to remap and customize the on-screen controller. Loading downloaded the game files it's very simple.

Shizuku

Typically, when Android applications require advanced system access, you need root your device first. However, rooting your device voids your warranty and some important apps refuse to work on rooted devices. However, thanks to Shizuku, you don't have to root your device to get elevated app privileges. He uses Wireless Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) while running in the background to give apps enhanced permissions.

There is a large library of Shizuku-based apps that covers almost every category. For example, you can uninstall any app or service on your Android device, including malicious apps that cannot be uninstalled by default. You can freeze apps or put them to sleep to prevent them from draining your battery in the background. Usually when you try block certain apps from using the internetyou need to set up a VPN connection, which means you won't be able to use a real VPN while the firewall is active. With Shizuku you can do this without relying on a VPN tunnel. You can access restricted directories such as Android/obb or Android/data. You can create an edge-scrollable menu, like on some Samsung phones.

To set up Shizuku, you need to enable developer options and then wireless debugging. You will be prompted to enter a code to start the Shizuku server. After that, you can install apps that support Shizuku and allow those apps to use Shizuku with a single switch.

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If you're tired of social media and algorithmic channels, consider going back to simplicity RSS feeds. You can create a feed of news and articles that interest you. Nunti is my favorite RSS reader app on Android. It has a nice interface, is free and has no ads. Unlike other RSS apps where you manually enter RSS URLs, you can simply select the topics you're interested in and Nunti will automatically create a feed for you based on those topics. You don't need to manage URLs or OPML files, but Nunti supports those too.

Nunti also has a basic recommendation system that kicks in after you've rated about 50 articles (you can rate articles by swiping right or left on cards). With Nunti you will also get multiple reading views. It can load articles into the app's built-in browser, into an external browser, or easily open them directly in reading mode.

Kwaesitso

You will find many launchers on the Play Store, but many of them are actually based on the AOSP launcher (the default launcher that comes with standard Android). Kwaesitso is different. It's built from the ground up so it works faster, it has its own design philosophy so it works differently.

The first thing you'll notice is how polished this launcher is. It looks modern and pays attention to small details. For example, when the phone is plugged in, a neat charging animation plays along with the charging status on the home screen.

You can configure Kwaesitso in many ways, just like with Nova Launcher. You can change the appearance of the grid and icons. You can customize the home screen, dock, clock, search bar, status bar and more. Kvaesitso also allows you to customize the launcher's fonts, shapes, color schemes, and transparency levels.

There's a widget page that you can open by swiping right, where you can see your calendar or weather at a glance, or take notes on the fly. You can edit the widgets page to include any widgets you like.

One feature that Kvaesitso has that no other launcher has is the ability to create actions and shortcuts. You can create unique shortcuts and pin them to the Dock or App Drawer. For example, you can create a shortcut to open a specific book in Google Play Books, launch a new document, start driving mode in Maps, a shortcut to certain settings such as personal hotspot, or anything else in the interface. You can manually tag and search apps, or organize apps by tags rather than putting them in folders. It also has excellent gesture support.

The developers clearly put a lot of love into these projects and published them for free without advertising, and it's a shame they didn't get more recognition or support.