Internet access has become a necessity in today’s world, making it possible to provide a wide variety of services on any device from the comfort of any location. As a result, today, almost any service, regardless of nature, exists on the Internet to attract a wide audience. So, no matter what you want to achieve online, your dependence on the internet is huge and increasing rapidly with each passing day.
In essense, the Internet has evolved beyond entertainment in our digital age, and it now plays an important role in our work, study and personal lives. However, not everyone has access to data and not everyone has a reliable and stable internet connection. Fortunately, ever-evolving app technology has made it possible to use apps offline.
Here are our recommendations for the finest offline essential apps you should have on your phone.
Table of Contents
Offline Apps for Android & iOS
- Evernote – Offline note-taking app
- Pocket Casts – Offline Podcast app
- Kindle – Offline book reading app
- Spotify – Offline Music app
- Google Drive and Docs – Offline Productivity app
- Google Maps – Offline map navigation app
- Google Translate – Offline translation app
- Merriam-Webster – Offline Dictionary app
1. Evernote – Offline note-taking app
With most of the note-taking apps, you can take notes on your phone and have them synchronized across all of your devices (as long as you’re using the same account). You can quickly take notes on one device and then read, add or delete them on another device. However, this requires Internet access. You can’t do that offline as most of the top note-taking apps lack the ability to take notes when offline – a much-needed feature for those who are constantly on the go and have to take notes now and then are unable to do so due to network concerns.
In this case, Evernote is a great note-taking tool for this, and is available for both Android and iOS. The app lets you capture notes, to-dos and reminders on any device and categorizes them into different notebooks as per your preference. Most importantly, you can use it to take notes when you’re offline and sync them across all your devices once you’re online. Not to mention that you have access to all your notes even when you’re not connected to the Internet.
Download Evernote: Android | iOS
2. Pocket Casts – Offline Podcast app
You can do much of the same thing with Pocket Casts as you can with Spotify, where you can take your playlists offline to access them offline. For those unfamiliar, Pocket Casts is a podcast software available on both iOS and Android devices and features a large library of podcasts from a variety of creators. Compared to other third-party or native podcast apps for Android and iOS, Pocket Casts’ discovery and listening experience is simply unmatched.
In addition to the many features and customization options available on Pocket Casts, one of the most basic is the ability to download podcasts for offline listening. This feature is also available on other podcast platforms. As a result, you can now create a collection of your favorite podcasts, download them and listen to them without being connected to the Internet.
Download Pocket Casts: Android | iOS
3. Kindle – Offline book reading app
The Kindle app is a must-have app on your smartphone for individuals who find inner calm and a journey companion in books. The app is free to download and can be used on both Android and iOS devices. After you’ve downloaded and set up your Kindle, you can either buy books separately or subscribe to Kindle Unlimited to receive access to a large catalogue of books that you can read without having to buy them – this is very beneficial for folks who read a lot.
When it comes to offline access, once you purchase and download a book to your device, it is instantly available on all of the devices associated with your Kindle account, including the Kindle eReader. As a result, you may now read your ebooks without using the internet. You can also lookup the definitions of words, highlight and bookmark content, and make notes.
4. Spotify – Offline Music app
Without a doubt, Spotify is one of the most popular music-streaming services accessible. The service offers a diverse range of tracks from a variety of artists and labels in a variety of languages and genres, resulting in a sizable music library around the world. The app is available for download on both Android and iOS for free. When it comes to service, it offers both a free and a paid subscription, with distinct sets of functions based on which country you’re in.
If you’re a Spotify premium subscriber, you’re probably aware of the app’s offline mode, which allows you to download all of your music and listen to it offline when you don’t have access to the internet. If you don’t have a Spotify account or are new to the service, you can subscribe to a premium subscription to download music to your device and listen to them offline. You also get high-quality songs at 320kbps with the premium subscription. So make your playlists and save them to your smartphone so you can listen to them later. Additionally, Spotify may be used to listen to podcasts.
Download Spotify: Android | iOS
5. Google Drive and Docs – Offline Productivity app
When it comes to productivity, the Google suite of apps, particularly Google Drive and Docs, is a must-have for a variety of general-purpose use-cases. While Drive is a cloud storage solution that allows you to save all of your different files and documents on the cloud and access them from anywhere, Docs is a word processor for your writing needs. Both Drive and Docs are necessary and must-have apps for your Android or iOS smartphone, given the objective of this listicle, which is to offer you critical apps that work offline.
After installing the applications on your phone, navigate to the document you wish to access offline, whether it’s in Drive or Docs, and tap the ‘Make accessible offline’ option. After that, you can access them even if you don’t have an active internet connection, as well as make adjustments and modifications to them. When you connect your phone to the internet later, the changes you make will be reflected on all of the devices to which your account has been synchronized.
Download Docs: Android | iOS
Download Drive: Android | iOS
6. Google Maps – Offline map navigation app
Google Maps is a popular and widely used map service on the internet. It’s available on both Android and iOS, and it includes a massive database with a wide range of data that allows it to provide accurate location and navigation in various parts of the world. Because Google Maps is one of the most trusted mapping services, it’s highly probable that it’s also your go-to mapping and navigation service, and that you use it on a regular basis for your commute.
The offline option, which allows you to save maps for different places and use them without an active internet connection, has been one of Google Maps’ more exciting features in recent years. However, you will need to download the map for a certain city/location first. To do so, go to the ‘Offline maps’ section of the app and choose and download a map for any location. After that, you should be able to travel using the downloaded map and identify nearby locations such as gas stations, groceries, pharmacies, coffee shops, and more. So, the next time you plan a trip, make sure to get a local map of the area so you can simply navigate your way around.
Download Google Maps: Android | iOS
7. Google Translate – Offline translation app
Google Translate is an essential utility program that can come in handy in a variety of situations. Coming from a digital behemoth like Google, which is essentially a data and information warehouse on the internet, you can expect near-perfect translations across multiple languages. While the app’s usual mode provides real-time language identification and translation, it requires you to download the language database in order to utilize it offline without an internet connection.
The first step in utilizing Google Translate to translate languages is to download the languages you’ll need/might require to translate content from to your local tongue. Furthermore, as previously said, the language identification feature only works with an active internet connection, so while offline, you must know and specifically identify the language from which you are attempting to translate text to your native language. Both Android and iOS versions of Google Translate are available, and you may download language databases from the settings menu.
Download Google Translate: Android | iOS
8. Merriam-Webster – Offline Dictionary app
Dictionary is a must-have app on our phones, especially when we are reading a lot. There are some times when you would like to know the exact meaning of words or phrases and this is where an offline dictionary can help. If you search the dictionary you will have many apps to download but very few work offline. But, Merriam-Webster is the most reliable and widely-acclaimed dictionary which comes with a bunch of different features.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary is available for free on both Android and iOS and offers in-app purchases to upgrade to the Pro version which provides an ad-free experience and offers more context for meanings. However, for most of our regular reference purposes, the free plan should cut it simply, and you’ll be able to use the offline feature, along with other information like history and etymology, and access to use-case examples for better understanding.
Download Merriam-Webster: Android | iOS
That’s all folks. These are some of the best apps that you can have on your android and iOS device. Do let us know if you know of any other offline apps and want us to include them in this list.
See More: Best Offline Messaging Apps for Android and iPhone
