15 Android apps that do amazing things the iPhone can’t (1)

Developers now have more access than ever to software features that had previously been off limits, and the latest round of apps has introduced plenty of great new functionality to iPhones and iPads as a result. But the simple truth is that there are still tons of amazingly useful things Android devices can do that the iPhone and other iOS devices simply cannot.

Some missing features may be introduced in future versions of iOS while others many never arrive, thanks mainly to Apple’s strict guidelines that developers must follow. So, what awesome stuff are iPhone users missing?

There’s plenty out there but here are five 15 great Android apps designed to add terrific functionality to Android devices that the iPhone and iPad just don’t have.

1. Cover

Created by Apps & Zerts, Inc., Cover Lock Screen is a fantastic app that completely replaces the lock screen on your Android smartphone. The app learns which apps you use most in various locations you frequent, and it makes them easily accessible with no user intervention.

“No more fumbling through screens of apps to find the one you are looking for,” the app’s website explains. “Cover learns when and where you use different apps and puts them on your lockscreen for easy access.”

The app uses location and motion data to determine if a user is at home, at work or even driving in a car, and rearranges the apps available on the lock screen to meet the needs of each situation. For example, mapping and navigation apps might be presented to the user while driving, and then email, calendar and other productivity apps will take center stage at work.

Simply put, this great app just isn’t possible to make for iOS devices. Cover is free a free app.

2. Swype

Swype by Nuance is a revolutionary keyboard that has been around for quite some time on Android and other platforms, and it has been licensed or imitated by countless other companies.

In a nutshell, Swype completely changes the way users type on virtual keyboards. Instead of tapping around on tiny little virtual buttons, Swype allows users to drag a single finger around the screen from key to key, and the app’s magic does the rest. It also features advanced prediction and correction technologies that minimizes mistakes..

Swype’s competitor SwiftKey just recently launched its first iOS app, thus bringing its popular keyboard to the iOS platform. Sort of. Since thirdparty developers can’t replace the iOS keyboard across the entire system, SwiftKey’s keyboard is only available in its own note-taking app.

In other words, it’s just enough to give you a taste, get you used to having an awesome Swype-style keyboard, and then angering you to no end since you can’t use it in any other apps.

3. Profile Scheduler

Anyone who switched from Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS or Symbian to the iPhone back in the day will undoubtedly recall the pain and anguish they felt when they realized they no longer had access to profile manager apps. These apps would automatically change a smartphone’s profile (ringtone, sound volumes, vibration) based on criteria configured by the user.

Fast forward to modern smartphones, and profile management utilities have been given a huge shot of adrenaline.

A good example is the aptly named Profile Scheduler, which allows users to have just about every setting on their smartphones tweaked based on time, location, battery status or a wide range of other criteria.

Some examples of how you use the app: At night around the time you go to sleep, your phone automatically switches to silent, disables vibrate alerts, cuts out background data synchronization to save battery, disables Bluetooth and dims the display to 10%. Of course anyone important who needs to get in touch with you still can, just add all your family members and persons you will not want to miss their calls on the white list.

Then, when you get to the office and Profile Scheduler sees the phone connect to your work Wi-Fi network, the “Work” profile is enabled. Audio alerts are disabled, vibrate alerts are enabled and auto-synchronization for my email is disabled to save battery life, since I obviously receive all of my emails on my computer.

Profile Scheduler is free in the Google Play app store, while a premium is not.

4. Android Stocks Tape Widget

Widgets add a huge new layer of functionality to mobile platforms, giving users access to a seemingly infinite range of zero-touch information in real time. Want to know the weather forecast? Just glance at your home screen. Want to know if your team won or lost last night? Boom, the latest scores are right there as soon as you unlock your phone. Email and SMS message previews? Covered. Instant access to new popular YouTube videos? Done.

There are tons of great widgets out there, but one of the best is a simple one called Android Stocks Tape Widget by Wavestock.

As the name might suggest, Android Stocks Tape Widget creates a ticker that scrolls across your Android home screen and displays current quotes for all the stocks and indexes you follow. Scroll speed, colors and refresh rate can all be configured in the app, and format settings can be adjusted as well.

Android Stocks Tape Widget is has a free trial version.

(Culled fromI bgr.com … follow @ sinach360 and @Daily_Trust)