Android apps: Install these on your new smartphone

Just got a new Android smartphone for the holidays? If it’s your first one it could be a little intimidating so, to get you started, here are a few apps you should immediately

install or set up on a new Android device. Alternatively, if you’re not already using these apps, it might be time to give them a shot! Up your messaging game Google Messages

(RCS) In the US at least, messaging has traditionally been a sore point of Android smartphones. Thankfully, Google has been hard at work trying to fix that in recent months and

now, the solution known as RCS (Rich Communication Services) is available to every Android smartphone in the world at this point. How can you get RCS on your device and, more

importantly, what’s the benefit? The benefit, firstly, is that RCS is much more capable than SMS/MMS. Pictures can be sent in higher quality, typing indicators, and more all

arrive with RCS. Group chats also get a huge upgrade too. On top of that, RCS chats are now encrypted to offer better security. Basically, RCS is like Apple’s iMessage, but for

Android phones. To get RCS on your Android phone, all you need to do is download Google Messages. The free app is an SMS app at heart, but in select countries including the US, it

can also enable RCS messaging on any carrier and any Android smartphone too. Simply download, set it as your default SMS app, and wait for the prompt to turn on RCS. We’ve got a

more detailed tutorial on the process as well, and some tips and tricks on the best features you should turn on. As of 2022, Google Messages RCS has rolled out end-to-end

encryption, as well as finishing up support for encryption in group chats. Telegram, Signal, & other messaging apps If you want an app for even better messaging, you can go

beyond the RCS and typical SMS, Telegram is one of our favorite messaging apps and it works a lot like the super popular WhatsApp. Unlike that app, though, Telegram works easily on

multiple smartphones or tablets at one time and backs up all of your messages automatically. Plus, everything is still encrypted end-to-end and you have both voice and video calls

available.The app is always getting better through updates and has improved its messaging experience greatly alongside adding a more robust video call app too. Discord is another

great messaging alternative, offering private messages as well as “servers” to host a few friends or hundreds, all with rooms and chat admins. It’s a great experience, and

one that’s especially excellent for gamers. Meanwhile Signal is an even-more privacy-focused messaging app that became especially popular when the Facebook-owned WhatsApp was