Five good apps that work on both Android and iOS
A good mobile app can make using your phone or tablet highly productive. If you have a lot of gadgets, finding an app that works on multiple platforms is a boon.
I use a number of phones and tablets on iOS, Android, and Kindle, so I make an effort to get apps that work on those platforms. This lets me move between platforms at will, especially if the apps sync data.
I use all of these apps heavily on the iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air and the Kindle Fire HDX (both 7- and 8.9-inch). The UI on several of the apps varies between platforms, but are similar enough to not create a problem when switching.
These are my daily go-to apps, and work equally well on the platforms I use.
Feedly — Working with RSS feeds is not something everyone does but those of us who spend a lot of time doing so understand the importance of a good app. When I started using the Feedly service last year its app was pretty poor, but it has evolved into a good one.
It turns working with thousands of items a day into an efficient process. The interface is quite good and touch-optimized for both phones and tablets.
Zite — This news magazine lets me follow a lot of sources and keep up with the topics that interest me. Using the touch interface, I can scan hundreds of news items in a short time, saving the ones that interest me.
While the Android version is not as good as the iOS app, it's good enough to make it worth using.
Evernote — This app is my main app for research and writing. It's so good I can do serious writing on the iPad, iPhone 6 Plus, and the Kindle Fire HDX (7- or 8.9-inch). All of my other apps save information directly to Evernote, making it a powerful research tool that is synced to every device, mobile and desktop, that I use.
The app works well with both physical and onscreen keyboards, so it's always ready for work. It makes it easy to capture information from virtually any source and create content, all while keeping it organized.
This may be the best cross-platform app ever produced.
Chrome — Google has made an admirable effort to get this browser not only working, but working well, on virtually every platform. The browser works as expected on both iOS and Android, and can work on the Kindle Fire HDX with a little effort.
Chrome is a complete environment, and it syncs user data and preferences among all installations. All bookmarks follow the user no matter what gadget or platform is being used.
Tweetings — This app for working with Twitter is the most recent addition to my toolkit. It combines a great touch UI with customizable settings to create a good experience for each user.
The app works equally well on phones and tablets. It is optimized for the large display of the iPhone 6 Plus, and is a joy to use on the Kindle Fire HDX.
Tech Pro Research
What are your favorite cross-platform apps?
Not everyone uses several gadgets as I do but it makes sense to use apps that work on multiple platforms even with just one device. This covers you for the future in the event a platform change is necessary.
The apps discussed in this article are the main ones I use, but are not the only apps that work equally well on both Android and iOS. If you have a favorite app that is cross-platform please share it in the comments that we may all benefit.