Delete these 5 apps right away

Many Android phones come with the Google app as standard, and it does much more than just perform internet searches.

Several features that are otherwise offered through standalone apps in Google Play are already integrated into the app.

These include weather information, QR scanning, translation, password management, music recognition and Google’s AI assistant Gemini.

One of the features is the weather forecast, which normally requires a separate app.

However, Google’s weather view is available directly in the Google app via the “Live view” widget.

Placing the widget on the home screen and tapping on the weather symbol opens a detailed weather forecast.

QR scanner and translation without additional apps

Another useful feature is Google Lens, which can scan images and recognize objects, text and QR codes.

Users can even copy text from images and translate text in real-time with the mobile camera.

It doesn’t require the installation of separate apps as the feature is integrated into the Google app.

Access is gained by tapping the camera symbol in the search bar or via the search widget on the home screen.

Furthermore, Android offers a built-in password manager.

When the user logs into services, the system automatically asks if the information should be saved.

These passwords can be managed through the Google account settings, and from here you can add a shortcut to the password tool itself.

Google Gemini and music recognition already on your phone

The AI assistant Google Gemini has its own app in the Play Store, but the feature is already in the Google app.

It is activated via a long press on the home button or by a gesture from the bottom corners of the screen, provided Google is selected as the default assistant.

Music recognition, previously dominated by apps like Shazam, also no longer requires a separate installation.

The feature is found by tapping the microphone symbol in the search bar and selecting “Recognize music”.

Alternatively, you can create a shortcut to the feature via the widget menu.

All of these features can be made more accessible with the Google Shortcuts Launcher app, developed by WSTxda.

The tool makes it possible to create direct shortcuts to the functions in the app overview without taking up much space.

However, some shortcuts only lead to web versions unless you have root access on your phone.