The 12 best Google Nexus 5 apps to download first
Make the most of your Nexus 5 to this smattering of hand-picked apps. Go on, it deserves it
Your Nexus 5 has settled in well. It’s become accustomed to the warmth of your pockets, your loving hands, and your inquisitve cat Mr. Tibbles.
It’s ready for a life of loyal servitude, so get things off to a solid start by setting it up with some of these apps to ensure that all its needs are met from day one.
Snapseed (£free)
This comprehensive photo editing app throws up a whole host of tweaking options to ensure that you can squeeze the very best out of the snaps taken with the Nexus 5’s 8MP camera. Filters, borders, adjustments – you name it, it’s got it.
SwiftKey Keyboard (£1.49)
This is probably the best £1.49 you’ll ever spend. SwiftKey’s disturbingly accurate predictions only get better over time as it learns your writing style and you can even choose to swipe across the keys if you prefer that to traditional tapping. The latest version even lets you split the keyboard layout up, arranging both sides in whatever position is comfortable for you.
Call of Duty: Strike Team (£4.33)
We know how it is. You have to leave the house to get supplies in between head-shotting enemies. But that doesn’t mean you can’t practice in the self-checkout queue. Call of Duty: Strike Team slips CoD’s bullet-riddled action into your pocket, taking advantage of the Nexus 5’s razor sharp full HD screen and powerful Snapdragon 800 processor, serving up explosive first and third-person shooting action.
DashClock Widget (£free)
DashClock will super charge your Nexus 5’s lock screen by injecting it with extra notifications, all of which can be customised. From upcoming calendar appointments to local weather, Gmail messages and more, you’ll have all the important info you need at a glance.
Netflix (£free)
If you’re a Netflix subscriber then this app’s a no-brainer. Bury yourself in Breaking Bad as you walk to work, lose yourself in House of Cards on a park bench – block out the real world however you see fit. The Nexus 5 is a card-carrying 4G member now too, which means less time buffering and more time enjoying your favourite shows.
Hola (£free)
This handy little app’s compression skills speed up your download speeds and help to reduce your mobile data too usage too – a feature you’ll definitely appreciate if you’re not on an unlimited plan. Not only that, but it’ll unblock any locked content too. Can’t access some shows on Netflix as they’re US-only? Let Hola work its behind-the-scenes magic and they’re all yours.
BBM (£free)
Yep, BBM has left the confines of BlackBerry and has landed on iOS and Android, taking both the App and Google Play stores by storm within hours of its launch. If you’re an ex BlackBerry user with friends still in the BlackBerry camp then it’s definitely worth checking out, especially as it’s a very solid messenger service in its own right.
BaconReader for Reddit (£free)
Indispensable for Reddit addicts, BaconReader’s slick interface and controls offer a fluid, fast on-the-go Reddit experience which is infinitely better than viewing the site in a mobile browser. Say hi to the passionate Nexus 5 fans on r/Android for us, won’t you?
Spotify (£free)
If you’re not forking out £10 a month for Google Play’s music service then there’s a good chance that tenner is going to Spotify instead. If it is then clearly you’re going to want to access your meticulously crafted playlists while you’re on the move, with offline listening available for those train-in-tunnel moments.
MX Player (£free)
Our go-to Android video player, MX Player plays almost any file type you throw at it (plus most subtitle formats), offers hardware and software acceleration, and features a plethora of quick gesture controls. Ideal for showcasing the Nexus 5’s big, crisp 5in display.
Yahoo! Weather (£Free)
Yahoo! might be struggling to find its place in today’s world, but its free weather app certainly deserves a spot on your new phone: it’s elegant, uncomplicated and useful. Using your Nexus 5’s location, it’ll tell you the current weather conditions plus daily high and low temperatures, all backed up by a lovely picture drawn from (the Yahoo!-owned) Flickr’s Creative Commons library. Oh, and you can manually add other locations, should you wish to keep tabs on the rain in Bahrain or the snow in Oslo.
Pocket (£Free)
Formerly known as Read It Later, Pocket is an app that’ll suit anyone who constantly comes across web articles they want to read – but only at inopportune moments. With Pocket, any article (or page, more accurately) can be saved to a cloud-synced list, then accessed on your various devices at any time. Great for catching up on your, ahem, favourite tech site’s news and reviews pieces while you’re on the train to work. Or the toilet, for that matter.
Esat Dedezade
Contributor 
