GoKawiilAndy Walker / Android Authority
I have many favorite Android apps, but none offer the breadth of possibilities that Shizuku does. It’s one of the first apps I install on every phone, and frankly, I’d be pretty lost without it.
This open-source tool acts as a middleman between elevated Android functionality and permissions and third-party apps, giving the latter (and the user) access to previously locked-away features. It might not sound like much, but it’s a core reason why Shizuku is one of the most important Android apps for power users.
Do you use Shizuku on your Android phone? 249 votes Yes, regularly. 37 % I've it installed, but I rarely use it. 27 % I've never tried it, but now I want to. 25 % No, I don't need it. 10 %
Despite this power, Shizuku is pretty useless on its own. Without supporting apps that leverage its offerings, it doesn’t really add much to Android. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of apps that rely on it and excel for it.
Below is a list of my favorite Shizuku apps that genuinely enhance my Android experience, from improving app installation to enabling more thorough app uninstallation, to theming tweaks, and so much more.
Canta
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Android really doesn’t like me uninstalling apps, especially those that manufacturers deem essential. For Samsung, this could mean the entire Facebook suite, for instance. Thankfully, with Canta, I can scrub my device of these annoyances with ease.
My leveraging Shizuku, Canta lets me uninstall practically any app on my device, including bloatware and system features. While cherry-picking apps to uninstall can be an adventure, Canta provides guidance about which apps are safe to uninstall and which should probably be left alone.
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