In today’s advanced and technology-oriented environment, people of all ages have become gadget freaks. Possessing a sophisticated multi-functional Android smartphone has now been added in the list of necessities and not luxury. According to the stats, current number of Android apps in the market is 1,199,688 while percentage of low quality apps is 20%. This means that the overall feedback of Android apps is good enough.
Mobile and PC technologies have advanced at a high rate facilitating an instant, clear, and effective communication irrespective of the subscriber’s location. Keeping all this in mind, enormous free and paid communication apps and software packages are available according to the needs and desires of the smartphone users. The most promising Android communication apps are discussed in detail.
Best Android Communication Apps
Communication apps are designed according to the requirement of the user. For example, easy communication apps are designed in the scenario where simply the family members and friends want to talk to each other, while more complex and feature-rich apps are designed for business purposes.
Top Android communication apps are but not limited to:
UberConference
Gmail
Google Hangout
Google Voice
Cloze
Brewster
LinkedIn
Twitter
Skype
WhatsApp Messenger
Mention
Hike
Line
Viber
ooVoo Video Calls
ICQ
Facebook
HIKE 
It is an instant messaging app for Android that lets you chat for free with any other user of the service. HIKE is a fast and easy way to chat for free with your buddies on your phone.
The other features of this instant messaging app are:
Attach images, video, audio and voice messages to your chats.
Share your location with the person you’re chatting to.
Include a group chatting feature.
Include a wide selection of fun emoticons that you can add to your chats, which are grouped into three different types of character.
LINE 
It is a free messaging app that allows you to exchange free instant messages with friends whenever and wherever with one-on-one and group chats. LINE is available on all smartphone devices (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Nokia) and even on your PC. LINE has more than 410 million users worldwide and is used in over 231 countries. LINE has been ranked as the #1 most downloaded app in 52 countries including Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Spain, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Russia, Macau, United Arab Emirates and more
The other features of this instant messaging app are:
Free Voice & Video Calls
Over 10,000 stickers and emoticons for more fun and expressive chats
Share photos, videos, voice messages, contacts and location information easily with your friends
Get the latest news and special coupons for popular artists and brands.
VIBER
VIBER connects everyone in the world. It is completely free with no advertising. More than 200 million Viber users’ text, call, and send photo and video messages worldwide over Wi-Fi or 3G – for free. Viber Out can be used to make calls to non-Viber mobile and landline numbers at low rates. It is available for many smartphones and platforms.
The other features of this app are:
Compatible with and optimized for Android tablets.
Use Viber on your tablet and phone simultaneously.
Syncs with your mobile contact list, automatically detecting which of your contacts have Viber.
Text with your friends.
Make free calls with HD sound quality.
Share photos, videos, voice messages, locations, stickers, and emoticons.
Groups with up to 100 participants.
Download stickers from the sticker market, making messaging fun.
Push notifications guarantee that you never miss a message or call, even when Viber is off.
Support for the Viber Desktop application on Windows and Mac.
SKYPE
SKYPE allows free instant messaging, voice or video calls. You can join millions of SKYPE users and contact your favorite list of people. This is also used as a free conference call app allowing conference calling as well as video conferencing.
The other features of this app are:
Low cost calls to mobiles and landlines too
Skype is available on smartphones, tablets, PCs, Macs, and even TVs.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp Messenger is a smartphone messenger available for Android and other smartphones. WhatsApp uses your 3G or Wi-Fi (when available) to message with friends and family.
The other features of this app are:
Send text messages to others who may be on different operating systems or using other devices.
Cross-platform app enables easy and free text messaging to other WhatsApp users.
Save on text messaging usage costs
Send video, images, and voice notes to your friends and family.
No hidden cost or international charges.
Share location, exchange contacts, custom wallpaper, custom notification sounds, landscape mode, precise message time stamps, e-mail chat history, broadcast messages and MMS to many contacts at once.
Facilitates group conversations with your contacts.
Google Hangout and Google Voice
Google Hangout is a simple, inclusive way to communicate with your friends over Google’s services. It allows you to collaborate with a team. Some versions of Android allow users of Google+ to video chat for free.
Google Voice allows you to call internationally, text for free, and more. However, you need to have a dedicated Google Voice phone number to avail these services. It does require an internet connection but works on a variety of Android and non-Android devices, including desktop computers. While using Google Voice for Android, both domestic and international calls are placed through a US-based Google Voice access number, and will use the standard minutes from your cell phone plan.
UberConference
It is a great business tool as besides providing various communicating options, there are also some advanced conferencing features and file sharing. You can opt for a free app or a paid one according to the requirement of features. It is comparatively less restrictive than other mass communications apps. It radically improves the conference call experience from your mobile device.
The other features of this app are:
Keep track of your calls, create instant conferences on the fly, and run conferences smoothly wherever you are, from your phone.
Numerous useful call control features at your fingertips when you need them on your conference call.
ooVoo Video Calls
You can make free video calls, voice calls, and send text chats to easily connect with friends and family. ooVoo Video calls allows you to start a free group video chat with up to 12 people on 3G, 4G, LTE and Wi-Fi and experience the best quality video and audio. Over 90 million people are on ooVoo which makes it the highest quality video chat app. It is available on over 300 popular Android phones and tablets that keep on adding.
The other features of this app are:
Cross-platform
SuperClear™ video
High resolution video for 1:1 video chats on Wi-Fi for the most popular Android devices
Echo cancellation for crystal clear audio during video chats
Video and photo messaging
ooVies™ — video status messages that you display on your profile or send to friends
Full-page profile screen featuring your ooVies, profile pic, and more
Fab 5 — put your five best friends on speed dial
Colorful, creative filters for in-call video and video recording
View friends’ profiles and connect in any of four ways: video call, voice call, instant text or video message
Search for friends on ooVoo, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and your personal contact list
Review your conversation history and messages and resume them with one touch
Conclusion
Mobile apps have undoubtedly revolutionized communication. However, to decide which communication app to be used is challenging. For example, when opting for an instant messenger such as, Hike, Line, Viber, or WhatsApp, you should have clarity on which service to use. The setup process for Hike is very similar to that of WhatsApp or Viber however; WhatsApp is a bit more polished. The user interface of Hike looks great but it doesn’t have the customization options of WhatsApp, which allows you to change the background image of the chat window. In addition to this, WhatsApp also has a more varied range of emoticons.
Android apps are not only beneficial to individuals but also to a business. Businesses have started using these apps from quite a while as they are the most affordable and effective way to reach out to customers these days.
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