It’s all about being in the ecosystem without relying on it

As a tech enthusiast and content creator, I often use multiple devices from various different platforms such as Android, iOS and Windows.

In order to give you the best possible opinion, I use the devices I test in my everyday life.

This requires me to use apps that are compatible across multiple platforms.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve used many of these apps, but these 5 apps are apps I use unconditionally.

So without any further ado, here are 5 multi-platform apps that I use…

1. Google Drive

Starting with an app I consider to be essential, Google Drive.

I use Google Drive on my MacBook Air, my Google Pixel 7 Pro as well as my Chromebook and Windows devices.

I find Google Drive to be one of the best cloud storage solutions out there as not only does it have many useful features such as device backups, but it also integrates incredibly well with other Google apps such as Google Docs.

Google Drive also proves to be a great tool for collaborating with others as I can easily share files and work on documents remotely.

I tend to use Google Drive as the primary storage location for most of my stuff due to the fact that I can easily access my files from almost any device.

I mainly use it in the browser, but it also comes with handy apps that I have installed on my MacBook Air, my iPad Pro, my Pixel 7 Pro as well as my Windows devices. It just works incredibly well across multiple platforms.

That’s the beauty of using apps like Google Drive, they just work incredibly well!

2. TickTick

The next app on the list has got to be TickTick, which I discovered thanks to MKBHD.

After leaving the Apple ecosystem, I found myself searching for a new ToDo list app that can keep me productive and on top of things.

I’ve tried many ToDo list apps, but none of them worked as well for me as Things 3 did.

After trying various ToDo list apps and later trying them again, I decided to stay with TickTick as I have finally found a system and way of managing tasks that works for me.

TickTick is now my main task and project tracker app, I also use it for tracking my habits and so far it has been working incredibly well for me.

One of the main things I like about the app is that it also has a WearOS app which is great as there aren’t many decent ToDo list app options available on the platform.

TickTick is also available on a handful of other platforms including Android, iOS, Mac and even Linux!

3. 1Password

My password manager of choice is currently 1Password. I’ve used many password managers over the years, but I think that 1Password offers the best compatibility, value for money and most importantly of all security.

We live in a world where everything requires an account and keeping track of passwords can be increasingly difficult. That’s where password managers come in.

With the help of a password manager, you don’t have to worry about remembering complicated passwords, just the one you use to sign into your password manager.

Best of all, as the passwords that it generates are random, you don’t even have to worry about remembering them.

A great feature I like about 1Password is Watchtower which provides you with alerts of any security issue that may affect you, such as reused passwords, weak passwords and duplicates. It will also tell you if your data has been compromised in a reported data breach. Which will help you change your password quickly should it be affected.

1Password is available on a handful of platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux and in the browser making it ideal for people who use multiple platforms.

4. Spark

My all-time favourite app for managing my emails is Spark.

Spark offers a whole new way of managing your emails which not only helps save you time, but also helps you become more organised and productive.

Spark Email is all about reaching Inbox Zero, which is an email management technique aimed at keeping your mailbox empty.

Spark makes this concept easy by allowing you to easily manage everything in your mailbox. It allows you to go through your emails and either set them aside or mark them as done.

Spark even puts your emails into categories such as Notifications and Newsletters which if you want to you can mark all as done.

This works great for those annoying newsletters from shops you don’t even remember signing up to.

But it gets better!

If you decide to buy premium, you also have access to AI which can help you put great emails together, priority email and Gatekeeper which allows you to choose who is allowed to email you and who isn’t.

When someone emails you for the first time, you get to decide whether you want to see emails from them again. Which in this day and age is important!

5. Google Keep

Google Keep is an app I use religiously on all my devices. It’s basically a simple note-taking app that works great on multiple platforms.

You can use it on the web, iOS, Android and even your smartwatch!

I primarily use Google Keep for noting down quick notes, which I later move to Notion if I deem the notes to be important enough that they are worth keeping.

I also use it to note down ideas. I mean let’s face it, sometimes ideas come during the most unexpected times. You can be at the pub with your friends or you could be on a cycling trip, once that idea comes you need to note it down before you forget it.

Google Keep even allows me to note down ideas using my voice which works incredibly well on the Google Pixel Watch and the TicWatch Pro 5!

I like Google Keep for its simplicity and interface, but I do wish it had more formatting options as sometimes its nice to be able to format notes to make them look clearer.

Final Thoughts

As much as I love the idea of ecosystems, I think it’s important not to lock yourself into something that you will later find difficult to get out of. Trust me, I’ve been there!

An ecosystem may sound like a good idea, but if one day you decide that you want to get a Google Pixel phone, a Samsung phone or even an iPhone if you are on Android, it may cost you a lot in terms of time and money to get everything how you want it. I’ve been there as well!

The good news is that there are apps out there that allow you to be part of multiple ecosystems, these are just 5 examples, but there are many more!

As a tech reviewer and enthusiast, I want to be able to experience tech and innovation from all manufacturers, that’s why I choose to be more open to various platforms, which is also the reason I don’t like being tied down.

What are your favourite multi-platform apps? Let us know in the comments!