As much as we’d like to think that our civilization has developed past the point where simple things such as home repairs and power failures are already beneath us… well, it is sadly not the case. Every now and then, we still have to get our hands dirty. There are cracked ceilings to fix, loose chair legs to secure, and leaky pipes to reinforce; and when calling a plumber or carpenter is not an option (which happens more often than we’d like), we have nothing else to rely on but our wits, our muscles, and our…smartphones?
Indeed, the versatility of Android smartphones allows for all sorts of apps to be installed in your smartphone in order for it to meet a variety of needs; which means your options when it comes to dealing with home emergencies aren’t limited to “call or message someone to fix a problem” and “play Angry Birds until said problem gets fixed”. Here are six free Android apps well-suited for home handyman duties. Heck, some of these apps are even useful for other day-to-day concerns.
With a basic design and an easy-to-use interface, the Handyman Calculator app is useful for making precise conversions and measurements. It has a wide range of customizable calculators (depending on what you need for whatever you’re working on) and even helps you determine the exact number of materials you’ll need to complete your projects. It’s a must-have app for people who dabble in carpentry or are in the process of reconstructing or renovating their room (or house).
Smart Measure is actually part of a package of Smart Tools available for purchase on the Play Store. Offered for free on its own, this app “measures the Distance, Height, Width and Area of a target with your phone by trigonometry,” which is a fancy way of saying you can measure how big a thing is by simply standing, pointing your phone at it, and clicking the appropriate button (check the App Screenshots on the page for a clearer explanation).
Not to be confused with King Solomon, Smart Ruler is also part of the Smart Tools package. This app is an easy-to-use digital “ruler” for measuring objects that can fit on your device’s screen. All you have to do is place the object on the screen and touch its corner to measure its length.
A flashlight app is one of the most useful things your smartphone can have. The Tiny Flashlight app is a multi-functional “upgrade” for your Android phone that has everything you’d need in a flashlight and more. Additional options include Warning Lights, Police Lights, Color, Strobe, and Camera Light. It even allows you to communicate in Morse, with additional Text to Morse and Manual Morse Code options. It also supports a wide range of Android devices that have an LED flash, making it both efficient and versatile.
Sometimes, the use of a flashlight isn’t enough for finding tiny things we accidentally drop or lose. The Metal Detector app makes your search a lot easier. Able to detect magnetic materials (which means it can’t detect things like aluminum), the app makes use of the Android device’s capacity to detect electromagnetic fields. Just remember not to use it near a computer, as it will throw your readings out of whack.
If you’re having trouble finding things, you might be having trouble seeing things, too. Whether they’re dropped items or instructions too small to read without proper glasses, Magnify is the app for you. It comes with a built-in flashlight, so it takes care of any lighting problems for you. Just remember to hold your phone at least 4 inches away from the object you want to magnify, to give the app enough room to focus on the object.
Unfortunately, Android doesn’t have an app that can turn your smartphone into a power tool or a multi-headed screwdriver, which, come to think of it, would just be strange and kind of impossible.