Community Apps for Android: Social, Video and Navigation APKs

What community apps actually are

The word community covers more ground than it first seems. On this page it points to apps whose value comes from other people: a social feed, a short video stream, a shared map fed by drivers, or a game world full of other avatars. They share one trait. Without a live connection to those people, most of them do very little.

That makes this a mixed shelf, so sort it by the job you want done. Posting and scrolling is the territory of social networking and instant messaging. Hanging out in a game world sits closer to multiplayer titles. Browse the wider apps section if you want pure utilities instead.

What is in the selection

• Instagram Lite: a lightweight build of Instagram aimed at phones with little storage or a weak connection.
• SnackVideo: a short video app where you scroll clips and publish your own.
• Waze: a GPS and traffic app that leans on reports from other drivers.
• PK XD MOD: a social game world where you dress an avatar, decorate a space and meet other players.
• Chikii: a cloud gaming app that streams PC games to your phone and has a social side around playing together.

How to choose

Start with your hardware. If storage is tight or mobile data is slow, a Lite style client will treat the phone better than a full app. If your priority is getting somewhere, a navigation app that uses live reports is the right category, and a video feed is not. If you want company while you play, pick a game with shared spaces, and check whether chat is moderated, especially for younger players.

Check before you install

Every item here needs internet for its main features, so do not expect offline use. Look at the minimum Android version on each page, the download size, and whether the app asks for camera, microphone or location. Those permissions make sense for a navigation or video app, but you should still grant only what you will use.

Be careful with accounts. A modified client of a social service can conflict with the official terms, and logging in with your main account is a risk you should weigh. For the MOD of a game world, expect unlocked items rather than special powers, and remember that online play can refuse to start if the server notices a mismatch. See our guides and the MOD section for installation and what tweaks change.