I can't imagine a student without a smartphone today. The smartphone can be distracting, but it is undoubtedly a great support tool for studying, at school and university .
There are numerous useful applications, especially for Android phones and tablets, for iPhone and iPad, which help in all the side activities to study, to organize, to take notes, as a dictionary, as a calculator and, in general, as a management tool of his student life, so as not to waste time and focus only on studying.
In this list we discover the best free apps for students, on iPhone and Android, divided into categories .
READ ALSO: Best programs for Windows PC and Mac for students
1) Italian dictionary
On iPhone and iPad the dictionary is already included in the system (from iOS7) and is only to be downloaded or updated.
Then open the Notes application on the iPhone or iPad, write any pariah, double-tap on the word to select it, scroll the menu to the right and tap on Define.
If the word is not found, click on the bottom left on Manage, choose the Italian dictionary from the list and download it.
Once the dictionary is downloaded, you can find the definition of any word from any app, including Safari, just by selecting it.
On Android instead you can download the dictionary application.
2) Translator
Those who study English or other languages can use Google Translate (iPhone - Android) or even other apps such as Dictionary.com, the best English dictionary with definitions and translator.
WordLens is also very useful for translating written with the camera
3) Notes
To take quick notes on your smartphone, you need an app that is capable of synchronizing everything that is written or photographed between the various devices, including the computer, so that you can also find them at home or via the web.
The best apps for taking notes on iPhone and Android are at least 3: Microsoft OneNote, Evernote (iPhone - Android) and Google Keep (Android only).
With a smartphone it is also possible to dictate the notes by voice to transcribe them automatically by simply using the keyboard on any writing app, by pressing the microphone button.
In another article, the guide to dictate verbally on Android and iPhone .
4) Organize things to do, homework, exams and studies
The best apps for organizing homework and studying are two: Any.do (iPhone - Android) and Wunderlist (iPhone - Android), full of features, with a calendar and synchronized data in the cloud for access via the web.
Timetable, for Android and iPhone, is a perfect app for marking timetables, courses and lessons, for university and high school students.
For the university, the app Libretto universitario for Android, with which to organize the exam grades, always know the average and do calculations on how much to take to maintain or increase it, calculate credits and taxes to be paid, all with the possibility of putting a password to protect this information.
5) Encyclopedia
The days when searches were done on the huge paper encyclopedia are over, today you can download the Wikipedia app on Android and iPhone, free and more complete than ever, especially if you are looking for something in English.
6) Cloud memory
When you are at school or university, you need to save files and documents on a cloud storage, both to save space on the internal memory, and because any data saved online can be taken back from the computer without having to make inconvenient transfers.
The best apps are, also in this case, three: Dropbox, Onedrive and Google Drive that provide apps for both iPhone and Android.
7) Office tools: Office, PDF reader, writing and opening documents
As an application to open Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on your smartphone or tablet there are: free Microsoft Office Mobile, CloudOn and Kingosft Office only for Android, all apps already described in other articles.
Finally, note that Google Drive also includes the Google Docs app, for writing Word, Excel and Powerpoint files and also useful for opening PDFs and scanning sheets of paper.
8) Scanner
Whenever you need to copy a sheet of notes or a book, you no longer need to go to the photocopy shop, just photograph the sheet with an app scanner that transforms the photo into a PDF to be read on the smartphone screen, tablet or PC.
In another article the best scanner apps for Android and iPHone
9) Print
If you need to print a document on paper, you can also use your home printer while staying at school or university.
All the instructions on how to do it are in two different articles:
- 5 ways to print from iPad and iPhone to any printer
- How to print from Android on any printer
10) Recorder
A smartphone can be an effective lesson recorder.
In another article we saw the best apps for recording audio and voice with Android.
On the iPhone, on the other hand, you can use the application already installed Voice Memos or the best Audio Memos that saves the recordings in iCloud.
11) Calculator
There are numerous apps that work as a calculator for Android and iPhone so you are spoiled for choice.
There are two that I can recommend: Free Graphing Calculator for iOS and Handycalc for Android and Calculator ++
12) Video calls to study in conference
Skype is the most famous and popular app to make video calls also with iPad as well as with iPhone and Android smartphones.
13) Books
Books in digital format can be read on smartphones and tablets with the Kindle app (Android and iPhone).
The integrated Play Books app also works very well on Android.
Special mention deserves the Libby application, for Android and iPhone a virtual library of free books.
In addition to these there are, in the stores, many specific apps to study subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Latin, Mathematics and other subjects, which work a bit like Bignami (summaries) for review.
There are also applications that solve mathematical expressions and functions only by framing them from the camera.
The list, therefore, continues in another article with the most useful apps for studying and doing homework .
Last but not least, the Skuola.net app, all Italian, perfect for finding notes already made on lessons, term papers to study, Latin and Greek versions and guides to face the school.
READ ALSO: 15 Android and iOS apps useful for office, work and study activities
