Tech review: The best nongame apps for Android devices for 2018 

While games account for most of the downloads from the app stores, it’s the nongame apps that make everyday life easier and more productive. These four apps were chosen by editors at Google Play’s app store as best Android apps of the year in various nongame categories. (They are also available for iOS devices.) Next week: Best 2018 iOS apps.

Drops

(iOS, Android; free)

Chosen by the editors at Google Play’s app store as “Best App of 2018,” Drops is a fun and interactive way to learn a new language. Unlike the boring (and mostly ineffective) foreign-language courses you remember from high school, Drops uses games and illustrations to promote learning. Google said Drops  is “beautifully designed and universally useful.”

Vimage

(iOS, Android; free)

This creative app lets you create “cinemagraphs” that turn your photos into what the developer calls “live pieces of art.” (To see examples of Vimage users’ cinemagraphs, go to Instagram using the hashtag #vimage.) In naming Vimage “Most Entertaining App of 2018,” Google Play’s editors said Vimage can “make the world your stage when you’re at home or on the go.”

Mimo: Learn to Code

(iOS, Android; free)

Careers in software programming are hot. Whether you’re a student looking to improve your grades or a member of the workforce looking for a hot new career, learning to code can get you there. Mimo, named “Best Self-Improvement App of 2018,” offers easy-to-follow lessons that can help you create the next hot app or build a better website.

Slowly

(iOS, Android; free)

With email, texting and always-on mobile devices, the world is sometimes going too fast. But Slowly can help you savor a leisurely and much-loved relic of the past: Finding a pen pal. The developers say that Slowly is for anyone “who yearns for meaningful conversations” in this era of instant messaging. Google Play agrees and named Slowly a “Best Hidden Gem of 2018.”