Skip to main content
Tech Radar TechRadar the technology experts
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
  • Phones
  • Computing
  • TVs
  • AI
  • Streaming
  • Health
  • Audio
  • VPN
  • More
    • Cameras
    • Home
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Opinion
    • How to
    • Versus
    • Deals
    • Coupons
    • Best
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Amazon Prime Day
  • Back to school
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • Best VPN
  • ChatGPT
  • NYT Wordle today
  • Best laptop
  • Best web hosting

Recommended reading

Android apps
Android 7 must-try Android apps you didn't know you needed until now
A phone sillhouette with the Android 16 logo, alongside an Android logo in the background
Android What’s your favorite Android phone of all time? Let us know
The a list of audio apps on a Realme phone.
Android These are the best audio apps for Android (that aren't Spotify)
A person using a desktop computer.
Pro Best Android emulator of 2025
Google Fit
Android These are the 7 best fitness apps for Android (that aren't Strava)
Google Pixel 9a in Peony pink on a turqoise TechRadar logo banner
Phones The best Android phones 2025
Zen mode on a Realme phone
Android I've been using Android phones my whole life and here are 6 features I'm still waiting for
  1. Computing
  2. Internet
  3. Websites & Apps

10 best Android apps and games of 2017, according to Google

News
By Mark Knapp published 2 December 2017

These are the apps Android users wanted most this year

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

If you've looked over someone's shoulder this year and wondered what they were doing on their phone, they may have been using one of the most popular apps or playing one of the most popular games on the Google Play store. 

With so many people on Android, it takes an enormous amount of downloads to rank among the most popular apps and games in Google Play. So, you can be sure that the Best of 2017 apps on this list will have a chance to pop up in your daily life now and then.

Next time you're out and spot someone's phone, remember these 10 apps and games, because they may just be what you see.

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
What The Forecast?!!

What The Forecast?!!

Convenient and comedic merge in What The Forecast?!!, a weather app that offers forecasts along with funny amusing quips. It includes a toggle for profanity if you want cleaner comedy. And, since it boasts over 6,600 different phrases to describe the weather, the app should stay novel for even the most frequent forecast checkers.

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Boomerang

Boomerang

If you spent much time watching cartoons in the '90s, you might already know everything there is to know about Boomerang. It's the cartoon program that brings back all the oldies, from Popeye and The Jetsons to Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. And, now it's an online streaming service that includes both movies and cartoon series at $4.99 a month.

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
TopBuzz Video

TopBuzz Video

The internet is full of funny, crazy and exciting content. New things are uploaded, shared and made viral every day. TopBuzz Video aims to make all of that content easier to find by curating all the most viral content and putting it into one place. With an average of 4.8 out of 5 from 22,814 users on Google Play, it seems TopBuzz Video is doing a good job delivering the content people want.

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Yarn

Yarn

Similar to one of early 2017's top Android apps, Yarn is a reading app that offers stories in the form of text message conversations. Readers follow along as the story develops with each message. Yarn includes horror, mystery, romance, comedy and more genres for readers of any taste. It does have a paid model that has soured the experience of many users, but even more readers have found the app worth their while.

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Photo Editor

Photo Editor

The most popular app of all was the very simply named Photo Editor, which focuses on adding filters, stickers, stamps and emoji to photos. Another key feature of Photo Editor is its ability to change features of the photo subject, such as altering hair color, adding makeup or removing blemishes. With over 153,000 reviews giving it an average of 4.2 stars, the app is not only popular but also highly praised.

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Bubble Witch 3 Saga

Bubble Witch 3 Saga

The old-school Bust-a-Move (or Puzzle Bobble outside the US) has had so many games replicate its gameplay, and perhaps most impressive is how that remains true more than 20 years later. Bubble Witch 3 Saga keeps the colorful color matching and ricochet game type alive, and it's managed to get plenty of mobile gamers on board.

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Magic Tiles 3

Magic Tiles 3

For anyone that enjoyed the style of gameplay offered by Guitar Hero, Magic Tiles 3 is a mobile game with a very similar shtick. Players tap along on their smartphone screen as notes scroll along to the tune of various songs. It might not have the same song licenses Guitar Hero did, but it's portable and makes it easy to challenge people online.

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars

CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars

Not only one of the most popular games on Google Play in 2017, CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars also earned the distinction of Best Game in Google Play's 'Best Of 2017' picks. The game challenges players to build a machine that will win in a series of battles against machines built by other players. With cartoony graphics and cute cats trying to look tough, what's not to love? Apparently, very little, as close to 800,000 users have given the game an average rating of 4.6 stars.

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Ballz

Ballz

Ballz doesn't try hard to oversell itself. It doesn't brand itself as a revolutionary new game. Instead, it stays simple, offering a soothing brick-breaker-type game  with soft colors and tons of balls bouncing around. The developer puts it in simple terms: "Relax your brain with he champion of time killer!" Turns out that's what plenty of people want to do.

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run

Anyone who watched the 2016 iPhone release may have remembered Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto coming out to announce Super Mario Run as the first Nintendo smartphone game. But, it was only coming out for iOS. Luckily, that exclusivity didn't last long, and when the simple, one-handed platformer came out on Android, users showed just how much they wanted it by making it the most popular Android game of the year.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Mark Knapp
Mark Knapp
Social Links Navigation

Over the last several years, Mark has been tasked as a writer, an editor, and a manager, interacting with published content from all angles. He is intimately familiar with the editorial process from the inception of an article idea, through the iterative process, past publishing, and down the road into performance analysis.

  • Best Android Apps of 2017
You may like
  • Android apps 7 must-try Android apps you didn't know you needed until now
  • A phone sillhouette with the Android 16 logo, alongside an Android logo in the background What’s your favorite Android phone of all time? Let us know
  • The a list of audio apps on a Realme phone. These are the best audio apps for Android (that aren't Spotify)
See more Computing News
Read more
Android apps
7 must-try Android apps you didn't know you needed until now
A phone sillhouette with the Android 16 logo, alongside an Android logo in the background
What’s your favorite Android phone of all time? Let us know
The a list of audio apps on a Realme phone.
These are the best audio apps for Android (that aren't Spotify)
A person using a desktop computer.
Best Android emulator of 2025
Google Fit
These are the 7 best fitness apps for Android (that aren't Strava)
Google Pixel 9a in Peony pink on a turqoise TechRadar logo banner
The best Android phones 2025
Latest in Websites & Apps
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, July 1 (game #1254)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, July 1 (game #485)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, June 30 (game #1253)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, June 30 (game #484)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, June 29 (game #483)
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 29 (game #1252)
Latest in News
Woman disgusted by her laptop
No, Windows 11 PCs aren't 'up to 2.3x faster' than Windows 10 devices, as Microsoft suggests - here's why that's an outlandish claim
Trump
Even Donald Trump can't get a good connection for a work video call
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake rumors reignite as the game's star hints that players 'might have to beat it again'
Apple Watch Series 10
Google just gave Apple Watch fans a Calendar app, but simultaneously removed an even more useful one
Proteus warehouse robot
Amazon now has a million robots on its floors - and they're now close to outnumbering human workers
Adobe Creative Cloud logo on a purple background next to a TechRadar badge that reads 'Don't Miss'
Nvidia is handing out Adobe Creative Cloud apps for free - but there's more than one big catch
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. 1
    Nvidia is handing out Adobe Creative Cloud apps for free - but there's more than one big catch
  2. 2
    Helpdesk software vs ticketing software: what's the difference?
  3. 3
    You can save $400 on a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 this 4th of July – though if it were me I’d wait another week
  4. 4
    Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake rumors reignite as the game's star hints that players 'might have to beat it again'
  5. 5
    Kick off 4th of July with a bang, with Samsung's Odyssey Neo G7 monitor on sale at 50% off on Best Buy

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...