20 Popular Web Apps & Tips From 2015

A good web app can replace a desktop app and often, it’s just better to have a go-to web app for something quick instead of installing a specialized one on your desktop. In 2015, one of the most popular web apps that debuted was the Imgur GIF maker but there were also the smaller, less famous ones that let you check if you needed to visit an optometrist, and help you find a new anime to watch based on the ones you like. Here’s our list of the top twenty web apps and tips reviewed in 2015.

Enable And Disable ‘Seen’ Report In Google Hangouts

This isn’t so much an app as it is a tip but Google Hangouts, much like any other messaging service has a ‘seen’ report that lets people know you’ve read a message. It can be incredibly useful or incredibly annoying. Here’s how you can enable and disable it.

Find An Anime To Watch Based On Your Favorites

Finding a good anime to watch is hard. There are so many volumes to choose from, they seem to span into the most obscure genres and niches, and they can be exceptionally long. Committing to a series is time consuming so you obviously want to pick one that you’ll like. Anime Suggestions is a web app that makes the decision easier by suggesting something similar to what you already like.

Add Conditional In Google Sheets

Google Sheets made some improvements with how you can format text and a few additional options were added for conditional formatting. The app has definitely gotten better and if you use it often, you might want to know how conditional formatting works.

Check Your Vision With An Online Chart

You’ve no doubt heard the old urban legends about too much TV or too much screen time giving you weak eye sight. Spending too much time on a screen definitely strains your eyes but you aren’t going to need glasses because you watch TV for two hours straight, or because you work in front of a computer screen from 9-5. If you feel your vision isn’t what it used to be, you can take this online test before scheduling an appointment with the doctor.

Disable The Autoplay Feature On YouTube

YouTube introduced a new feature last year that automatically plays the next video from the suggested list once the current one has ended. It can be turned off if you know where to look for the option so here’s pointing you in the right direction.

Use Google Translate As A Proxy Service

Google Translate isn’t the most accurate text translating service but it’s definitely one of the best. What you probably don’t know is that the service can be used as a proxy to by-pass local network restrictions. Give it a quick try.

Check 2G, 3G, & 4G LTE Network Compatibility For A Phone In Your Country

Almost every phone that now comes out is 3G compatible and more and more sets are supporting 4G LTE networks as well but there is a catch. Network support doesn’t depend entirely on a phone but also on the network the phone is going to be used on. Before you buy a phone for its 4G capabilities, make sure it will work in your country of residence with a little app called Will My Phone Work.

Use A Chart Of Custom Filters To Find The Right Laptop

If you’re struggling to decide which laptop is the right one for you, it’s a good idea to compare the choices you have. For better or for worse, you will have a lot of different laptop models to choose from so try comparing them with Product Comparison Chart.

Reduce Noise And Upscale A Photo’s Resolution

Noise reduction in images is an actual thing. You can improve the quality of a bad image provided you manage your expectations. There are quite a few apps out there that claim to take grainy photos and turn them into HD quality and they are little more than snake oil. That said, Waifu2x is an app that does a reasonable job of upscaling a photo and improving its resolution.

Check Out The Voter Demographic For IMDb Ratings For Better Suggestions

Have you ever wondered why a certain movie had such a high ratings and raving reviews but when you sat down to watch it, it was terrible? It might be because the movie just isn’t your cup of tea, or because the people who liked it and rated it well are a very different demographic than the one you fit in. If a movie on IMDb has a high rating, check to see if the high ratings come from people that are concentrated in one demographic as opposed to spread out over different ones and you might be able to avoid a movie that isn’t meant to appeal to you.

Use Facebook Messenger As A Stand Alone Web App

Facebook introduced Messenger as a stand alone app. The app lets you use Facebook as a messaging platform but avoid all the time-wasting posts you see in your news feed. I’ve been using it ever since it came out and productivity has improved.

Check Username Availability Across Multiple Social Networks

Finding an available username is soon going to be impossible but the time hasn’t quite come yet. If you’re signing up for a new service, perhaps registering a business and then setting up its social media accounts, you should give NameChk a try. It lets you check username availability across multiple networks. Use to find a name you can use on all networks to keep things simple and homogenous.

Write Emails That Are More Polite With A Tone Check

Communicating via text and email comes with a problem that no one could really have predicted; unintentionally coming off as rude. If you’re trying to walk the thin line between being rude or a push-over when you send an email, try getting a little help from Fox Type. It objectively tells you if you’re being rude or not over email. Paste the text of your email and let it highlight the not-so-nice parts.

Create Your Own Peanuts Character

The Peanuts movie was adorable. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it. As part of the movie’s promotion, Peanutize Me was released so anyone could create a Peanuts character for themselves to use on social media.

See How Changing ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed Affects Photos

If you’re learning the basics of photography but struggling with what ISO, aperture, and shutter speed can do, here’s a quick way to explore the effects of each setting on a photo.

Create GIFs With The New Imgur GIF Creator

Imgur introduced an awesome GIF maker that lets you input a video’s URL and turn a part of it into a HD GIF. It’s awesome and you can add text to your GIFs easily.

A 25 Question Quiz To Help You Decide If You Should Quit Your Job Or Not

If you’re unhappy at work and wondering whether or not to quit or start looking for other opportunities, answer these twenty five questions first to get an objective view of  your current job and employment situation.

How Reverse Google Image Search On Your Phone 

Reverse image search is awesome but it’s kind of hard to do on your phone. Here’s a web app that takes the pain out of it. It works equally well for iPhone users.

Force Facebook To Detect Thumbnails And Links

Sometimes when you share a link on Facebook, it doesn’t detect the link or it fails to load an image. It’s an odd sort of problem that affects Facebook pages but here’s a very simple fix to it.

Find Which Regions A YouTube Videos Is Restricted To 

If you’re trying to watch a region restricted YouTube video, you need to know which countries the video is open to for viewing. Here’s a little app that gives you a comprehensive look at region restrictions on any YouTube video.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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