Oh that's a perfectly fine assumption, I am a beginner only just breaching HSK2 stuff. I'm using pleco a lot and bounce between several apps and a few physical books I bought to supplement (one on grammar, one on character construction, and one on slang). I've been more focused on the reading angle because I want to be able to read Chinese media, but I'm starting to realize I shouldn't neglect the rest because they reinforce one another in better understanding. I've already installed pinyin keyboards on both my phone and computers too so I can practice a little, and I've noticed that even though I remember a character I often forget the pronunciation so I have trouble typing in pinyin without checking pleco first.

Regarding the erhua thing I actually had read a little about it because I noticed some discrepancies when switching between learning apps and I googled it until I found some discussions on the topic. I've picked up a few other similar things the same way. I know it's not the same or as good as having a real teacher but I think it's working ok for the basics so far. I'm definitely keen on getting some new materials into the mix though so I'm going to check out everything you listed, I really appreciate it.

I'm probably absolutely absymal at speaking right now, and that's something I'm guessing won't really improve without another human being. But I also don't really feel ready for any of the online cultural exchange chat type things people use to practice yet.