Welcome to the 459th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:
- Google is paying out a $392 million settlement after a lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Google continued to track users even after they opted out of location tracking. Not only is Google paying that money, but they must better express to their users that location tracking still happens even if they opt-out. Hit the link to learn more.
- You can finally message yourself on WhatsApp. The app lets you message yourself anything you want to send. This is a neat way to message yourself reminders, files to share across your devices, and other things. The rollout started on version 22.23.74 on iOS and version 2.22.23.77 on Android. However, the rollout is in stages, so it’s not available to everyone just yet.
- The Android Auto public beta for its new UI opened up twice in the last week. The first was late last week and then again a few days ago. Android Auto’s new beta includes a new UI along with some other features. Beta users are reporting some bugs here and there, but that is to be expected. We only recommend signing up if you’re okay with being a beta tester.
- Netflix is giving people more ways to manage their accounts. This week, the company announced a new feature that lets you boot specific devices off of your account. There was already a feature to boot all devices off of an account. This new variant lets you just boot one. It’s a nice way to get moochers off your account, but it has other practical uses too.
- Over the last week, Twitter has been a dumpster fire between Elon Musk’s changes and people’s reactions to the changes. However, there is some comedy to be had. Our own Ryan McNeal rounded up some of the funnier tweets from parody accounts. Some of them were surprisingly realistic too.
Super Arrow Online
Price: Free to play
Super Arrow Online is an online idle RPG. Players start with a hero and level them up as they progress through the game. There are 150 skills, a bunch of equipment, collectible items, and more to improve your hero’s stats. Additionally, you have things like dungeons, challenge levels, and more to play through. Its online nature means you’ll fun into other players fairly frequently. In terms of combat, your hero basically just runs around and attacks stuff until everything or the hero is dead. It’s not an action-packed game, but it scratches that itch if you like idle games.
Duet is a couples app with some neat ideas. The point is to help improve communication with your partner. It does so by helping you evaluate the various facets of your relationship. For example, you can reflect on things you love about your partner or things that aren’t so great in a way that won’t cause an argument. It’s not terribly different from couples counseling, except the couple has to have the wherewithal to perform the tasks without being mean about it. In any case, the app is free, and it can’t hurt to try.
My Cat Tiles
Price: Free to play
My Cat Tiles is a mixture between a match-three puzzle game and a pet sim. The match-three part is self-explanatory at this point. The game boasts thousands of stages for you to clear. From there, you unlock things to decorate a room for you and your cat. You can wash, feed, and play with your cat to take care of it. There are 47 breeds of cats to collect, along with various ways to decorate your room. The game is free to play. However, it also supports offline play, and the microtransactions aren’t too horrible. The only real obnoxious part of the game are the ads.
Ploter is a cloud library for audiobooks and ebook collectors. It works similarly to old Google Play Music but for audiobooks and ebooks. You upload your stuff to the service, and then you can play them from your phone over an Internet collection. It has cross-platform support between Android, iOS, and more. In terms of usability, it’s okay. You won’t get the heavy, power-user set of features you’d find in an offline reader. However, it’s nice to have your collection with you wherever you go.
20 Minutes Till Dawn
Price: Free to play
20 Minutes Till Dawn is a shoot ’em up game with some roguelike elements. It features top-down gameplay where you try and survive against a bunch of enemies and gunfire. The goal is to survive for the whole 20 minutes. Players unlock upgrades as they play. There is also a wide cast of characters, each with their own unique traits and abilities. The frenetic gameplay and progressive difficulty make it addicting. It’s honestly pretty good.
If we missed any big Android apps or games news or releases, tell us about them in the comments.
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