Welcome to the 441st edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from last week:
- The first round of the James Webb telescope went into circulation this week. They’re quite pretty, and they also make excellent wallpapers. If you’re interested, we wrote a short tutorial with links to full resolution images.
- WhatsApp released a new feature this week. You can now react to WhatsApp messages with any emoji. Initially, you are limited to about half a dozen different emojis. That restriction is now gone.
- Google released Android 13 beta 4 last week. Not much about it worth mentioning. It’s basically a release candidate for Pixel devices. However, beta 4 should be the last beta before the full release. Hold on to your hats, it will come sooner rather than later.
- Microsoft is already making plans for Windows 12. Reportedly, the company is targeting a 2024 release or roughly three years after Windows 11. This will make it a three-year release cycle. That’s the same time frame between Windows 7 and 8 and again between 8 and Windows 10. We’ll see what happens.
- Google launched Chrome OS Flex this week. This lets you run Chrome OS on a Windows or macOS machine. Google certified it to work on over 400 devices currently on the market. This is a big deal for Google, but we are adding support for Android apps and games in a future release.
Charlie in the Underworld
Price: Free / $3.99
Charlie in Underworld is the latest visual novel game from Buff Studios. This is a fork of Underworld Office, another visual novel from the developer. It features a grisly story, choices that affect the story, and more. The visual novel aspect means there aren’t many mechanics. You are mostly meant to enjoy the story and make decisions based on how it goes. The story is pretty good too. We appreciate that Buff Studios is working on more stories than any of their previous visual novels.
Lamp of Destiny
Price: Free
Destiny Lights is a kind of social network. This allows you to send or receive lanterns anonymously. Basically the lantern is like a status update. You click on a floating lantern in the UI and get a random update from someone. The app also tracks your location so you can see how many people have read your updates around the world. This is meant to be a positive thing. Some people seek positivity, and some try to spread it. We don’t see it replacing Facebook, but it’s a different idea and not a bad idea.
Saint Seiya: Legend of Justice
Price: Free to play
Saint Seiya: Legend of Justice is a silent RPG set in the Saint Seiya universe. There are also some gacha elements. You summon knights, use them in battle, and advance through the game. Some parts of the game evolve while you’re not playing, so you’re always coming back for something new. This has the same problem as many idle games where you make a lot of progress at first, and then it gets a bit repetitive once you hit the grind wall. It’s not bad for an idle game, but RPG fans will probably get bored with this one.
Link tree
Price: Free / $5+ per month
Linktree is a bio website. You’ve probably seen the link if you play MMORPGs or use TikTok. The company launched an official mobile app where you can create and manage your profile. There are ready-made themes, lots of elements you can add to customize your profile, and much more. We’d say it’s a niche use, but everyone on TikTok and some MMOs use it, so we’re really hoping it’s quite a hit.
World War Soldiers: WW2
Price: Free to play
World War Soldiers: WW2 is an online multiplayer strategy game. In essence, you build an army and fight other players in battle. Battles help you get upgrades, and upgrades help you win more matches. The mechanics are pretty solid, and the game isn’t hard to play. However, there are some unit balancing issues. Overall, this game is not bad for strategy fans who like to compete.
If we missed any major Android app or game release, let us know in the comments.
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