Welcome to the 457th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from last week:
- The EU Digital Market Act is about to enter a six-month implementation phase. Basically, if a company is identified as a gatekeeper, it has to open up its services and platforms. Some apps and services may need to be changed, including Google Play, iMessage and others. Watch it, and let’s see what happens.
- Google is expanding Play Games beta on PC. The expansion opened beta to the US, Canada, Mexico and five other countries. Currently available for 85 games through the Windows app. It’s great to see Google working on improving Android apps on PC.
- Issue became official this week at the launch event in Amsterdam. This is a big deal because Matter is set to massively improve interoperability between smart home technologies. Not much to report at this time. However, we should start to see Material enter existing technologies in the near future. Currently, more than 190 certifications exist in the wild today.
- Elon Musk makes changes to Twitter. As well as the layoffs, he’s also giving away the infamous blue tick for $8 per month to anyone who wants to pay for it. Since we only anticipate public figures wanting the tick, we don’t know how much this will or won’t help Twitter’s bottom line. Hit the link to read more.
- The cheaper Netflix plans already have some problems. The new ad-supported plan only works on some devices. For example, it doesn’t support regular Chromecast devices. It only works on Chromecast with Google TV. Similarly, it works fine on Amazon Fire devices, but not on any Apple TV devices. You may want to check it out if you are planning to get the new ad-supported plan.
- Google Hangouts is officially dead. The application closes on November 1st, according to the schedule according to what Google has told us. All the Google Hangouts stuff now redirects to Google Chat, and the web app is the last way to access native Google Hangouts. We knew this was coming, and we’ve written a speech for it.
Deep Past
Price: $2.99
The Deep Past is something unique. This is a cooperative game where you and a friend solve puzzles to advance the story. One person is playing in the past, and the other is playing in the future. Together, the two of you look for a solution to the puzzle. The game plays cross-platform and you should be able to complete it in about two to four hours. The developers are also working on the Rusty Lake series, which we have loved for years. It’s inexpensive, and there are no microtransactions to spoil things.
Neeva Browser
Price: Free
Neeva Browser offers a private and ad-free browsing experience. It does that by filtering search results to remove ads, increasing browsing speed by removing ads, and more. This application also allows you to synchronize your e-mail, calendar and documents. When you’re done, you can use the search bar to search for them too. It’s a bit reminiscent of Ghostery, where you can even count the number of trackers watching you. In terms of usability, it’s a decent mobile browser, but it’s very basic, and doesn’t have the same number of features as the big dogs in this space.
Golf Neko
Price: Free to play
Neko Golf is an anime themed golf game. It features various online PvP tournaments which can win in-game prizes for you. From a mechanical standpoint, it’s pretty solid. You have to swipe and tap to get the right shot. This is one of those things that is easy to learn but takes time to master. There are also things that can happen if you move your finger incorrectly, leading to some interesting results. It’s not the deepest game, and online multiplayer isn’t a full 18-hole match. Thus, you never get the full golf experience. Otherwise, it’s a lot of fun.
To Do Blocks is a to do list app that uses blocks, not lists, to help you plan your day. You simply create blocks with your daily tasks, and then you see your schedule as a sequence of blocks instead of a bland, boring list. We like how it looks different without being totally different. It does remove time constraints, so it’s like you’re working on assignments when you get them instead of trying to finish them on time. It’s not as effective as a full-featured to-do list app, but it sure helps if your brain thinks this way.
Goddess of Victory: Nods
Price: Free to play
Goddess of Victory: Nikke is a gacha RPG with third-person shooter mechanics. Let’s start with the gacha elements. The characters you summon have various active and passive abilities that give them distinct advantages in battle. Combat puts your character behind cover, where you shoot enemies advancing on your position. This is definitely different from what we usually see. There’s a whole story to play through, along with a few other in-game things to do. The game is definitely entertaining, and the level of gacha pull isn’t bad.
If we missed a major Android app or game release, let us know in the comments.
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