Welcome to the 459th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from last week:
- Google paid a $392 million settlement following the lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Google continues to track users even after they opt out of location tracking. Not only is Google paying the money, but they should better communicate to their users that location tracking is still happening even if they opt out. Hit the link to learn more.
- You can finally message yourself on WhatsApp. This app lets you message yourself whatever you want to send. It’s a neat way to send yourself reminders, files to share to your device, and other things. The rollout started at version 22.23.74 on iOS and version 2.22.23.77 on Android. However, the rollout is gradual, so it’s not available to everyone yet.
- Android Auto’s public beta for its new UI opened twice in the last week. The first one was late last week and then again a few days ago. The new beta of Android Auto includes a new UI along with several other features. Beta users reported a few bugs here and there, but that was to be expected. We only recommend signing up if you’re willing to become a beta tester.
- Netflix gives people more ways to manage their accounts. This week, the company announced a new feature that lets you boot certain devices from your account. There is already a feature to boot all devices from an account. This new variant lets you boot only one. This is a great way to get moocher out of your account, but it also has other practical uses.
- Over the past week, Twitter has been a dump between Elon Musk’s changes and people’s reactions to them. However, there is some comedy to be had. Our very own Ryan McNeal put together some hilarious tweets from parody accounts. Some of them are also very realistic.
Super Arrow Online
Price: Free to play
Super Arrow Online is an online idle RPG. Players start with a hero and increase their level as they progress through the game. There are 150 skills, tons of equipment, collectibles and more to increase your hero’s stats. Apart from that, you have things like dungeons, challenge levels and more to play through. Its online nature means that you can often have fun with other players. In terms of combat, your heroes are basically just running around and attacking stuff until all of them or the heroes are dead. It’s not an action-packed game, but it’s very itchy if you like idle games.
Duet is a couples app with some neat ideas. The point is to help improve communication with partners. It does that by helping you evaluate different aspects of your relationship. For example, you can reflect on the things you like about your partner or the things that aren’t so great in a way that doesn’t lead to arguments. This is not too different from couples counseling, except that the partner must have the ability to do the job without being rude. However, the app is free, and it never hurts to try.
My Cat Tiles
Price: Free to play
My Cat Tiles is a mix between a match-three puzzle game and a pet sim. The match-three part is self-explanatory at this point. The game offers thousands of stages for you to complete. From there, you unlock various things to decorate the room for you and your cat. You can bathe, feed and play with your cat to take care of it. There are 47 cat breeds to collect, along with lots of different ways to decorate your room. The game is free to play. However, it also supports offline play, and the microtransactions aren’t too shabby. The only really annoying part of this game is the ads.
Ploter is a cloud library for audiobooks and ebook collectors. It works similarly to the old Google Play Music but for audiobooks and ebooks. You upload your stuff to the service, and then you can play it from your phone via the Internet collection. It has cross-platform support between Android, iOS and more. In terms of usability, it’s fine. You won’t get the heavy and powerful set of user features that you will find in an offline reader. However, it’s nice to take your collection with you wherever you go.
20 Minutes Until Dawn
Price: Free to play
20 Minutes Till Dawn is a shooter with some roguelike elements. It features top-down gameplay where you try and survive against groups of enemies and gunfire. The goal is to last the full 20 minutes. Players unlock upgrades as they play. There are also various characters, each with their own unique traits and abilities. The frenetic gameplay and progressive difficulty make it addicting. Honestly it’s pretty good.
If we missed any news or a major Android app or game release, let us know in the comments.
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