Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
Welcome to the 513th version of Android Apps Weekly, the place we focus on the latest in cell news and take a better take a look at a few of the most fascinating new apps and video games. This week noticed the launch of one other app claiming to duplicate iMessage for Android customers, however this time it truly appears to work. Google was additionally in the news for just a few causes, comparable to worth will increase for YouTube clients together with these beforehand grandfathered into older plans.
Let’s leap proper in and check out a few of the greatest highlights from the final week:
- Apple doesn’t formally supply iMessage for Android customers however just a few workarounds have surfaced over the years, together with Beeper, which lets you use iMessage however requires you at hand over your ID in the course of. Nothing launched an identical resolution just lately, till it was all of a sudden pulled after it turned clear the app was a safety nightmare. The good news is {that a} true resolution has lastly arrived in the type of Beeper Mini. The app doesn’t require you at hand over your iMessage credentials and, at most, takes minutes to arrange. The solely draw back is the service isn’t free and will set you again $1.99 a month. Beeper claims that this is simply the starting and that Beeper Mini will finally combine WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, and Facetime assist.
- YouTube has been cranking up costs on YouTube Premium in additional and extra areas because it continues its struggle towards ad-blockers and makes an attempt to pressure customers over to Premium. Now South Korea is becoming a member of the membership with a worth enhance. That’s not the solely dangerous news, YouTube Premium can also be transferring all its beforehand grandfathered accounts over to new pricing plans. If you have been presently paying $9.99 a month or much less you’ll see a rise to $13.99 a month beginning in January.
- Google just lately introduced its new Gemini giant language mannequin, which now powers the latest model of the Bard chatbot. So when will this improved performance come to Assistant? Code inside the Google App signifies Assistant with Bard is getting nearer to launch, with extra strings transferring from the beta to the steady model of the app. The similar code dive additionally revealed just a few new tidbits about Bard’s picture technology capabilities and extension assist.
- Discord has up to date its cell app’s UI, optimizing it for the small display screen and transferring away from its earlier design which tried to line up higher with its net and desktop apps. Unfortunately, not everybody likes the new look and some are upset to be taught there’s no approach to transfer again to the previous look, as the change is server-side.
- It’s no secret that the world’s governments prefer to spy on civilians however Apple and Google have now confirmed that governments can spy on customers by means of push notifications. This data can inform the authorities how customers work together with apps and even give them entry to the notification’s full textual content. It’s good to have extra transparency and it illustrates the level that privateness simply isn’t one thing assured when you’re on the net.
- Meta has been speaking about Meta AI for some time now, however the Meta chatbot is now accessible for all customers in the US throughout Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The bot can generate pictures in chats and rather more. Additionally, Meta can also be opening up its AI picture technology software to cell and desktop customers in the US.
- WhatsApp isn’t simply getting Meta AI, it’s additionally bringing its View Once mode to voice messages. Voice messages will self-delete after they’re performed for the first time. View Once messages are clearly marked with a particular icon to indicate they’ll solely be performed one time.
- After it introduced the demise of Google Podcasts, Google stated it could finally introduce a software and would make clear on how lengthy customers needed to migrate their information. As promised, Google has now revealed the software will arrive in the subsequent few weeks and customers will be capable to preserve listening to podcasts till March 2024. After that, they’ll have till July 2024 to maneuver the information earlier than it’s too late.
Android Apps Weekly: New apps and video games of the week
Looking for some new Android apps and Android video games to maintain you occupied? Below, we check out a few of our favourite solutions for the week. This time round we’re getting a number of nice premium video games, lots of which have been widespread on PC and console.
Death’s Door
- Price: Free with a Netflix subscription
Death’s Door is a singular action-adventure recreation the place you play as a small crow who collects soles as his occupation. Previously the recreation was successful on each the PC and console. The new port stays true to the unique recreation however provides contact controllers and just a few different adjustments to raised go well with it for cell. Overall this looks like the full recreation however with some very huge limitations together with an absence of bodily controller assist, a lock to simply 30fps, and I’ve to confess I bumped into just a few different efficiency glitches and hiccups with the Pixel 6 Pro I examined it on. The recreation is playable and utterly free so long as you have a Netflix subscription, however simply bear in mind it gained’t be fairly as easy of an expertise if you’ve performed it elsewhere. For these with older telephones it’s additionally vital to notice there’s no video high quality settings, simply what you get out of the field.
Goat Simulator 3 is one other console/PC port making its approach to Android. The cell model options co-op assist and all the core options you’d anticipate. While the recreation is true to what you’d get on different platforms, it tends to be so much much less steady. I had to make use of my Google Pixel 7 to get a superb expertise, as my Pixel 6 Pro struggled arduous. Even then, I had just a few bugs, stutters, and different graphical points. What’s made worse is that there’s no approach to regulate your graphics settings in this title, which might seemingly go a good distance in enhancing the expertise.
Hitman: Blood Money Reprisal
Yet one other port! This time we’re taking a look at a remake of the 2006 unique, remastered with new quality-of-life options together with touchscreen optimizations and just a few different adjustments together with an Instinct Mode, which was launched to the sequence in the 2012 recreation Hitman: Absolution. Unlike the different video games on the listing thus far, this one is a port that has truly zero notable efficiency points. I performed it on three completely different units briefly and discovered the expertise labored effectively even on telephones that have been a bit older or mid-range.
Shapez
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
After a bunch of hardcore video games, I assumed I’d deliver you one thing barely extra informal, although it’s nonetheless a port. While the Steam model prices, this is a free recreation although there are in-app purchases that unlock the full expertise. Shapez is a singular recreation the place you construct advanced factories to automate the creation of more and more advanced shapes. It’s a great way to train your mind and is a number of enjoyable. Unfortunately, the cell controls aren’t fairly pretty much as good and there are just a few bugs right here and there. Here’s hoping the recreation will get higher over time, however in its present kind, it’s playable, simply not fairly pretty much as good as what you’d get in the non-mobile model.
Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
While we talked about Beeper Mini in the news, we figured we’d add it to our new apps highlight as effectively. The new app primarily tips Apple into letting you into their unique blue field membership. You’ll get all the similar options as iMessage customers and iPhone customers will see you as simply one other iMessage consumer. While it’s unclear how Apple will react to this app and if there’s even something they’ll do about it, for now we extremely advocate this if you’ve thought of switching to an iPhone only for iMessage. Apple’s messaging app is extraordinarily widespread in the US and I’ve recognized quite a lot of individuals who have switched telephones only for that, together with my very own sister. The solely actual draw back right here is you’ll need to pay $1.99 for the service.
Pro Tip of the Week
In our Pro Tip of the Week, we share suggestions or solutions that we predict may gain advantage our readers. This might embody app suggestions for obscure apps that aren’t new, how-to guides for rising points, or any recommendation we predict will assist you out.
Thinking about ditching X? Here’s our suggestions for the greatest alternate options to Twitter
Recently there have been a number of new apps trying to attract in customers which have change into jaded by Musk’s model of Twitter. Which Twitter various is the greatest for you? It is determined by what you’re searching for. Mastodon beforehand drew consideration for its extra open-source consideration however has pale a bit from the highlight and was most likely by no means destined to change into something greater than a distinct segment various. Still, it’s a sensible choice if you wish to type of construct your individual factor.
Just searching for one thing that feels much like Twitter? Meta’s Threads community might be the most blatant selection and Threads compares largely favorably to X. While it’s not an ideal alternative, it comes shut and has the largest consumer base at over 100 million. While X stays the extra versatile choice, many have left the community simply out of precept attributable to disagreements with how Musk is dealing with the firm. If you’re discovering your favourite Twitter customers have jumped ship, you’re extra prone to discover them on Thread than on a few of the different Twitter-like apps.
Another strong choice could be Bluesky Social. You can be taught extra about the way it compares to Twitter in our X vs Bluesky information. We even have an explainer that helps spotlight the variations between Bluesocial vs Threads as effectively.