Team 17 has officially released its latest strategy game The Escapists 2: Pocket Breakout on the Play Store. Two weeks ago we learned that the prison escape sequel would be landing on Android on the 31st, and Team 17 has indeed delivered. You can pick up The Escapists 2: Pocket Breakout for $6.99,...
Roomba's outdoor cousin, the iRobot Terra, will mow the lawn for you
Thanks to iRobot's Roomba and Braava automated cleaners, floor caring is effortless and can be initiated by telling Alexa or Google Assistant to vacuum or mop. The same privilege is coming to the outdoors with the Terra, iRobot's new autonomous lawnmower, which will make grass trimming...
Google Voice is the latest app to get a Material makeover [APK Download]
A ton of Google apps have already gotten Material redesigns, and Voice is the latest to join the party. Following yesterday's Gmail redesign, several readers have tipped us off on a new and improved UI in Voice. And yes, we have the APK for you guys to download.
left: Old. right: New.
Arguably...
[Update: Samsung Galaxy J5, J5 Pro] Google formally welcomes OnePlus 6T, Xperia XZ3, and more to the ARCore club
Update 1: 2018/11/09 9:24am PST
So, remember how we scratching our heads about that Nokia 8.1 entry in the ARCore list? Well, Google just removed it.
Update 2: 2019/01/30 2:39pm PST
It's been a few months since we last checked in with Google's list of ARCore-supporting phones. Recent changes...
Google Arts & Culture app gets a 'Camera' tab with all its experimental features
The Google Arts & Culture app started as little more than a web wrapper, but Google has added new features and given it a UI overhaul since then. There have been some fun camera-based tools like the artistic doppelganger ID and color matcher. Now, there's a new camera tab that puts them all...
Google+ reveals shutdown timeline for consumers — and it's coming fast
Google announced its plans to sunset its Google+ social media network for consumers on a sour note in October. The platform, which has a small but dedicated user-base, would shut down following Google's acknowledgement of a data exposure that affected up to 500,000 Google+ profiles. Shortly...
YouTube Kids expands to six new countries (including the return of Croatia)
When it comes to watching YouTube Kids you'll need to be in one of the countries officially supported by the app. That's because if you download while in an unsupported nation, the app will disable itself and keep you from watching. Today there's good news for six new countries in Europe who...
[Bonus Round] RUNA, School Alone, Snow Kids, Nano Golf: Hole in One, Another Eden, and Car Legends Tycoon
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through...
26 temporarily free and 27 on-sale apps and games to finish January
The end of January is nigh upon us, but that also means it's time for another round of app sales. Today's list is much shorter than Monday's; better yet, it still has a couple things worth noting.
Free
Apps
All Language-Camera Translator PRO $1.49 -> Free; 1 day
Applock - Fingerprint Pro $4.49...
Sky's Now TV app for Android introduces offline viewing
Now TV is one of the UK's most popular streaming services, particularly because it's owned by Sky, the UK's biggest pay-TV provider. The latest update to the Android app introduces a long-awaited feature — offline viewing. It was promised before Christmas but is now finally rolling out.
The service...
[Update: Out now] Trese Brothers' Star Traders: Frontiers is coming to Android on January 30th
Update 1: 2019/01/30 7:03am PST
Star Traders: Frontiers is officially available on the Play Store
Trese Brothers is a well-known developer made up of two brothers, Cory and Andrew Trese. Their studio tends to focus its efforts on developing mobile strategy games, and over the years the company...
Commuters in Melbourne can now add their Myki card to Google Pay
Google Pay is aiming at becoming a true virtual wallet by gathering payment and loyalty cards in a single application. Since last year, commuters in Las Vegas, Portland, and the West Midlands have also been able to save their transit tickets in their phones, allowing them to leave their wallets...
Tez, aka Google Pay for India, reaches 100 million installs on the Play Store
Gather 'round folks, Tez celebration time! Google's mobile payment solution for India, formerly known as Tez and later rebranded to Pay, has reached an important milestone in its software life: 100 million installs on the Play Store. This is usually when developers bring out the big cake and...
Chrome 72 adds tab history screen, drops support for old TLS versions, and more [APK Download]
It has been nearly two months since Chrome 71 was released, and per Google's usual six-week schedule, Chrome 72 is now available on desktop and mobile platforms. This release doesn't have many user-facing changes, but there are plenty of security improvements and new features for developers.
Tab history...
Firefox 66 blocks auto-playing sound by default
Few things are more annoying when browsing the internet than media that plays automatically, particularly if it makes noise. Mozilla is hip to this, and beginning in version 66, its Firefox browser will block automatically-playing audio by default.
Websites won't be able to play audio without user...
Blindingly bright Google Material theme starts rolling out to Gmail app today
Google gave the web version of Gmail a complete makeover in 2018, but the mobile app has remained mostly unchanged for years. We've been expecting a matching app update, and today is the big day. Google's new Material theme is hitting Gmail starting now. It looks like Google's other recently redesigned...
Google releases source code of Santa Tracker for Android 2018
Posted by Chris Banes, Chief Elf of Android Engineering
Today, we pushed the source code for Google's Santa Tracker 2018 Android app at google/santa-tracker-android, including its 17 mini-games, Santa tracking feature, Wear app and more!
Visually the app looks much the same this year, but underneath...
Fortnite 7.30 update adds controller support for Android
Before today one of the playerbase's most wanted features for the mobile version of Fortnite was controller support. Well, it looks like the developers have been listening to the fans as the 7.30 update released today finally adds in support for bluetooth controllers, such as the Steelseries...
It's now a lot easier to find public transit near any location in Google Maps
I often use Google Maps and public transport to get around while traveling. During my trips, there's this one missing feature that keeps on puzzling me: why is there no easy way to see public transport stops near me? Or why is there no section in any listing on Maps that shows stations near it?...
Hulu now lets you adjust Chromecast playback volume using your phone
Imagine: you've plopped down on the couch and fired up Hulu on your phone, ready to watch your stories on the big screen using a Chromecast. But as the show starts, you're struck with a deafening wall of sound — you left the volume on blast the last time you were watching TV. Where's the remote? You...
Google emphasizes Apps and Games in latest Play Store layout, hides media tabs
It was only a few weeks ago that we spotted a small change in the Play Store's tab layout that would completely separate apps and games. The modification we are seeing today takes a page out of that book, but feels more like a regression than an improvement.
Instead of the multiple tabs on the Play...
[Update: Official] YouTube is testing video download recommendations in select markets
Update 1: 2019/01/29 3:20am PST
Google has updated its offline video watching support doc to add a section for Recommended downloads. The documentation explains that these videos won't consume any data unless you choose to download
It's been five years since YouTube started rolling...
[Update: Rollout starts today] Roku Channel adds paid subscriptions for Showtime, Starz, and more
Update 1: 2019/01/28 10:39am PST
starting today
The Roku Channel, currently a library of free ad-supported movies and TV shows, will soon grow to include paid subscription services including, most notably, Showtime and Starz. The savvy business move will draw in more channel viewers and...
46 temporarily free and 52 on-sale apps and games for Monday, including some Forever Entertainment titles
Monday has rolled around again and January is just about over. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and are ready for some more app sales — today's list is quite long. Amongst the selection, you'll find a few bolded games of note, including some of Forever Entertainment's titles and the the Majesty...
Google Maps continues its Material makeover with new search interface
Google Maps' Material transformation is an ongoing process. Over the past couple of months, we've seen one aspect after the other of the app change from the previous Material aesthetic to the new one — colloquially known as Material Design 2.0 or Material Theme. The most recent part of the UI to make...
WhatsApp Web adds picture-in-picture video playback for YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook
A year ago, WhatsApp added picture-in-picture video playback in its iOS app. It wasn't until October that the feature made its way to Android in beta, then a few weeks ago, it rolled out to the stable version of the app. Now, it's making the switch from mobile to desktop, as PIP videos have appeared...
Chrome testing search-friendly omnibox with faster URL copy and share actions
Part of the changes introduced with Chrome's Duet interface (previously known as Duplex) is a new search button in the bottom bar that lets you jump to the address bar and perform a Google search. But until now, it wasn't clear that you could start typing a new query immediately, as the URL was...
YouTube reorders video resolution options so it's easier to pick the highest quality first
One feature I wish YouTube had is an option to select a default resolution for video playback. My internet situation is so bad (WiFi is rather slow, 4G has a silly cap) that I always resort to 360p or 480p to avoid buffering or eating through my plan, so for now, I have to open the quality picker...
23 best new Android games released this week including Beat Cop, Alien: Blackout, and Angry Birds Dream Blast
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android games that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous week or so. This week I have a fantastic adventure game where you get to play as a cop in NY in the '80s, an Alien game that picks up where Alien: Isolation left off, and a brand-new...
Google app v9.10 beta update reveals Face Match for Assistant-enabled devices with multi-user support [APK Teardown]
At this point, it's no mystery that Google is digging deeper into facial recognition technology. Earlier today, XDA posted details found in a leaked Android Q build that contains code related to facial recognition, and now a beta update to the Google app adds its own details to the story. It's safe...
Duo app rumored to expand with upcoming web client
According to a report today from 9to5Google, a web client for Duo will be launched "in the coming weeks." When it happens, Duo will join desktop-compatible ranks of Android Messages and dearly departed Allo, expanding the reach of the service away from phones and Smart Displays.
Functionality...
Skype update adds SMS messaging, app shortcuts, and more
Microsoft is rolling out a new Skype update today. Technically, it started earlier this week, but it as only now released a changelog. If you grab the latest build, you'll get a few goodies like SMS messaging and a revamped contacts panel.
Here's the full changelog as of v8.37.0.98.
Receive SMS...
29 temporarily free and 43 on-sale apps and games to start the weekend
Friday is here and the last full week of January is almost over. As you head into the weekend, be sure to take a few minutes to browse through the app sales I have for you today — there's even a notable game, Zenge, in the free list.
Free
Apps
HD Camera Pro : Best Camera HD Professional $4.99 ->...
