Skylanders Ring of Heroes is a new free-to-play team-based gacha RPG that was just launched on the Google Play Store, all thanks to a partnership between Activision and Com2uS. Much of the game's inspiration comes from Summoners War, another gacha RPG from Com2uS. Of course, Skylanders Ring of Heroes...
Bank of America app picks up debit card limits, Bill Pay history, and Cash Rewards options
The Bank of America app has received what seems to be a relatively hefty update. As of version 8.1.0, customers are able to edit credit card reward categories, manage bill payment plans, and set daily limits for debit card purchases and ATM withdrawals. Handy if you're on a budget, or just trying...
[Update: It's back] Titanium Backup suspended from Play Store due to permission issues
Update 1: 2019/02/26 1:36pm PST
There have been some interesting developments regarding Titanium Backup since yesterday. The official Google Play Apps & Games Twitter account replied to Titanium Backup on Twitter by saying that the
Update 2: 2019/02/27 5:13pm PST
Titanium Backup has...
Google Clock 6.1 adds music alarms for Pandora and YouTube Music
Last year, Google added the ability to select songs, playlists, or albums from Spotify as alarm sounds in its Clock application. Google Clock 6.1 is now rolling out in the Play Store, and it expands on this feature — users can now pick music from Pandora and YouTube Music.
When selecting an alarm...
[Update: And it's back] HTC's mail app vanishes from Google Play Store
Update 1: 2019/02/27 11:05am PST
Well, seemingly no sooner than we sounded the alarm that this app went missing did it go ahead and return to its rightful Play Store placement. What happened to make
Like most phone manufacturers, HTC includes modified versions of stock Android apps on its...
Relax your mind with Breeze, a meditation app by CooTek [Sponsored Post]
Smartphones can often be a source of stress or anxiety. They're buzzing all the time, with social media feeds and emails to constantly check. With Breeze, a free app for both Android and iOS, your phone can actually help relax you.
Breeze, previously known as Relax Music, is a mindfulness and meditation...
28 temporarily free and 55 on-sale apps and games to wrap up February
Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. February is wrapping up, so I have the last round of app sales for the month. Today's list features some goodies, so be looking out for them. Otherwise, enjoy your day and I'll see you all on Friday.
Free
Apps
Simple Draw Pad (No Advertisement) $0.99 -> Free; Sale...
The Google Home app finally lets you change the color of your smart lights
The Home app was initially a reminiscence of the Chromecast software and became almost useless the minute you were done setting up your device. An update back in October made it much smarter, giving it the ability to actually control connected objects such as lights and plugs. This was a significant...
You can now enable dark mode for web pages and content in Chrome Canary
About a month ago we reported Google was working on a dark theme for Chrome, in preparation for a wider night mode throughout Android Q. Although this was a very anticipated feature, we expected it would only darken the menus and navigation bar but still render web pages in their original colors....
Google Messages v4.0 adds support for Smart Reply in Spanish and group conversation renaming [APK Download]
Google's Messages app, then called Android Messages, first received Smart Reply functionality in late 2017. A year and a half later, Messages v4.0 is adding support for Smart Reply in Spanish, as well as the ability to rename group conversations. For the impatient among you, we have the APK ready...
Pocket Casts gets an Alexa skill for your listening convenience
When asked about podcasts and which app to use, I immediately recommend Pocket Casts. It's been my go-to for many years now and it's only gotten better with time. As things have changed and evolved, how we consume our favorite media has shifted somewhat. Smart speakers and assistants are all the craze...
TWRP adds support for Xiaomi Mi A2, Xperia XA2 Plus, and more devices
TWRP, short for TeamWin Recovery Project, is the most popular custom recovery available for Android devices. It can flash ROMs, backup and restore your phone, and even repair Android installations. In the two months since we last covered TWRP, the project has added nine more phones to the roster of...
HTC's mail app vanishes from Google Play Store
Like most phone manufacturers, HTC includes modified versions of stock Android apps on its devices. One of those is HTC Mail, a fairly standard email app with support for multiple services. Strangely, the app has now vanished from the Play Store.
According to a cached version of the Play Store page,...
[Update: More info] Titanium Backup suspended from Play Store due to permission issues
Update 1: 2019/02/26 1:36pm PST
There have been some interesting developments regarding Titanium Backup since yesterday. The official Google Play Apps & Games Twitter account replied to Titanium Backup on Twitter by saying that the
Titanium Backup is a name most of you probably haven't...
[Update: Coming March 14th] Stardew Valley is available for pre-registration on the Play Store
Update 1: 2019/02/26 11:22am PST
Stardew Valley is launching on the Play Store on March 14th
Last October we learned that Stardew Valley would finally be coming to Android thanks to an announcement from ConcernedApe, though no release date was given at the time. Well, it would appear that...
Google Play Protect in 2018: New updates to keep Android users secure
Posted by Rahul Mishra and Tom Watkins, Android Security & Privacy Team
In 2018, Google Play Protect made Android devices running Google Play some of the most secure smartphones available, scanning over 50 billion apps everyday for harmful behaviour.
Android devices can genuinely improve people's...
Telegram v5.4 adds autoplay for videos, alternative logout options, and more [APK Download]
Telegram received a new update today that bumps the app to v5.4. This brings some new quality-of-life features, including autoplay for videos, control over automatic downloads, and alternative logout options. As always, you'll find the official changelog below.
Autoplaying videos. Videos in chats...
Spotify soft-launches in India with a 119 INR ($1.67) monthly subscription
Spotify's launch in India has been a long time coming. It's nearly inconceivable that the music streaming giant hasn't yet put its foot in one of the world's largest markets and tried to grab millions of subscribers. But after years of waiting, we're almost there: following recent rumors of Spotify's...
[Update: Now available in more regions] Dragalia Lost by Nintendo is available for Android
Update 1: 2019/02/26 6:54am PST
Dragalia Lost is finally available in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and New Zealand
Back in August Nintendo announced that Dragalia Lost would launch on Android on September 27th. Well, today is the day, and Nintendo has indeed delivered. So...
Change spotted: Cheetah Mobile starts listing some of its apps under "Leopard Mobile" (nice try, guys)
The Cheetah Mobile story is the gift that keeps on giving. There can't be a few months of break between incidents, scandals, or even weird news involving the company, and today is no different. We just spotted that two of Cheetah's applications are now masquerading under a new developer name: Leopard...
Google Assistant and Home speakers to soon support Apple Music
The team behind Apple Music is keeping busy. Among all of Cupertino's services and products, it's the most platform-agnostic and the one that has made an effort to support Android as best as it could. In the past few months, the Apple Music app has added Android tablet support, Android Auto compatibility,...
Snapchat's redesigned Android app will be fully deployed by the end of 2019, according to CEO Evan Spiegel
Snapchat's Android redesign has been a long time in the making. Back in late 2017, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel promised a completely rebuilt Android app. The redesign could initially only be enabled with root access, though it's been possible to turn it on in the UI for many months now. Spiegel is now claiming...
Titanium Backup suspended from Play Store due to permission issues
Titanium Backup is a name most of you probably haven't heard of in a while, but there's still a small fanbase that uses it. Much to many fans' surprise, the app was seemingly removed from the Play Store earlier today. As it turns out, Google suspended Titanium Backup from the Play Store for problems...
23 temporarily free and 48 on-sale apps and games to start the week
It's already the final week of February, so here's the first round of app sales! Today's list is quite small for a Monday, so have at it and be sure to pop by on Wednesday.
Free
Apps
Password Saver $0.99 -> Free; Sale ends in 2 days
Breathing Point - Relax, Calm, Breathe Meditation $0.99 ->...
Google Assistant actions coming to Android Go and KaiOS
Last year, Google invested $22 million in KaiOS Technologies Inc, a company best known for its KaiOS feature phone operating system. Google Assistant was already available for KaiOS, but now support for actions is on the way. Android Go, the lightweight version of Android that hasn't quite won our...
Serial Box brings its episodic storytelling to Android
Serial Box offers stories in digestible, serialized (get it? Serial Box?) chunks, with episodes available in both text and audio formats. The app has seen success on iOS, garnering an average user review of 4.6 stars — and the unique service is now available on Android.
Pricing per serial varies,...
25 best new (and 1 WTF) Android games released this week including Thumper: Pocket Edition, Calm Cards - Spider, and Shikhondo - Soul Eater
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 the official release of Drool's psychedelic rhythm game Thumper, a relaxing Spider solitaire game, and a beautiful shoot 'em up styled after ancient...
Facebook pulls its Onavo VPN app from the Play Store
Facebook has become embroiled in privacy scandal after privacy scandal. A few weeks ago, the company was found to be paying people to install a 'Facebook Research' app on iOS, which functioned as a VPN with root access to all network traffic. Apple quickly pulled it from the App Store, but the app...
33 temporarily free and 47 on-sale apps and games to kick off MWC
Well, it's finally here. MWC is upon us, and so things are about to get crazy. While some of the AP staff are partying it up over in Barcelona, I'm here to bring you the final round of app sales for the week (I know, you can thank me later). So enjoy what's on offer today, have fun with the all of...
Gboard v8.0 brings back the clipboard, prepares tool for helping other users enable languages [APK Teardown]
A new version of Gboard hit last night and it appears to be taking a second run at enabling the clipboard that began going live a few months ago. Unfortunately, there are still some problems. Gboard is also taking a run at adding a feature to help your friends and family enable additional languages...
[Update: Now 4 more nations] YouTube Kids expands to 13 new European countries (including the return of Croatia)
Update 1: 2019/02/05 4:33am PST
YouTube Kids is now available in seven more countries in Europe, including some Scandinavian ones. Here are the additions: Belgium Denmark Finland Netherlands Norway Sweden Switzerland
Update 2: 2019/02/21 2:38pm PST
Hey kids, do you like YouTube? [Waits...
Samsung Galaxy S10 to ship with Google's Digital Wellbeing, two-year-old Nokia 6 and 8 also pick it up
Samsung's Galaxy S10 announcement yesterday may have covered the phone's general features, but out of necessity, it skipped some details. For example, it turns out Samsung's latest includes Google's Digital Wellbeing for better managing limits on when and how you use your phone. But it isn't the only...
Expanding target API level requirements in 2019
Posted by Edward Cunningham, Android Security & Privacy Team
In a previous blog we described how API behavior changes advance the security and privacy protections of Android, and include user experience improvements that prevent apps from accidentally overusing resources like battery and memory.
Since...
[Update: Now live] Pokémon GO gains AR-based snapshot mode that lets you pose with Pikachu
Update 1: 2019/02/21 10:16am PST
After 10 days GO Snapshot is finally live
It's been 20 years since Pokémon Snap, the N64 game in which players roamed the Pokémon Island taking pictures of its inhabitants. Two decades later, humans now roam the Earth taking pictures for the Gram. With the...
Thumper: Pocket Edition is a gorgeous rhythm game that's finally available on the Play Store
Drool's action rhythm game Thumper was initially released on PC and consoles back in 2016. At the start of 2018, a mobile port was released on iOS under the new moniker Thumper: Pocket Edition. Well, it would appear that this mobile iOS port has finally made its way to Android with today's official...
Nike's self-lacing kicks turn to bricks when updated over Android
Nike recently launched the futuristic self-lacing Adapt BB sneakers, with the Android app going live just last week. Our comments section was full of people discussing dystopian futures with rebellious footwear, and they didn't have to wait long — the shoes seem to be bricking during the initial...
[Bonus Round] JackQuest, STAY, Snakebird Primer, SenSense, Matman, and Williams Pinball
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...
59 temporarily free and 111 on-sale apps and games for Wednesday
We're coming up on MWC, but things are getting started a bit early today with Xiaomi's and Samsung's announcements. Before we get into the Galaxy S10 mess, here's a massive list of app sales for you to peruse. Yes, I missed Monday since I was taking some time off before the crazy this weekend, so...
