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Samsung SMS Messaging app for Windows spotted in the Microsoft Store

It's in a closed test for now, and might be limited to Samsung-branded laptops

There are a bunch of ways to access text messages from a desktop, including solutions from Google and Microsoft. And you know Samsung: once lots of other companies do something, it just has to have its own proprietary solution, too. Now we're getting early signs of a Samsung Messaging app hanging out in the Microsoft Store, which describes itself as a way to send and receive texts from your phone in Windows.

Samsung SMS Messaging app for Windows spotted in the Microsoft Store was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 6:25 AM No comments

All the free games included with Stadia Pro

March's free games are now available

Stadia's $10-a-month premium subscription, Stadia Pro, includes access to an ever-expanding catalog of games at no additional cost. The selection of redeemable games varies — Google adds a few each month, and sometimes removes some. Here, for your convenience, we've compiled a handy list of all the games you can claim right now.

Click any linked game title to open it in Stadia on desktop or mobile.

New games for March 2021

Games added to Pro in March:
- PixelJunk Raiders
- AVICII Invector
- Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle
- Reigns

Games removed from Pro in March:
- Kine
- Secret Neighbor
- Monster Jam Steel Titans
- Outcasters (Available through March 2)

Any Pro games you claim stay in your library as long as you're a Pro subscriber.

All the free games included with Stadia Pro was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 6:25 AM No comments

25 temporarily free and 40 on-sale apps and games for Monday

Don't miss out on the sales for 9th Dawn III, Rusted Warfare, and Icewind Dale

Welcome to Monday, everyone. It looks like it was a busy weekend, and so we have more than a few notable sales to share with everyone. The first standout I'd like to highlight is 9th Dawn III, a fantastic action RPG that offers heaps of depth. Next, I have Rusted Warfare, one of the better RTS games on the platform. And last up is Icewind Dale, which goes on sale often, but is still one of the best CRPGs ever made.

25 temporarily free and 40 on-sale apps and games for Monday was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 1:25 AM No comments

New Google Photos memories revolve around scenic sunsets and bar games

'The magic hour' and 'Let's play'

Nostalgia can be a powerful marketing tool, and it looks like the folks behind Google Photos have caught onto this. Following some of the earlier customized collections of memories the app has been offering up for users, Google Photos is picking up a couple new stories focusing on scenic sunsets and bar games: "The magic hour" and "Let's play."

If those names didn't drop any hints, the first memory revolves around the golden hour and showcases some brilliant hues that you may have captured during sunrises or sunsets.

New Google Photos memories revolve around scenic sunsets and bar games was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 12:25 AM No comments

Tasker Beta adds condition for Google's newest sleep tracking tools

Less than a week after the Sleep API was released---Tasker don't waste time

Tasker, one of Android's most beloved power user apps, is taking a bit of a snooze. Or at the very least, it's helping you to. Less than a week ago, Google announced new tools for the Sleep API, focused on letting apps that detect sleep duration run more efficiently. The latest beta, version 5.12.3, adds in the Sleeping state to Tasker's workflow.

Developer João Diaz posted a video of the feature running.

Tasker Beta adds condition for Google's newest sleep tracking tools was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 12:25 AM No comments

Jetpack Joyride gets a sequel nine years later, soft launch now available

Canada, Australia, and New Zealand can now jump in

Halfbrick Studios hit gold when it released Jetpack Joyride on iOS back in 2011, so the game was ported to Android in 2012 to capitalize on this success. Sadly it would appear that Halfbrick has been treading water ever since, though it's looking like the studio is going back to its roots with the soft-launch of a long-awaited sequel. This follow-up is called Jetpack Joyride 2: Bullet Rush, and it adds gunplay into the familiar auto-runner gameplay to spice things up.

Jetpack Joyride gets a sequel nine years later, soft launch now available was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 10:25 PM No comments

Google Chat for web is now rolling out to personal accounts

With a brand-new UI, including Hangouts-like chat windows

Update
Available for web

It's been a while since Google announced that it will split Hangout into two separate services — Chat and Meet. For workspace accounts, the transition to Chat began last year, but personal account holders were only given a blurred ETA of "first half of 2021." For a few lucky accounts, the migration started early, in August of 2020, and continued throughout the year and early 2021 (we've received dozens of tips since the original one).

Google Chat for web is now rolling out to personal accounts was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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Apps , Apps/Games – Android Police – Android News , Games , Phones , reviews , Tablets 9:25 PM No comments

YouTube Shorts is here to compete with TikTok in the US

Beta version currently rolling out

Short-form content isn't new, but few platforms have made a splash bigger than TikTok. Wanting to capitalize on this growing trend, competitors have cropped up in numbers, and existing platforms like Instagram are scrambling to adapt. After experimenting with Shorts (60-second vertical videos) in India, YouTube is now making the feature available to users in the US.

The announcement was made a couple of weeks ago by Neal Mohan, YouTube CPO, in a blog post that detailed YouTube's plans for the year.

YouTube Shorts is here to compete with TikTok in the US was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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