Welcome to the 497th version of Android Apps Weekly. Listed here are the large headlines this week:
- Google had a few AI bulletins this week. The primary is a brand new characteristic the place AI will summarize longer articles right into a abstract that’s faster for the reader to know straight in Search. The opposite is from an nameless supply that claims Google is engaged on a brand new AI, dubbed Gemini. Rumor is that it’ll be obtainable for builders and doubtlessly customers later this yr. Hit the hyperlinks to study extra.
- Google might kill off Assistant on older Put on OS smartwatches. The rumor says that Assistant could be turned off on units operating Put on OS 2 and older. It’s a curious transfer contemplating that Put on OS 2 units launched only a few brief years in the past, and much more curious since watches that outdated wouldn’t count on to get many extra updates anyway.
- WhatsApp introduced a few new options this week. The primary is AI-generated stickers, the place customers can create a sticker by describing one. That’s proper according to the swatch of AI-generated artwork that’s come out this yr. The second new characteristic is the skill to schedule group calls. It’s an extension of an already current characteristic, but it surely’s good to have choices.
- X CEO Lina Yaccarino opened as much as CNBC this week concerning the identify change from Twitter to X. In response to her, it’s as a result of the platform intends so as to add issues like video calls, peer-to-peer funds, and different new options that may be very un-Twitter-like, therefore the identify change. You possibly can click on the hyperlink to study extra.
- YouTube is testing yet one more anti-adblocker. This one has a countdown timer. YouTube has spent a great share of 2023 getting customers to look at adverts on YouTube. This new countdown timer would give the consumer 30-60 seconds of warning earlier than stopping the video till the adblocker is turned off or till the consumer indicators up for YouTube Premium. It’s an comprehensible maneuver, however not a fascinating one.
Makeover Grasp
Value: Free to play
Makeover Grasp is a house design sport blended with a match-three sport. The core premise is to unravel puzzles to unlock numerous decorations. You then use the decorations to construct up your home. Gamers can design their very own homes in different methods as effectively. There’s a narrative hooked up to the sport as effectively, but it surely’s not terribly deep. It serves principally to hold the participant by the sport somewhat than inform an exquisite story. There are boosts and another issues that you may buy with actual cash. Nonetheless, in the event you’re affected person and grind it out, you may play this sport free of charge.
Reflectr AI Journal & Pocket book
Value: Free / $0.99 per 30 days / $9.99 per yr
Reflectr is a journaling app and a note-taking app. It really works principally as you’d count on. You open the app, enter your ideas, and retailer them for later. The app comes with AI options that assist rewrite and reorganize your ideas otherwise. Whether or not or not that’s useful is very depending on choice. You additionally get trendy journal app niceties like a temper calendar, recaps, and a tag system to prepare your ideas higher. The builders added AI to every little thing, but it surely’s actually not all that a lot smarter than a normal journaling app. It’s not dangerous, but it surely’s not unbelievable both.
God of Idle: Merge Grasp
Value: Free to play
God of Idle: Merge Grasp payments itself as a quick and enjoyable idle merge sport. It’s a 2D sport the place your hero runs ahead and defeats enemies. You unlock upgrades as that occurs, and your hero continues advert infinitum. The merge mechanics are available in whereas upgrading weapons. You’ll earn primary tools as you play. From there, you merge related objects collectively to create new, extra highly effective objects. It’s a easy sport with the motion solely happening on the highest third of your cellphone display. The remaining is devoted to upgrades and merging weapons. It’s not dangerous so far as idle video games go, and it’s a pleasant technique to spend jiffy at a time.
Sync for Lemmy
Value: Free / $1.49
Sync for Lemmy is the most recent app from the builders of Sync for Reddit. Lemmy, for the uninitiated, is basically Mastodon meets Reddit. It operates equally to Reddit, however has servers such as you’d discover on Mastodon. This app enables you to use Lemmy. How good Lemmy is would warrant a very separate dialogue, however the app features fairly effectively. That’s to be anticipated since Sync for Reddit additionally labored fairly effectively. It employes a Materials You design and contains multi-account assist, an AMOLED darkish theme, and a picture viewer that helps most forms of pictures on Lemmy. Whether or not or not Lemmy is sweet is as much as you, but when the app is sort of good.
Enviornment Breakout
Value: Free
Enviornment Breakout is a survival looter shooter. It’s developed by Tencent and chances are you’ll know them because the cellular builders for Tower of Fantasy and PUBG Cell. This sport is truthfully fairly good. You drop into an open world the place you accumulate gear and do battle with numerous opponents. Fight is just like PUBG Cell, Name of Obligation: Cell, and related video games. Harm that’s dealt to you is body-part dependent and may have an effect on your gameplay in the event you get too injured in a particular area of the physique. There are two sport modes, every with its quirks. The sport incentivizes staff play, so that you’ll wish to strive it out with associates. That is a kind of cellular video games the place the builders thought concerning the little particulars, and it makes for a reasonably good expertise general.
If we missed any large Android apps or video games information or releases, inform us about it within the feedback.