Welcome to the 432nd edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:
- Netflix is speeding up its ad-supported plan and blocking password sharing. It may unveil the changes sometime in late 2022. The report stemmed from a memo to employees about Netflix doing exactly that. Netflix seems to be reacting to the massive loss of subscribers and is trying to find ways to get people back. Of course, streaming fatigue is a thing and Netflix still can’t figure out that one.
- One of the big announcements at Google I/O 2022 was the new My Ad Center. It’s a place where people can alter, delete, or otherwise see the information Google collected about them. It’s not terribly different from a website Google already has, but this will be easier to find and use.
- Wear OS was another big topic at Google I/O. We’re getting an official Pixel Watch. Google also promised a bigger emphasis on new apps, including some bigger names like SoundCloud and Deezer. We hope they’re serious this time because Wear OS really needs better app support.
- Google Wallet is being relaunched by Google. The new version is not much different from the old one. You input your payment cards, tap to pay, and you can store stuff like membership cards. This new version also includes support for driver’s licenses along with digital car keys. Those are new additions to the Android OS and it was a matter of time before we saw support for it.
- Nothing Launcher expanded its reach to new devices this week. It’s not available to all devices running Android 11 or higher. We’ve seen some seriously mixed reactions to the Nothing Launcher, but it does have the potential to be better. Hit the link to learn more.
Ringtone Maker by Yogesh Dama
Price: $1.49
Ringtone Maker is what the name says it is. It lets you cut down existing sound files on your phone and then use those sound files as ringtones. This category isn’t new so you’ve likely seen stuff like this before. This one isn’t all that different except that it’s new and, ostensibly, should get updates. That’s not something you can say about many of its competitors. The app lets you load in the track, cut it down, and then render it as you normally would. It can also assign the ringtone after creation, saving you a trip to your settings menu.
Dislyte
Price: Free to play
Dislyte is a mobile RPG with gacha elements. You summon various heroes and use them to fight bad guys. Player growth is fairly typical with the usual upgrade structures commonly seen in gachas. Combat is similarly pretty typical, but it does look nice and that matters at least a little bit. It separates itself from other gachas with a rhythm-style mini-game where you get additional resources. It has a superhero and mythical creature theme so you should be familiar with many of the heroes. It could use some optimization and it seems like it’s pretty decent.
QR Master is a QR code reader and generator. Since Android 13 has its own QR reader built-in, QR readers in the Play Store are fairly superfluous. Luckily, this one also generates QR codes and that’s what makes it useful. You can create a QR code in 24 different ways and include things like your contact details, Wi-Fi password, and even download links to apps. The reader function is still pretty good and supports things like flashlights and up to four times zoom. It’s honestly not bad, but we do wish there was a premium version so we can buy our way out of the ads.
Chinese Parents
Price: Free / $4.99
Chinese Parents is a life simulator where you grow up in a Chinese family. The game lets you live for 18 years as a kid where you’ll interact with a variety of characters in a variety of situations. You also get to choose between being a boy and a girl. Each gender has its own story path. The game features over 100 endings, mini-games to keep things interesting, and more. Some folks aren’t fans of the UI and the game has some bugs when compared to the Steam version. Hopefully, the developer works those bugs out.
NothinK is a collection of widgets, wallpapers, and live wallpapers. It uses the “bespoke” buzzword that you’ve probably seen in marketing before. Luckily, the widgets and wallpapers look and work well. You need KWGT and KLWP in order to make these work, but otherwise, it’s pretty easy. There are widgets for a calendar, calculator, music, battery, weather, volume, Google Search, and several others. Marketing gimmicks aside, this is actually a pretty nice little pack of widgets and wallpapers for a fair price.
If we missed any big Android apps or games news or releases, tell us about it in the comments.
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