Welcome to the 415th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:
- Netflix raised the prices of plans in the US and Canada this week. The price hike isn’t massive, but it does apply to every single plan. The top tier is $2 more expensive, the standard plan is $1.50 more expensive, and the basic plan is $1 more expensive. This puts the plans at $19.99 per month, $15.49 per month, and $9.99 per month, respectively. Hit the link to learn more.
- Google TV might get a functionality boost in 2022. Rob Caruso, Google TV’s Director of Product Management, said the company was looking into fitness and smart home integration along with some other things. It may even get Zoom integration. There were other things as well and you can click the link to see all of them.
- Blackberry is shutting down its Android apps. The company is targeting August 31st, 2022 as the end-of-life date. The apps on the chopping block include Password Keeper, DTEK, the Blackberry Launcher, Privacy Shade, and BlackBerry Keyboard. It’s a bit disappointing for Blackberry owners trying to keep their devices long-term, but this is probably going to pass by without much notice.
- We’re starting to get some minor leaks about new features in Android 13. There is evidence to support wider theming options for Material You. It’s not quite as granular as we would like, but it does add more options and we like more options. Additionally, Android 13 might make QR code scanning as seamless as it’s ever been so be on the lookout for those. We’ll tell you more as we learn more.
- Google started out 2022 by criticizing Apple for its iMessage platform. The company believes Apple uses the green bubble function to bully people into buying iPhones. It’s not an unfair analysis, especially among teens and other younger users. The company then used its rallying cry to persuade Apple to support RCS in iMessage instead of SMS so Android users get more features. For those who don’t know, we wrote a primer on why iMessage is such a big deal in the US.
Rainbow Story Global
Price: Free to play
Rainbow Story Global is a side-scrolling RPG with some MMO elements. Players roam through the game world to fight enemies and bosses. You’ll fun into other players as you move through various areas, hence the MMO element. At its core, though, this is a simple RPG with plenty of character customization. Nothing about it is too difficult and you can farm for stuff while you’re not playing with the AFK auto fight function. There are microtransactions and the servers can get laggy, but it’s otherwise an okay time killer.
Shadow Galaxy Anniversary
Price: $1.99
Shadow Galaxy Anniversary is a remaster of one of Google Play’s most popular live wallpapers from Maxelus. The original came out ten years ago and was limited in resolution as phones got sharper and sharper displays. This new version has sharper graphics, support for up to 120hz displays, and it just looks much better than the original. It’s a nostalgia trip for long-time Android fans and a very good-looking wallpaper for people who weren’t using Android phones in 2011.
Turmoil
Price: Free demo / $2.99
Turmoil is a real-time strategy game and business simulator. Players start the game by acquiring some land, uncovering oil, and then running an oil refinery. It plays as you would expect. Everything you do helps you earn more money. That money helps you unlock more things that make you more money. You officially win the game when you become the mayor. There is also a DLC with a second campaign as well. The game launch with some bugs, but recent updates seem to have added some stability.
Pro Wear Calendar
Price: $1.49
Pro Wear Calendar is a calendar app for Wear OS devices. The app boasts fully customizable month calendars along with individual calendar tiles. You can add and delete events, choose your theme, and it syncs with Google Calendar. Most of the customization elements live in the phone companion app and the watch version basically just does what it’s supposed to do. It’s relatively inexpensive and gives users another calendar option for watches, where a calendar option actually makes sense.
League of Pantheons
Price: Free to play
League of Pantheons is an idle RPG with gacha elements. Players summon characters, set up a fighting team, and then auto-fight for resources, experience, and loot. It features over 100 heroes to summon and new players get 200 free summons. There are also a few different game modes, including online PvP. There have been a lot of idle games over the last year and a half or so, but this one seems well executed and actually worth playing if you don’t mind gacha stuff and long grinds.
If we missed any big Android apps or games releases, tell us about them in the comments.
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