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Welcome to the 513th version of Android Apps Weekly, the place we focus on the most recent in cell information and take a more in-depth have a look at a number of the most attention-grabbing new apps and video games. This week noticed the discharge of one other app claiming to copy iMessage for Android customers, however this time it truly appears to work. Google was additionally within the information for a couple of causes, reminiscent of value will increase for YouTube clients together with these beforehand grandfathered into older plans. 

Let’s bounce proper in and check out a number of the greatest highlights from the final week: 

•  Apple doesn’t formally supply iMessage for Android customers however a couple of workarounds have surfaced over time, together with Beeper, which helps you to use iMessage however requires you at hand over your ID within the course of. Nothing launched an analogous answer lately, till it was out of the blue pulled after it turned clear the app was a safety nightmare. The excellent news is {that a} true answer has lastly arrived within the type of Beeper Mini. The app doesn’t require you at hand over your iMessage credentials and, at most, takes minutes to arrange. The one draw back is the service isn’t free and can set you again $1.99 a month. Beeper claims that that is only the start and that Beeper Mini will finally combine WhatsApp, SMS, RCS, and Facetime help. 
• YouTube has been cranking up costs on YouTube Premium in increasingly areas because it continues its struggle towards ad-blockers and makes an attempt to pressure customers over to Premium. Now South Korea is becoming a member of the membership with a value enhance. That’s not the one dangerous information, YouTube Premium can be transferring all its beforehand grandfathered accounts over to new pricing plans. In case you have been at present paying $9.99 a month or much less you’ll see a rise to $13.99 a month beginning in January. 
• Google lately introduced its new Gemini giant language mannequin, which now powers the most recent model of the Bard chatbot. So when will this improved performance come to Assistant? Code inside the Google App signifies Assistant with Bard is getting nearer to launch, with extra strings transferring from the beta to the secure model of the app. The identical code dive additionally revealed a couple of new tidbits about Bard’s picture technology capabilities and extension help.
• Discord has up to date its cell app’s UI, optimizing it for the small display screen and transferring away from its earlier design which tried to line up higher with its internet and desktop apps. Sadly, not everybody likes the brand new look and a few are upset to be taught there’s no method to transfer again to the previous look, because the change is server-side. 
• It’s no secret that the world’s governments wish to spy on civilians however Apple and Google have now confirmed that governments can spy on customers by means of push notifications. This data can inform the federal government how customers work together with apps and even give them entry to the notification’s full textual content. It’s good to have extra transparency and it illustrates the purpose that privateness simply isn’t one thing assured whenever you’re on the internet.
• Meta has been speaking about Meta AI for some time now, however the Meta chatbot is now out there for all customers within the US throughout Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The bot can generate photos in chats and way more. Moreover, Meta can be opening up its AI picture technology instrument to cell and desktop customers within the US. 
• WhatsApp isn’t simply getting Meta AI, it’s additionally bringing its View As soon as mode to voice messages. Voice messages will self-delete after they’re performed for the primary time. View As soon as messages are clearly marked with a particular icon to indicate they will solely be performed one time. 
• After it introduced the demise of Google Podcasts, Google stated it could finally introduce a instrument and would make clear on how lengthy customers needed to migrate their knowledge. As promised, Google has now revealed the instrument will arrive within the subsequent few weeks and customers will have the ability to preserve listening to podcasts till March 2024. After that, they’ll have till July 2024 to maneuver the information earlier than it’s too late. 

Android Apps Weekly: New apps and video games of the week

In search of some new Android apps and Android video games to maintain you occupied? Under, we check out a few of our favourite strategies for the week. This time round we’re getting a variety of nice premium video games, a lot of which have been in style on PC and console. 

Dying’s Door

• Worth: Free with a Netflix subscription

Dying’s Door is a singular action-adventure recreation the place you play as a small crow who collects soles as his occupation. Beforehand the sport was successful on each the PC and console. The brand new port stays true to the unique recreation however provides contact controllers and some different adjustments to higher swimsuit it for cell. Total this seems like the complete recreation however with some very massive limitations together with an absence of bodily controller help, a lock to only 30fps, and I’ve to confess I bumped into a couple of different efficiency glitches and hiccups with the Pixel 6 Professional I examined it on. The sport is playable and utterly free so long as you have got a Netflix subscription, however simply remember it received’t be fairly as clean of an expertise if you happen to’ve performed it elsewhere. For these with older telephones it’s additionally necessary to notice there’s no video high quality settings, simply what you get out of the field. 

Goat Simulator 3 is one other console/PC port making its method to Android. The cell model options co-op help and all of the core options you’d count on. Whereas the sport is true to what you’d get on different platforms, it tends to be lots much less secure. I had to make use of my Google Pixel 7 to get expertise, as my Pixel 6 Professional struggled onerous. Even then, I had a couple of bugs, stutters, and different graphical points. What’s made worse is that there’s no method to modify your graphics settings on this title, which might probably go a good distance in enhancing the expertise.

Hitman: Blood Cash Reprisal

Yet one more port! This time we’re taking a look at a remake of the 2006 authentic, remastered with new quality-of-life options together with touchscreen optimizations and some different adjustments together with an Intuition Mode, which was launched to the sequence within the 2012 recreation Hitman: Absolution. Not like the opposite video games on the checklist up to now, this one is a port that has truly zero notable efficiency points. I performed it on three totally different gadgets briefly and located the expertise labored effectively even on telephones that have been a bit older or mid-range. 

Shapez

• Worth: Free with in-app purchases

After a bunch of hardcore video games, I believed I’d carry you one thing barely extra informal, although it’s nonetheless a port. Whereas the Steam model prices, it is a free recreation although there are in-app purchases that unlock the complete expertise. Shapez is a singular recreation the place you construct complicated factories to automate the creation of more and more complicated shapes. It’s a great way to train your mind and is a variety of enjoyable. Sadly, the cell controls aren’t fairly nearly as good and there are a couple of bugs right here and there. Right here’s hoping the sport will get higher over time, however in its present kind, it’s playable, simply not fairly nearly as good as what you’d get within the non-mobile model.

Whereas we talked about Beeper Mini within the information, we figured we’d add it to our new apps highlight as effectively. The brand new app basically methods Apple into letting you into their unique blue field membership. You’ll get all the identical options as iMessage customers and iPhone customers will see you as simply one other iMessage consumer. Whereas it’s unclear how Apple will react to this app and if there’s even something they will do about it, for now we extremely advocate this if you happen to’ve thought of switching to an iPhone only for iMessage. Apple’s messaging app is extraordinarily in style within the US and I’ve recognized various individuals who have switched telephones only for that, together with my very own sister. The one actual draw back right here is you’ll must pay $1.99 for the service. 

Professional Tip of the Week

In our Professional Tip of the Week, we share ideas or strategies that we expect may benefit our readers. This might embrace app suggestions for obscure apps that aren’t new, how-to guides for rising points, or any recommendation we expect will make it easier to out.

Desirous about ditching X? Right here’s our ideas for the perfect alternate options to Twitter

Lately there have been a number of new apps making an attempt to attract in customers which have grow to be jaded by Musk’s model of Twitter. Which Twitter various is the perfect for you? It relies on what you’re searching for. Mastodon beforehand drew consideration for its extra open-source consideration however has pale a bit from the highlight and was in all probability by no means destined to grow to be something greater than a distinct segment various. Nonetheless, it’s a good selection if you wish to form of construct your personal factor.

Simply searching for one thing that feels much like Twitter? Meta’s Threads community might be the obvious selection and Threads compares largely favorably to X. Whereas it’s not an ideal alternative, it comes shut and has the biggest consumer base at over 100 million. Whereas X stays the extra versatile possibility, many have left the community simply out of precept as a result of disagreements with how Musk is dealing with the corporate. In case you’re discovering your favourite Twitter customers have jumped ship, you’re extra prone to discover them on Thread than on a number of the different Twitter-like apps. 

One other stable possibility could be Bluesky Social. You possibly can be taught extra about the way it compares to Twitter in our X vs Bluesky information. We even have an explainer that helps spotlight the variations between Bluesocial vs Threads as effectively.