5 Android apps you shouldn't miss this week! - Android Apps Weekly

• WhatsApp is the latest communication app to come under fire for its encryption. Someone used the app shortly before the attack on the UK. The debate began raging once again on whether or not companies should build a back door into encrypted mediums so that law enforcement can do its thing. However, if history is any indication, we don’t think WhatsApp will adhere, just like Apple didn’t adhere in the US after the San Bernadino case a few years ago. Either way, it’s not a great situation.
• App Annie released a report this week. It indicates that Android app spending may finally become higher than Apple in 2017. There is a caveat, though. The prediction states that this will likely only happen if you count Google Play along with third party app stores. Many Android users in Asia, particularly China, don’t have access to Google Play. It would be awesome to see Android take the leaderboard for once, but we’ll have to wait and see if the prediction pans out.
• Google Play has undergone a few changes over the last week. For starters, a new “My Apps & Games” section will soon get tabs and sorting options to make it easier to wade through. Additionally, there is now a free app of the week section to show you some apps that usually cost money, but are currently free for a short time. We approve both changes and we hope more are coming down the pipe!
• It seems like Facebook is finally tinkering with adding GIF features to Facebook post comments. For now, it seems like they’re adding a button that you can use to search for GIFs and then post. For now, the feature is in testing so it hasn’t rolled out to too many people. We do hope this eventually spirals into full GIF support so it can be more like literally all of its competitors.
• Facebook is also rolling out its new Snapchat-like feature to its mobile apps. These Stories allow you to take short videos or images of what you’re doing. Items uploaded to your Story are available for 24 hours to friends. They aren’t hard to find. You’ll see them as soon as they roll out to you for sure. There is also now a Direct feature that lets you send images or video with specific friends. They disappear after a short time, much like Snapchat.

For even more Android apps and games news, release, updates, and more, check out this week’s newsletter by clicking here. There you can find all of the stuff we didn’t have space for here! That includes an announcement about Telltale’s new Guardians of the Galaxy game, a bit update for the official IMDb app, 1Password using Android O’s auto-fill feature, and more! You can sign up for the newsletter by filling out the form below and we’ll send it every Sunday. Don’t forget to check out the Android Authority app for up to the minute updates!

If we missed any big Android apps or games news, tell us about it in the comments! Thanks again for reading and check back next week for more apps and games news!