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

Welcome to the 394th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:

• • Three different websites went down this last week. Reddit and Square both went down at around the same time with resolutions that came about at around the same time. Hit each link to learn more. A few days prior, Spotify went down for some users. It seems the outage mostly affected the website and desktop app, but some mobile app users were affected as well. It is not typical for three large services to go down like that.
  • Samsung has a couple of pieces of good news this week. For starters, Samsung is removing ads from its native apps on Android. This is great news because who wants to pay over $1,000 for a smartphone and still see ads. The updates to the various apps with advertising leaving is happening later in 2021. Plus, Samsung Pay now lets you download a digital copy of your vaccination records. The feature is rolling out now.
  • Pokemon Unite is finally coming to Android. It launched on Switch back in July and should launch on September 22nd, 2021. It could be a fun time for mobile fans. Pokemon Unite is basically a Pokemon-themed MOBA and not a part of the main series. In any case, you can pre-register for the game on Google Play here if you’re interested.
  • PUBG: New State may have an official launch date. The game’s app listing says that the expected release date is October 8th, 2021. PUBG: New State has been in beta for months so we expected the release date to be sooner rather than later. There isn’t much else to this news, so hit the link to learn more about the game.
  • Epic Games recently launched a new Imposter mode for Fortnite. Various members of Innersloth’s development and social media team called out Fortnite for copying a lot of the game’s elements, including map elements and game terminology. Of course, game mechanics can’t be copyrighted, and the developers know that, but they all agree that Epic Games could’ve put a little more effort into the clone game mode to make it less egregious. Hit the link for more details.

DC: Batman Bat-Tech Edition

Price: Free

DC: Batman Bat-Tech Edition is an augmented reality adventure game featuring Batman. Players play in augmented reality by pointing their phones at something and playing off of it. The game has endless runner mechanics where you drive the Batmobile as long as you can before you lose. There is also a Batarang challenge mode and a Grapnel Launcher challenge mode. Some other features include face filters for taking selfies, a sticker pack for taking photos, and even a few digital comics to read. It’s a neat overall experience even if the game doesn’t last very long.

Moonbeam Podcast Discovery

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Moonbeam is a podcast discovery platform. The app works by playing snippets from various podcasts in genres you enjoy. You can listen to the snippets and if it sounds interesting, you can just listen to the rest of the episode. The app also lets you find new podcasts, favorite them so you remember what they are, and tip the creators through the app. It also has a snippet history so you don’t forget about any of the ones you might have skipped over. It’s a neat idea, especially if you’re bored with your current podcast playlist.

Mystic Gunner

Price: Free to play

Mystic Gunner is the latest game from Buff Studios, developer of Buff Knight, 7Days, and Underworld Office. This one is a top-down shooter similar to old Contra games. It also has elements of roguelike with things like randomly generated maps. Players hop in, use special abilities, and kill bad guys to get through any given level. It’s a fun premise with a lot of neat ideas. However, slow movement and occasionally sticky controls add a bit of frustration. The developer is talented, though, so we assume this will improve over time.

OFTV

Price: Free / Varies

OFTV is the official mobile app of Onlyfans. It’s a scaled-down version of the app that includes none of the NSFW content. The NSFW content would cause Google to ban it, so this is the best they could do. The app does almost what you would expect. You can follow the creators you like, find new ones, and view free content from the app. Unfortunately, we all know why Onlyfans is actually popular so there are a lot of 1-star reviews because it doesn’t show the NSFW stuff.

KonoSuba: Fantastic Days

Price: Free to play

KonoSuba: Fantastic Days is a new gacha based around the comedy-adventure anime. Like most, it aims to appease fans of the series and maybe the occasional gacha fan. The game features the cast from the show in new stories. From what I remember of the show, the characters are basically spot on with plenty of Easter eggs for fans of the show. Combat is pretty much in line with what would expect from anime gacha. It’s real-time with cooldowns instead of a strict turn-based style. The game has its ups and downs, including some crashing issues immediately after release. The developers should fix it up as time goes.

If we missed any big Android apps or games news or releases, tell us about it in the comments.
Thank you for reading! Try these out too:

• The best augmented reality games for Android
• The best podcast apps for Android
• The best roguelikes for Android
• The best video streaming apps for Android
• The best gacha games for Android