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

Welcome to the 404th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:

• It’s apparently possible to have Google’s Magic Eraser feature on non-Pixel phones. The feature is seemingly a Google Photos feature rather than a Pixel feature. Thus, it seems like the Magic Eraser feature works on non-Pixel phones as long as you trick Google Photos into believing that it’s on a Pixel phone. Hit the link to read more.
• Google announced Android 12L this week. This version of Android is mostly for foldable phones and tablets. It features a UI specifically designed for larger screens. We don’t know a lot about it yet. However, the first developer preview is available in Android Studio.
• Google’s Call Screen feature is finally launching in more markets. Initially, it was only available in Japan, the US, and Canada. It’s rolling out to Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The rollout is only for the manual version of Call Screen and not the automatic version. That said, it’s still nice to see it launching in other markets.
• The original Android Market launched in 2008 and it wasn’t nearly the thing that it is today. We took a look a look at some early stuff for the Android Market to show you how far the service has come in recent years. Hit the link to read it and learn more.
• Google is letting up on some of its developer fees starting on January 1st, 2022. After that date, developers with subscriptions only have to pay Google a 15% cut instead of the usual 30% cut. This is already a thing if the subscriber goes for longer than a year, but now it’s like that from day one. Some Play Media Experience program members may even get down to 10%. That’s really good news for developers and, hopefully, for us consumers.
• PUBG: New State now has an official launch date of November 11th, 2021. It should launch in 200 countries simultaneously. That is a ridiculously large launch and we expect huge download numbers at the onset. Additionally, there is to be one more technical preview for some folks starting on October 29th. Prepare to hear more in November because it’s happening.

The Fox in the Forest

Price: $4.99

The Fox in the Forest is a card-based adventure game for two players. Basically, it’s kind of like a more strategic version of war, the card game where you win by having the larger card. Two players are dealt 13 total cards. From there, the goal is to win the most tricks. There is a trump suit mechanic to keep things interesting along with some fun stuff. It’s a fun implementation of the physical card game and it’s relatively inexpensive.

Chroma Galaxy Live Wallpapers

Price: Free / $3.49

Chroma Galaxy Live Wallpapers is an app with some truly beautiful live wallpapers. It’s by Roman De Giuli, a YouTuber who posts fluid art videos. The app lets you download from a collection of fluid art wallpapers. The wallpapers are high quality, colorful, and have good motion. It boasts 250 total wallpapers across 16 collections. The developer also promises regular content updates. The pro version runs for $3.49 and as long as the app continues to get updates, we think it’s worth it. There are some bugs that people have reported, so hopefully, those get ironed out sooner rather than later.

Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut

Price: $4.99

Kathy Rain: Director’s Cut is an expanded edition of the original Kathy Rain. It’s a point-and-click mystery-adventure game set in the 1990s. Kathy starts investigating the mysterious death of her grandfather. The original game was quite good. You get an extra 700 lines of dialog, new areas to explore, better controls, support for newer device screens, and more motorcycles to unlock with the Director’s Cut. It’s definitely better than the original and the one we recommend you get.

Novi

Price: Free

Novi is a new app from Facebook. It’s a money service similar to Google Pay, Venmo, and apps like those. You can send money to people instantly with no fees. The app also boasts anti-fraud protections, verification with official government IDs (to prevent scammers and spammers), and a 24/7 in-app chat support function. The interesting part is its use of stable digital currency. The app uses the USDP (Pax Dollar) instead of USD. Novi claims that it lets the app move money much faster than with traditional fiat currency. It works pretty well too.

Pokemon Cafe ReMix

Price: Free to play

Pokemon Cafe ReMix is a puzzle game mixed with a restaurant sim. It plays similarly to a match-three game with some notable differences. The goal is to link all of the similar Pokemon faces to produce a food item. You serve the food items to other Pokemon. As you play, more Pokemon come to help you out at the cafe and you can unlock a bunch of collectible stuff. The game technically isn’t brand new. It was originally Pokemon Cafe Mix. However, after the massive revamp, added content, and new features, it might as well be a remaster at this point.

If we missed any big Android apps or games news or releases, tell us about in the comments or email us at contact@androidauthority.com.
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