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

Welcome to the 499th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:

• Google Chrome may let you share passwords with up to six other people. Those six people are, of course, part of your Google family group if you have one. Once the feature goes live, there should be a share button in the Password Manager section of the browser. It’ll let you share individual passwords with people. Hit the link to learn more.
• Google Photos brought Locked Folder to Pixel phones, and eventually other Android phones, in 2021. Now, the feature is being rolled out for iOS and web users. You’ll be able to store, access, and alter your Locked Folder from the new platforms. In addition, Google Photos is simplifying the settings menu in order to make it easier to use.
• The Google Home app is adding more starters and actions to its Household Routines function. The functions aren’t terribly powerful. For example, one of them pauses or unpauses music when a device is plugged in or charging. However, it’s nice to see Google filling out the functionality a bit more. Hit the link to learn more details.
• Google Message may bring satellite texting to over 150 countries. There is evidence to support a partnership between Google and Garmin where users can use satellites to text during emergency situations. There isn’t a clear date when the Satellite Emergency SOS feature is slated to go live.
• WhatsApp is finally rolling out support for HD video to both Android and iOS devices. It’s baffling that this wasn’t a thing until this week, but it’s here now. The change increases the maximum video quality from 480p to 720p. It’s not a massive bump, but it’ll certainly look better than what’s was available before.

Bibots

Price: $5.99

Bibots is a top-down bullet hell shooter. It plays like most others in its genre. You wander around maps, kill bad guys, and avoid the constant stream of bullets heading in your direction. You get a few characters, called Bibots, to select from. Each one is slightly different, but the gameplay is always the same. The controls could use some optimization, but they’re decently laid out. Aside from some early-day bugs and the aforementioned control optimizations, the game is actually pretty decent. It goes for $5.99 with no in-app purchases, so you can’t buy your way to the end.

RadioTime

Price: Free / $3.49

RadioTime is an AM and FM radio app. It boasts a large collection of radio stations from over 200 countries. You select the one you want and it’ll stream the live feed directly to your phone. There don’t appear to be any limits, so you can use this for whatever you want, be it sports, music, or talk radio. Some other features include Material You theming, a simple UI, and more. The app comes with advertising, but you can get rid of them with a single $3.49 in-app purchase. Most people prefer using streaming services for music these days, but this isn’t a bad choice for old-school FM fans.

Happy Doctor

Price: Free to play

Happy Doctor is an arcade time management game that takes place in a hospital. It actually looks and plays like a lot of restaurant simulators. Patients wander in with various woes, and your nurse character heals them up and gets them out of there. The goal is to manage your time to such an extent that you heal the maximum number of patients. There are levels for you to play through along with an endless mode that you can play to see how far you get. It’s a casual game, and the microtransactions can get aggressive the further you go. Other than that, it’s a chill game.

Screen Protector

Price: Free / $1.49, $2.99, or $3.99

Screen Protector is an interesting app. It only does one thing, which is preventing apps from screen recording or screenshotting your phone. Essentially, the idea is that malicious apps can use screen recording or screenshots to capture personal information when you’re using other apps. This app lets you block those screenshots and blacks out screen captures from taking place. The basic version of the app lets you turn the protection on and off for every app. The premium version, which is unlockable with an in-app purchase, lets you customize the experience more to your liking. Most people probably don’t have malicious apps hanging out on their phone taking screenshots, but having an app to stop is nice.

Cozy Cafe

Price: Free to play

Cozy Cafe is a restaurant and time management simulator. Much like the Happy Doctor game above, the goal is to get as many people into your restaurant as you can and feed them as fast as you can. Like most games in this genre, you earn money by feeding your patrons and then using the money to upgrade your restaurant for greater efficiency. This isn’t all that much different from other games in the genre. It just dresses all the characters up in cute animal outfits. Still, this one runs pretty well, and it’s a good newer entrant into the genre.