Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Government
Welcome to the 365th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here’s the big news of the past week.
- The WWE network will be discontinued in March 2021. Peacock has the streaming rights and all WWE content goes to the switch there. NBCUniversal reportedly paid $ 1 billion for the rights. The switch will take place on March 18, 2021. After that, you should get your WWE content from Peacock. You can visit Peacock here.
- Last week, we talked about Google finally making its Google Messages app available only on certified phones. It seems that Google Duo can get the same treatment. It does not change anything for Google Play Store users. However, this will change for people who have devices that do not use Google Play services. Click the link to find out more.
- The Indian government lifted a ban on Chinese apps in 2020. The whole debacle has made our list of the most controversial apps of last year. This week, the Indian government made the ban for about 60 Chinese apps permanent. Some of the names include TikTok, WeChat, Baidu and several Xiaomi applications.
- Plex launches new Plex Arcade in the game streaming market. It has a bunch of Atari titles and it supports titles from your own library. There is also support for SEGA and Nintendo consoles, with more support coming soon. It also supports a variety of platforms like Chromecast, Android TV, Apple TV and others. Click the link to find out more.
- The WhatsApp drama continues this week, but not in the usual way. With Telegram you can now import your WhatsApp chats into Telegram if you decide to switch. In addition, Signal has added a bunch of features to attract WhatsApp users there as well. The battle for the soon-to-be former WhatsApp users is well underway in the end-to-end privacy chat segment. WhatsApp adds more features, including biometric authentication on its web and desktop applications.
Stellar Hunter
Price: Free to play
Stellar Hunter is an engaging mix of a space RPG and a roguelike. You get the RPG fun of enlarging and getting stronger, but also randomly generated events and things to throw sticks at your wheels. The game is a mobile RPG style with some unique twists. So it’s pretty simple to learn and play. This one has its ups and downs, but the concepts are nice. There is also a gacha element that you do not have to pay so much attention to. This is pretty good, though there is some expectation with the turn of the game.
Touch Locker
Price: Free / $ 0.99
Touch Locker is an application program with a very specific function. This allows you to lock your touch screen so you can not touch it. The app is mostly for media viewing or music listening. You can start your media, turn on the app and you can not touch your screen to mess things up accidentally. You simply delete from the status bar and stop the service with the notification. There are a variety of niche use cases for something like this and the app does what he said on our test phones. However, some people report that it does not work on their phone.
Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Government
Dragon Quest Tact
Price: Free to play
Dragon Quest Tact is a new gacha mobile RPG from Square Enix. It uses the monster role from the Dragon Quest games, figuratively and literally. You summon monsters, level them up and use them to fight bad guys. The game has a use even for monsters with low rarity, but we did not test the game long enough to see what it was as the game progressed. It’s otherwise a pretty decent mobile gacha with Dragon Quest combat and story elements. Our only possible complaint is the noble system. It can end up being a bit aggressive during the playoffs.
Simple notebook
Price: Free / $ 1.99
Simple Notepad is, well, a simple notepad app. You can make notes, edit notes and share notes with other people. The app has a simple user interface, a light and dark mode, and it’s really about that. The base version is guided with ads and you can remove the ads with a single in-app purchase. The app does not illuminate the Play Store with its originality. However, it works pretty well, especially for power users. Others might want something more modern like Google Keep or ColorNote.
Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Government
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
Price: $ 9.99
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a mobile port of a classic video game remaster released on PC last year. The remaster removed some content from the game, but added other elements. With the game you can play as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy as you move through different levels to save Bikini Bottom from robots. The game also includes features of Google Play Games as well as controller support. It’s a bit expensive at $ 9.99, but has no in-app purchases or ads.
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If we missed any great Android app or game releases, let us know in the comments!