Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Welcome to the 370th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from last week:
- Google confirmed the death of the Google Cardboard this week. The application has been removed from the Play Store with a message stating the end of the hardware’s life. Google Cardboard was the first VR platform on Android, so it’s a little sad to see it go. However, there has been almost no active development on the platform for years. Goodbye, Cardboard, we will miss you.
- Netflix is launching a new feature. The new Fast Laughs feature shows short comedy videos in a feed format. Obviously, this is to combat short video style apps like TikTok. The catalog includes clips from various Netflix shows and stand-ups. At the moment, it is only available for iPhone, but should migrate to Android eventually.
- Fitbit experienced a very significant disruption this week. This prevented the application from contacting the servers for some time earlier this week. Users were left without the ability to update the various application modules and many other parts were completely useless as well. Fitbit ended up fixing the problem, but it is surprising what a small server flaw can do.
- Surprisingly, Google promised to no longer use its browsing history to serve ads. He also wants to stop tracking his specific activity in his other apps to serve him as ads as well. The changes are expected to take place later this year. Click on the link to read the full story.
- A new PUBG game was announced last week. PUBG: New State is apparently a totally different mobile game than PUBG Mobile. The game has many elements similar to PUBG Mobile, including its Battle Royale style of play. However, the game is set in 2051. The environments and equipment reflect this with new weapons and maps for players to play. Click on the link to find out everything we know about PUBG: New State.
Warhammer: Odyssey
Price: Free to play
Warhammer: Odyssey is a new MMORPG set in the Warhammer universe. The game has six classes, 12 specializations and the usual variety of social MMORPG elements. In terms of gameplay, it’s a solid, if somewhat typical, MMORPG experience. You run, complete missions, kill bandits and advance through the story. There are also decent graphics and easy controls, so don’t take too long to learn how to play. There are some bugs as is the norm for new games, but most of them are minor things that the developer must be able to clean up quickly enough.
Google Pay
Price: Free
Google has officially launched a complete overhaul of its Google Pay app. It started operating in November and the full version is now available. The application still has most of its original features. However, it puts a much greater emphasis on sending money to and from people similar to the Venmo or Cash App than to NFC payments. Therefore, the entire UI is different to accommodate this new focus. You can no longer send money over the web, which is a shame. However, you can scan your Gmail and Google Photos data for receipts for some refund options, if desired. It is better in some ways and worse in others, just as you would expect.
Credit: Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Abyss: Phantom of Rebirth
Price: Free to play
Abyss: Rebirth Phantom is an idle RPG. Players embark on a journey to another world and venture out while playing. The idle part of the game is basically an automatic battle. You really should just sit back and enjoy the game while grinding and summoning characters. However, the game has some flaws. English localization is below average, with obvious grammatical errors. In addition, the summoning system seems a little confusing to some people. Definitely needs some corrections, but it is promising for fans of the genre.
Flexible
Price: Free
Flexcil is a note-taking application mixed with a PDF reader. The app started its successful life on iOS and should be officially launched on Android soon. The application allows you to read, annotate and organize your PDF files. You can also organize and check other types of documents and notes. It is a very powerful application in general, with several different features that almost all revolve around the organization, PDFs and annotations. It is in beta now and you can click the button below to sign up for the beta. Be prepared for bugs because it is a trial version.
Blade & Soul: Revolution
Price: Free to play
Blade & Soul: Revolution is a new MMORPG from Netmarble. This is actually a little promising. The graphics are pretty decent and there are a lot of things to do. It features a more complex combat style, although you can only battle automatically if you want. It even includes faction wars with up to 500 players on each server. Otherwise, it has a solid MMORPG base with many ways to customize your character. It will be up to Netmarble if it will be successful, but it has a good foundation, so we hope they will build it properly.
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