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Google risks trashing Android customization by ignoring the custom icon problem
It's a crisis of policy and incentives
The open nature of Android offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to how and where we get the software we run on our phones, but there's also little denying that the Play Store is going to be where the vast majority of us turn, the vast majority of the time — and for developers, getting their apps on the Play Store means playing by Google's rules. Unfortunately, those rules are often inconsistently applied, or in such an opaque manner that devs are left feeling frustrated and hopeless.
Top 15 icon packs for your Android launcher in 2024
Why stick with stock when there are so many beautiful choices out there?
Android is an open operating system, which means you can change things to your liking, such as switching to your favorite launcher or changing which icons show on the device. This is why we rounded up our favorite icon packs for our favorite Android devices. So whether you're looking for something low-key like Minimal O or prefer something 3D and flashy like Tigad Pro, you're covered in today's best icon packs on Android roundup, as these choices make up some of the best apps on Android.
Icon packs taken off Play Store for almost two weeks have been reinstated
Google, which said it was enforcing its 'Repetitive Content' rules, is not commenting
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One of the best ways to add zip to your Android device's home screen is with a new icon pack. But it seems the Google Play Store isn't so keen on some of them and we don't exactly know why. Last month, we brought you the story of Grabster Studios which had two of its icon packs taken off for featuring content that was deemed to be highly similar to its other icon pack apps — even though many other designers publish icon packs with the same text and app experience without an issue. While those apps were quickly reinstated, we're now tracking two more icon packs from another designer that are out of commission.
The Play Store reinstates icon pack apps after suspending them for being 'repetitive'
How does Google know what repetitive content is?
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The Google Play Store's automated app compliance review regime is weird. It's made some odd, inexplicable calls that have resulted in reputable developers and publishers who thought they've been following the rules all this time getting their sales suspended. As they shuffle code around to get around the roadblock and file appeals, they may end up going weeks, if not months without vital revenue. Now, we can add another dispute to the pile — this one involving the designer of some beloved icon packs.
35 of the best Android app and game sales for the weekend
Make sure to pick up Stark Fitness and Abi: A Robots Tale before their discounts end
Seeing that the Play Store has seen a plethora of sales over the last few weeks, thanks to events like Prime Day and the summer Steam Sale, things have calmed down a little. Thankfully we still have some excellent sales to share today with some of the best Android apps and best Android games around, including discounts on titles like Stark Fitness and Abi: A Robots Tale. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
One UI 4 added a feature that was strangely absent from Samsung's Android skin for a long time — icon pack support. Sure, you could download and use custom icons from the Galaxy Store, but most downloads only covered a few major apps, so it wasn't worth the trouble. With One UI 4 finally allowing you to get more fully-featured icon packs from the Play Store, let's take a look at the process of applying them to some of the best Android phones out there.
Grab Northgard and Romancing SaGa 3 on sale in time for some weekend gaming
59 of the week's best Android app and game sales
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for the weekend. Our first standout is a sale for Northgard, an excellent strategy game. Next is a discount on Romancing SaGa3, a classic JRPG from Square Enix. Last but not least is a sale for OK Golf, a low-poly mini-golf game that not only looks great but plays great. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
Dragon Quest VIII and Battle Chasers: Nightwar are both on sale for the weekend
63 of the week's best Android app and game sales
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for their two-day reprieve. Today's first standout is Battle Chasers: Nightwar, an excellent turn-based RPG, and if you dig RPGs, Dragon Quest VIII is also on sale today. If RPGs aren't your bag, then perhaps the fantastic auto-runner FOTONICA will float your boat. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
Snag a slick Cartogram live wallpaper for free and four discounted Professor Layton games this weekend
80 of the best Android app and game sales
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for their two-day reprieve. Notably, a slick-looking live wallpaper app called Cartogram is completely free for a brief period, but we also have some excellent game sales to share with everyone, including discounts on four Professor Layton adventure games. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
100 of the best Android app and game sales for the weekend
Don't miss out on the sales for Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, and Monster Hunter Stories
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for the weekend. First up is a couple of discounts on Square Enix's new pixel remasters for Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II. But that's not all. This week, Monster Hunter Stories is also on sale, and it's an excellent creature collection game. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
86 of the best Android app and game sales for the weekend
Don't miss out on the sales for Monopoly, Agent A: A puzzle in disguise, and The Escapists: Prison Escape
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for the weekend. Of course, I have some fabulous sales to share with everyone today, including some excellent standouts. First up is Monopoly, a digital adaptation of the famous board game. Next is Agent A: A puzzle in disguise, a slick point and click adventure. Last but not least is The Escapists: Prison Escape, a fantastic strategy game where's you'll put your prison escape skills to the test. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
104 of the best Android app and game sales for the weekend
Don't miss out on the sales for Titan Quest, 9th Dawn II, and Bridge Constructor Portal
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's almost the weekend, so it's time to check out the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week, all to get everyone prepped for the weekend. Of course, I have some fabulous sales to share with everyone today, including some excellent standouts. First up is Titan Quest, a fantastic classic action RPG. Next, I have 9th Dawn II, an enjoyable RPG somewhat reminiscent of classic Ultima titles. Last but not least is Bridge Constructor Portal, the best bridge construction game in the series. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
78 of the best Android app and game sales for the weekend
Don't miss out on the sales for Teslagrad, Rebel Cops, and 9th Dawn III RPG
Welcome to Friday, everyone. The weekend is almost here, and so I've compiled the best Android app sales and the best Android game sales from the past week for today's roundup. Of course, I have some awesome sales to share with everyone today, including some excellent standouts. First up is Teslagrad, a gorgeous puzzle platformer that's easily worth a dollar. Next, I have Rebel Cops, a worthy tactical spinoff derived from This Is the Police. Last but not least is 9th Dawn III RPG, an awesome RPG filled with hours of deep gameplay. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the weekend.
14 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for Friday
Don't miss out on the sales for Old Man's Journey, Hexologic, and ELOH
Welcome to Friday, everyone. The beginning of the new year tends to be slow, but thankfully we have some solid sales today, including some excellent standouts. First up is Old Man's Journey, a gorgeous adventure game that also offers a heartfelt story. Next is Hexologic, a Sudoku-like game that uses hexagons instead of squares. Last but not least is ELOH, a relaxing puzzle game that offers a compelling rhythm mechanic. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.
35 temporarily free and 39 on-sale apps and games for Monday
Don't miss out on the sales for SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, Peace Death, and Doom & Destiny Advanced
Welcome to Monday, everyone. The holidays may be over, but we still have some awesome sales to share with everyone, including some excellent standouts. First up is SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, a fantastic port of the PS2 action game. Next, I have Peace Death, a quirky arcade simulator that's perfect for killing time. Last but not least is Doom & Destiny Advanced, an enjoyable turn-based RPG that doesn't take itself too seriously. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.
28 temporarily free and 57 on-sale apps and games for Friday
Don't miss out on the sales for Cubasis, YoWindow Weather, and Pocket Harvest
Welcome to Friday, everyone. The new year has begun, and even though things are still slow as everyone wakes from their holiday stupors, we have some excellent sales today, including some awesome standouts. First up is a sale for Cubasis: Audio Editor & Studio, a full-fledged DAW for mobile. Next, I have a discount on the unlimited version of YoWindow Weather, an excellent weather app. Last but not least is a sale for Pocket Harvest, one of Kairosoft's more popular management games. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the end of the week.
25 temporarily free and 38 on-sale apps and games for Monday
Don't miss out on the sales for Poweramp Full Version Unlocker, The Enchanted Cave 2, and Pocket Stables
Welcome to Monday, everyone. Even though the holidays are over, we still have some excellent sales to share with everyone, including a few standouts. First up is a solid discount on Poweramp's unlocker, one of the best music players on Android. Next, I have a sale for The Enchanted Cave 2, an enjoyable endless dungeon diving game. Last but not least is a reduced price for Pocket Stables, a Kairosoft sim all about racing horses. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best temporarily free and on-sale apps and games for the beginning of the week.
These 117 amazing Android apps and games are discounted for the holidays
Including Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Swim Out, 7Days: Offline Mystery Story, and many more
Welcome to Friday, everyone. Today's New Year's Eve, and that means it's party time; it also means there's a boatload of sales available in celebration of the holiday, including some awesome standouts. First up is Battle Chasers: Nightwar, a slick RPG style after a popular '90s comic that offers enjoyable turn-based mechanics. Next is Swim Out, a delightful puzzler that's both challenging and relaxing. Last but not least is 7Days: Offline Mystery Story, an enjoyable adventure game that offers a great story. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best apps and games on sale for the holidays.
These 158 amazing Android apps and games are discounted for the holidays
Including Nova Launcher Prime, Goat Simulator, Reigns, and many more
Welcome to Friday, everyone. It's getting down to the wire with only one day to go until Christmas. This means there's a boatload of apps and games on sale today on the Play Store, including some excellent standouts. First up is Nova Launcher Prime, which usually goes on sale for $1 during the holidays, so grab it while you can. Next, I have the full catalog of Goat Simulator titles, and these games offer some extremely humorous goat simulating action. Last but not least is all three Reigns card games from DevolverDigital (along with many other sales from the studio). Also, don't forget to check out Wednesday's and Monday's sales roundups, as they were pretty robust too. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best apps and games on sale for the holidays.
These 109 amazing Android apps and games are discounted for the holidays
Including LIMBO, Trials of Mana, Hidden Folks, plus more
Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. App and game sales are really starting to pick up as we inch ever closer to Christmas, and so I have a huge roundup of sales today, including some excellent standouts. Not only has Square Enix listed a slew of its RPGs on sale today, Asmodee Digital and DIGIDICED both have a bunch of digital board game adaptations on sale, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As always, I've highlighted all of the interesting titles in bold in order to make discovery easier. So without further ado, here are the best apps and games on sale for the holidays.