Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous three weeks or so. Today I have a fantastic gesture navigation tuner, a preview version of the Microsoft Launcher, and GitHub's return to the Play Store after a long absence. So without further ado, here are the more notable Android apps released in the last three weeks.

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Looking for the previous roundup editions? Find them here.

Apps

gesturePlus - Gesture Navigation Tuner!

Android Police coverage: Gesture Plus by Jawomo lets you customize Android 10's gesture navigation

Jawomo's gesturePlus app is a new tool for Android 10 users that would like to tweak their gesture navigation settings. You choose to use the app for free, and you can expect the ability to assign multiple actions to a tap of the navigation pill. Of course, if you pony up $2.49, you can unlock the pro mode, which adds a plethora of interesting options, such as the option to use a long-press feature to call upon Google Assistant. All in all, if you're looking to adjust your gesture controls on Android 10, gesturePlus is a solid choice.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $2.49 a piece

Microsoft Launcher Preview

Android Police review: Microsoft Launcher Preview 6.0 adds landscape and improves dark mode

Microsoft Launcher Preview exists as just that, a preview app for people to test upcoming features that may eventually make their way to the stable version of the Microsoft Launcher. In this particular release, Microsoft has added a landscape mode while improving the dark mode, so if these sound like features you would like to test right now, go ahead and install the Microsoft Launcher Preview to check them out.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

GitHub

Android Police coverage: GitHub's new app arrives on Android in Early Access

Back in 2012, GitHub released a mobile app on the Play Store, but it was eventually removed in 2015. As of this week, there is once again an official GitHub available on the Play Store, though it is currently in early access, so it's not quite finished yet. Still, it's nice to know that devs can once again access their accounts so that they can browse through repositories, share feedback in discussions, and perform searches. Sadly, access to a project's code is completely hidden from all users unless it's part of a merge, which is something to keep in mind.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

GitHub Developer: GitHub
Price: Free
4.6
Download

AppNotifier

Android Police coverage: Bring back Play Store update notifications with this free app

This past November, people started noticing that they were no longer receiving app update notifications from the Play Store. In classic Google fashion, the company simply removed the feature instead of fixing the bug, and so now no one can receive app update notifications anymore. That is until an enterprising developer released this app. AppNotifier brings back the functionality Google removed so people can once again enjoy their app update notifications. There's also a feature to turn back on install notifications too, which is my favorite feature since I tend to install apps from the Play Store webpage on my PC.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

AppNotifier Developer: Braden Farmer
Price: Free
4.5
Download

Activity Bubbles - A Digital Wellbeing Experiment

Android Police coverage: Google releases 3 new experimental apps to help cut down your phone usage

Activity Bubbles is a new experimental release from Google designed to shine a light on your usage. Basically, you'll set this app as your live wallpaper, and as you use your device, bubbles will appear on the screen. The more you use your device, the more bubbles that will appear, creating a stack at the end of the day. The idea behind this release is that these bubbles will offer a clue as to how much you are using your device on a daily basis, allowing people to make an informed decision to cut down once they see their usage displayed in front of their faces every single day.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Screen Stopwatch - A Digital Wellbeing Experiment

Android Police coverage: Google releases 3 new experimental apps to help cut down your phone usage

Screen Stopwatch is another experimental release from Google this week, and it too is an app designed to highlight your daily device usage. Instead of bubbles stacking on your screen, you'll view a timer that's set as your wallpaper, and it will count up as long as your device is on, essentially showing you how much time you have used your device every time you pick it up.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

SEGA CATCHER ONLINE

Android Police coverage: Sega Catcher Online lets you play a claw machine remotely from your phone

Sega being Sega, the company has just released a claw machine app that is pay per play, as in every time you want to remotely play a claw machine located in a warehouse in Japan, you have to pay through the app using your SEGA Points. While I suppose it's kind of interesting that anyone can now play a physical claw machine in Japan remotely, it would appear Sega did not perform its due diligence, and so many users can't get the app to store their language choice. This means users are also having trouble inputting their address, which severely complicates receiving a prize. Gosh, it's almost as if Sega is completely inept, and this app is basically a scam.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Women Who Changed the World

Women Who Changed the World is an early access release that offers stories for boys and girls that cover the adventures of women throughout history. So if you're interested in learning about the women that have changed this world for the better, this is the app for you. Of course, you'll have to pay for the privilege since this is a premium release, which just goes to show that even the simple process of learning about historical accomplishments can be monetized with ease.

Monetization: $2.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Women Who Changed the World Developer: Learny Land
Price: 3.99
4.6
Download

Novo - Small Business Banking

Novo - Small Business Banking is the official app for a service that offers free banking tools to small businesses. Applying for a bank account for your small business only takes a few minutes, and then once you have secured your funds, you can use this app to keep track of your account. While I'm unsure why anyone would choose this service over an official bank, I suppose the line has been blurred in the last few years that your choice of bank rarely matters anymore.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Malwarebytes Call Protection

Malwarebytes Call Protection is an early access release that offers just that, call protection for your Android phone. Primarily this app will protect from spam calls as well as spam text messages from known bad phone numbers, and it will even protect against any messages containing scam links. So if you've been experiencing too many spam calls or messages, you might want to try out Malwarebytes Call Protection.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Audio Manager Lite

Audio Manager Lite offers an easy way to manage your audio on Android. The thing is, this release can manage your audio automatically without the need for repeated interaction. Not only can you set up different audio levels for specific locations, but you can also set timers that will guarantee your sound won't ever interrupt your work or important meetings. All in all, this is a useful audio manager that sports more than a few useful features, and even though it's a "lite" release, there's also a premium version out there if you're looking for a robust feature set.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Privy — A Private Network

Privy is a private messaging app designed specifically for family and friends, but I'm fairly certain this app's devs just reinvented an instant messaging app. The sales pitch for this release appears to focus on the fact that users won't have to worry about public conversations, such as you would on social media, but again, that's what just about every instant messaging app already offers, so I'm not too sure why people would move to Privy. I suppose the highlight is that there is no advertising or third-party access, but apps have to make money eventually, so I'm not too sure how such a model would be sustainable.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Steno Notes - minimalistic note keeping & writing

Steno Notes is a minimalist note app for Android that boasts a clean and clutter-free design to eliminate every distraction (as if that's ever been an issue with note apps). I mean, I appreciate a minimal design as much as the next guy, and sure, this app looks nice. I'm just not sold that this minimalism is a necessary feature for jotting down quick notes. Still, Steno Notes is a fine enough note-taking app, and it's relatively lightweight, so at least it won't take up much of your storage.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $2.99 a piece

Manufacturer And Tie-In Apps

Samsung Portable SSD 1.0

Android Police coverage: Samsung T7 Touch portable SSD gets faster and more secure with fingerprint scanner

Samsung Portable SSD 1.0 is a tie-in app for Samsung's T7 Touch portable SSD. This particular SSD contains a fingerprint reader for security, and this app makes it easy to set up. This way, users can store and change their fingerprints for their T7 SSD with ease on their Android devices.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Samsung Portable SSD 1.0 Developer: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Price: Free
3
Download

Envelope

Android Police coverage: Google releases 3 new experimental apps to help cut down your phone usage

This week three new experimental Google apps have entered the fray, and Envelope is one such app primarily designed to limit the functionality of your device so that you can concentrate on work or family. Once you boot up this release, you will only be able to make phone calls or take photos, which I guess can be useful for anyone that can't put their phones down otherwise. Sadly it would appear that the app is only available to Pixel 3a users, which is why this particular listing is in the tie-in section.

Monetization: free / no ads / no IAPs

Envelope Developer: Special Projects - Experiments
Price: Free
2.7
Download

Know A Worthy New App? Let Us Know!

If you have an application in mind for the next issue of the roundup, feel free to send us an email and let us know.

Important: there are 2 requirements in order for the app to be considered, listed below.

  • the app's launch date has to be no longer than 2 weeks ago
  • it has to be original, ground-breaking, well-reviewed, interesting, fun, etc - the cream of the crop

Now, if and only if the above requirements have been satisfied, fire up an email to this address: oh.no.its.the@androidpolice.com.

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