The Galaxy Store began as the black sheep of the Android store family, offering little incentive to use it and existing as almost entirely bloatware. As with most of Samsung's first-party efforts, that's slowly changed over the last few years, with One UI's rollout being extremely well received and One UI 2.0 just around the corner for most. Samsung has brought its flagship store's design up to date with the latest version release, introducing a One UI-themed storefront along with dark mode and a few aesthetic changes that bring it in line with the rest of its apps.
Read MorePersonal results in the Google app are all but gone
Google holds an astonishing amount of your personal data, and until recently, the company helped you easily access some of it through its Search app on Android. You could use the preinstalled search engine to find text messages, contacts, calendar events, email conversations, your web history, and more. The functionality even integrated with some third-party apps such as Todoist. However, it looks like the personal search results are now all but gone from the Google app.
Read MoreGoogle wants your help to improve Photos' smart creations and recommendations
Google Photos has received plenty of changes recently. Between the new markup tool, manual face tagging, in-app conversations instead of the countless sharing threads, background blurring in all pics and not just Portrait ones, and the new account picker, we've seen a lot of functional as well as a few aesthetic improvements. The latest new feature to grace the app is a feedback tool to better personalize your Photos experience.
Read MoreDevelopers in 13 African countries can now sell paid apps and games on the Play Store
Every few months, Google opens up developer and merchant registration on the Play Console to more countries. The last few times it happened, devs in Iraq, Bermuda, Palestine, Somalia, and many more nations were able to sign up for an account on Google Play and start distributing their apps. Now, 13 African countries are joining the fray, plus Turkmenistan.
Read MorePopular
Google Maps's new UI has no side menu, but gets a 5-tab bottom bar with quick access to your saved places
Some Google Maps users are being greeted by a new interface when they open the application. Gone are the now-familiar three bottom tabs with the side menu. Instead, the app has completely removed the menu and switched to five tabs, while lots of options migrated to the account picker pop-up. The benefit of this UI is faster access to your contributions as well as your saved places and lists.
Read MoreSamsung's PlayGalaxy Link game streaming app is now available on Android and Windows (Update: Galaxy Fold, S9, Note9, A90 supported)
When Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note10, it also introduced a new game streaming platform called PlayGalaxy Link albeit with very little by way of concrete information. We learned soon after that it would be launching in September, and so it's come to pass. The Playgalaxay.com site is now live and the Android app is available for download.
Read MoreSwiftKey Keyboard passes 500 million installs on the Play Store
I don't think it's a stretch to say SwiftKey is one of the most important Android apps ever released. It's largely responsible for popularizing swipe-typing, which can now be found on pretty much every other software keyboard. Now the app has passed 500 million installations on the Play Store.
Read MoreGoogle pauses Chrome 79 rollout on Android after bug wipes data in some apps (Update: Fixed)
Chrome 79 started rolling out on desktop and mobile platforms a few days ago. Unfortunately, a bug has cropped up that wipes data in certain apps that use Android's built-in WebView, which has riled up both developers and regular users.
Read MoreGoogle Maps can now search for electric vehicle charging stations by plug type
If you've never had an electric car, you might not know that there are multiple charging connectors used by different makers - Nissan's vehicles use CHAdeMO, BMW and VW use CCS, Tesla uses its own proprietary connector, and so on. Google Maps added the ability to search for charging stations earlier this year, and now you can filter results based on what type of plugs are available.
Read More13 new and notable Android apps and live wallpapers from the last two weeks including Microsoft Math Solver, Craigslist, and Press (11/30/19 - 12/14/19)
Welcome to the roundup of the best new Android applications and live wallpapers that went live in the Play Store or were spotted by us in the previous two weeks or so. Today I have a new release from Microsoft that can solve mathematical expressions, an official Craigslist app, and a reliable WYSIWYG writer for crafting notes. So without further ado, here are the most notable Android apps released in the last two weeks.
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Get a Pixel 4 and a $200 Amazon gift card for $699
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This highly-rated 60W USB-C charger was just $9 (Update: Now $16 with coupon)
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24 temporarily free and 33 on-sale apps and games for Friday
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Fossil Sport Gen 4 smartwatch drops to $99 ($50 off) (Update: UK, too)
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Fossil Sport 41mm Gen 4 watch now available for just $99
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TicPods 2 Pro review: Good sound, but a fit that's not for everyone
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Arlo Video Doorbell review: Nest and Ring should be worried about this nicely equipped, solid value
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Realme X2 Pro review: Incredible value, but plenty of room for camera improvements
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Power Support Claw review: If you've got a Stadia controller, you might as well
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Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro review: For the few who prioritize mobile gaming over all else
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Latest Roundups
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18 new Android games from the last two weeks: The White Door, 60 Parsecs!, and Table Top Racing: World Tour
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12 new and notable Android apps from the last three weeks including Typewise Keyboard, FairEmail, and Knobby volume control (12/14/19 - 1/4/20)
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Best Android apps of 2019 for your new phone, tablet, or Chromebook
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15 new Android games from the week of December 23rd, 2019: Vodobanka Pro, Mission Ammunition, and Age of Civilizations II Europe
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Best Android games of 2019 for your new phone, tablet, or Chromebook
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Recent Apps and Games
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WhatsApp becomes second non-Google app to reach five billion installs on Android
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Gesture Plus by Jawomo lets you customize Android 10's gesture navigation
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Google app's new Labs lets you disable Doodles in the homescreen widget
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Google removes Duo access for G Suite users (Update: Working again)
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Xbox Console Streaming lets you play any Xbox One game on your Android device (Update: Global expansion)
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Blast from the Past
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1 Year Ago Today
Little-known travel hack: You're leaving money on the table if you're not using Google Trips' discounts
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2 Years Ago Today
WhatsApp adds notification channels on Android Oreo 8.0 so you can now choose what to do with each notification type
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3 Years Ago Today
Amazon is price-gouging Pixel XL buyers to the tune of over $1,500
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4 Years Ago Today
Hands-On With The New Developer-Generated Play Store Promo Codes
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5 Years Ago Today
[Update: Moto Voice] New Set Of Motorola Apps Ready To Download Including Camera, Gallery, And More [APK Download]
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6 Years Ago Today
Another Look At Alleged Samsung UI Experimentation From @evleaks Shows More Possible Predictive Cards
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7 Years Ago Today
[New Game] Terry Cavanagh's Super Hexagon Brings Its Rhythmic, Addictive Gameplay To Android
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8 Years Ago Today
[Review] Easy-Macro Lens Band: It's Not Every Day That A Rubber Band Blows Your Mind
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9 Years Ago Today
Amazing Android Phone Concept With 3 Flexible AMOLED Screens Blends Reality With Fantasy [Video]
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