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Telegram X's first update in nearly a year is loaded with new emoji, improved dark mode support, and more
Telegram isn't finished with its experimental app
Using an app billed as "experimental" comes with its fair share of risks, including the chance that the developers may just give up on the project altogether. It seemed like Telegram X, the company's alternate client for testing out new features, was headed towards a quiet death following its last update in May, but the app has finally shown a new spark of life. After nearly a year of silence, a new beta version for Telegram X is finally available for download, including several bug fixes and some key features to help modernize the app.
Samsung Internet 14 Beta adds more privacy tools, enhanced video UI for foldables
The new version is based on Chromium 87, among many other tweaks
Samsung's self-branded internet browser comes pre-installed on all its Android devices. If you've never opened it (or done so just once, and then switched to Chrome), the company is hoping you'll check it out with some new improvements. Version 14.0 is now in beta, available as a download from the Galaxy Store, Play Store, and over on APK Mirror.
I suppose with Google's Stadia on the horizon, it makes sense that Nvidia would be looking to expand its own game streaming service, and since this service has been in beta for some time now as the company retooled the platform, it's nice to know that we are finally nearing the official release. I'm also excited to see what Nvidia's new mobile-focused app brings, as I would love to finally be able to stream my GeForce games on my phones, non-Shield tablets, and Chromebooks. Nvidia has mentioned that physical controllers will be necessary for many of the compatible titles, much like the Shield TV offering, so nothing much has changed on this front. For all intents and purposes, it looks like Nvidia is going to take its game streaming service seriously by offering a quality competitor to Stadia. While it's still early days, I have to say I'm excited to see what the future holds.
Finally, Bethesda's storied Elder Scrolls series is available on Android! Sort of. If you were hoping to romp through Skyrim or one of the older open world RPGs that PC and console players love, well, keep hoping. The Elder Scrolls: Legends is a card battle game, like Magic: The Gathering, Hearthstone, or any of the hundreds of similar titles in the Play Store. At the moment it's in pre-release (beta), but it's listed as compatible with both phones and tablets running Android 4.0 and higher.
Over the past few days Android users have been noticing an annoying notification that pops up after using the Facebook app and watching any video. It says "Cast Device Not Connected," and includes a play and close button... and that's it. The notification opens the Facebook app when it's tapped, but the buttons don't do anything and it can't be dismissed with the usual swipe. The only way to kill the notification is to force close Facebook.
S Note is the included app for Samsung's Note series that enables, well, notation. It's designed to be used with the S Pen stylus for a variety of quick notes and drawings. It features most of the things that you'd expect from a notation tool, but since it's such a signature part of the differentiating hardware, Samsung seems interested in making a beta version of the app available to its users. The beta app is up on the Play Store now - head to this address to opt-in to the program, then this address to download it.
Scoff all you like, Google purists: there are a lot of people who double-dip Android and iOS/Mac platforms, and we have the analytics to prove it. Those of them who subscribe to Apple's paid Music service (which is built off the bones of ye olde Beats Music) will be happy to hear that the Android version is now out of beta. It was available publicly on the Play Store before, but now it's formally released for everyone. Huzzah.
Microsoft wants to get in on some of that sweet action that services like If This, Then That and its competitors have been working on for years. To that end they've created Flow, a new web tool that automates actions across some of the major web services available at the moment, most of which (shocker!) aren't even owned by Microsoft. Flow allows users to set up automated "recipes" to complete tasks in Twitter, Dropbox, Google Drive, Slack, OneDrive, Github, Facebook, YouTube, and more.
Yahoo Mail might not be the trendiest web mail service on the planet, but it's still used by hundreds of millions of accounts (if not necessarily that many actual people). And somehow, the official Yahoo Mail app for Android has neglected to sync contact information with the operating system before now. That's been rectified, according to the Mail blog on the Yahoo-owned Tumblr. The latest version of the app in the Play Store, 5.5.3, confirms it in the changelog.
Microsoft's OneDrive is a very credible alternative to Google Drive or Dropbox, and today it's getting even better, albeit in beta format. PDF editing support is now included, a very welcome addition, as well as a notification view to see who's commented or edited a file that has been shared with you.
To be honest, I'm still not sold on Vessel's business model, which posts original web video content a few days early to paying subscribers before it goes out to more general portals (usually YouTube). But the Android app seems more than serviceable even in its beta form, and the developers are adding features quickly. Case in point: the latest update adds Chromecast compatibility, which no video app should be without.
Following VLC on Android over the last couple of months has felt a little bit like a shell game. It all started in December when VideoLAN declared VLC was finally leaving behind its Beta status. The app retained the same package name, org.videolan.vlc.betav7neon, but was to be considered stable. Earlier this month, a brand new version 1.0 VLC app appeared in the Play Store with a package name and title devoid of the word 'beta.' This new app was to become the channel for stable releases, while the original listing was again repurposed for beta releases. This only lasted a few days before the new version vanished from the Play Store on devices and ceased to be installable from the web, at least for many of us.
About four months ago, Google added Auto Awesome Stories to the Google+ Android app. This feature groups photos taken at roughly the same place and time when you're traveling away from your home area into a nifty slideshow or "travelogue." It looks like someone at Facebook really digs the idea, because we've been alerted by multiple users who say they've seen pretty much the same thing in the Facebook app over the last few days.
It takes a lot for an Android web browser to get our attention. We've got Chrome in all its Googleyness, and we've got Dolphin if you need something more extensible. But the new Atlas browser beta, from NextApp (developers of SystemPanel App), may just warrant your attention. In addition to speedy rendering and surprising responsiveness, Atlas has some advanced features hidden behind a solid user interface. Oh, and did we mention it uses some Material Design cues in its visuals?
Microsoft and Google are ostensibly competitors, but Redmond seems to be setting aside its mobile aspirations in the name of supporting its new game console... and considering all the money in gaming, it's easy to understand why. So in addition to both Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the official SmartGlass app, there's now a separate beta build of the Xbox One app.