5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week

Welcome to the 518th edition of Android Apps Weekly, where we discuss the latest in mobile news and take a closer look at some of the most interesting new apps and games. Let’s jump right in and take a look at some of the biggest highlights from the last week:

• Google has begun testing and rolling out a bunch of changes to its products and services in Europe as a response to the EU’s new Digital Markets Act which goes into effect this March. The changes will affect Android, Search, Chrome, and many other tools. 
• The Android version of X (aka Twitter) has finally added support for audio and video calls. While the feature originally came to iOS a few months ago, an X employee has now confirmed the Android version is rolling out the feature now. 
• Big changes are heading to Messenger in the future. First, a code dive into the Messages app suggests that users will be able to initiate RCS chats with Bard, possibly opening the door to adding Bard to chats with other users. You’ll also be able to use Bard to write messages, translate languages, identify images, and more. While these changes are still a little ways off, Google has also started widely rolling out three Google Message features that were previously in beta: Magic Compose, Photomoji, and Voice Moods. 
• Samsung is spinning off SmartThings Find into its own new app. Samsung Find is compatible with One UI 6.1, so it is currently only available for the new Samsung Galaxy S24. 
• Google Lens is introducing a new AI feature called Multisearch to the app. Simply put, you’ll now be able to search with text and images at the same time. 

Android Apps Weekly: New apps and games

Looking for some new Android apps and Android games to keep you occupied? This week we have four new games to highlight, and one new app as well. 

Methods: Detective Competition

While Methods: Detective Competition has been on Steam and a few other platforms for years, it’s finally coming to Android. This visual novel game is the first chapter in a long-running series, letting you examine evidence and answer multi-choice questions to try to figure out what’s going on. The story centers around a competition between one hundred detectives to figure out how to solve crimes that were created by some of the world’s biggest criminal masterminds. 

AEW: Rise to the Top

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

This new game puts you into the action as an AEW star. You’ll go on tour with other major wrestlers, participate in fights, and attempt to win championships along the way. You can even fight against classic AEW opponents and create custom storylines. While I didn’t have much more than fifteen minutes or so with it so far, the game seems to be pretty fun though I did encounter a bug that crashed it when I first started. On the second try, I didn’t run into any issues. While you shouldn’t expect a ton of depth from this one, it’s still a fun timewaster for wrestling fans out there. 

Soul Strike! Idle RPG

• Price: Free with in-app purchase

Yes, another IDLE RPG, though it’s been a few weeks since I’ve had to resort to recommending one. This is a fun game, just don’t expect anything novel. You slay hordes of monsters in this roguelike and while you can perform certain actions to improve your character’s attacks and more, you don’t have to. Like any idle RPG, the game will keep playing on just fine without you. This might not be my cup of tea but these kind of games are actually reasonably popular and this one is well-rated so far. 

Fantasy Tales: Sword and Magic

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

Fantasy Tales: Sword and Magic is a JRPG-style MMO that’s free to play though there are in-app purchases. The game has great graphics and works pretty well in my experience, though the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense so far. I will note that after about fifteen minutes the server crashed suddenly for me and I wasn’t able to log back in for about an hour. In other words, this is a new MMO is likely to have some bugs and server issues to work out over time. 

Pery

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

There are plenty of new studies suggesting ADHD is on the rise, though the actual cause is definitely one for debate. Regardless, neurodivergent disorders like autism and ADHD have certainly become a lot less stigmatized, which has led to more diagnoses. Do you suspect your children might have ADHD but aren’t sure how to get started on this mental health journey? That’s where Pery hopes to come in. This app is designed to help with ADHD assessments, scheduling video sessions with ADHD professionals, teaching parents how to handle kids with ADHD, and much more. In my brief time with the app, I found the interface issue to use and was intrigued by the potential here, though many of the services will cost you.