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Mobile gaming continued its domination in 2022. There were a number of high-profile releases, and some of them already have tens of millions of downloads with a healthy active player base. It’s that time of year to find out the best ones and reward them appropriately. Like most years, most of the games on the list are free to play. We know some people don’t like those, but they’ve improved since the old days. 2022 wasn’t the craziest year, but there are still some keepers here. Here are the best Android games released in 2022. We also have a list of honorable mentions below the main list. We sorted through over 200 total games for this piece, with many more left on the cutting room floor. The cutoff for this article is December 10th, 2022. Thus, if a game came out on or around that date, it was not considered for this list since we haven’t had the opportunity to test it yet. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/oCO7WDA https://ift.tt/7oEXIik

Welcome to the 464th edition of Android Apps Weekly . Happy holidays, and here are the big headlines from the last week: Our own Andrew Grush took a good, hard look at gaming on a Chromebook . He found that it was actually pretty decent, and there is some hope for Chrome OS as a gaming platform. However, there are still some kinks to work out, as noted in his article linked above. Give it a read. YouTube announced that it was partnering with the NFL to distribute NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Google is reportedly paying $2 billion per season for the deal, so we hope plenty of people find it interesting. This is a huge deal for YouTube TV as it improves the platform’s sports selections dramatically. Apple was considered the favorite to win the contract. We guess the NFL decided to side with Google for this one. A surprising number of our readers use Chrome OS . We posted the poll last week, and over 50% of respondents said they use Chromebooks every day. However, we also think t

We’ve come to the end of another year and it’s time for fun yearly roundups. Android apps aren’t quite the draw that they used to be. After all, it’s difficult to break out into a scene where there are already so many excellent apps. Still, we think quite a few made out well this year, and we’re going to talk about them. Here are the best Android apps released in 2022. We sorted through over 200 apps for this list, with many more on the cutting room floor. Our cutoff this year was December 10th, so apps released on or around that date didn’t make it because we couldn’t test them thoroughly first. Thank you for understanding. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/Jay4m89 https://ift.tt/AO4sX3b

Controversy happens all the time, and that includes apps and games. Recent years have seen year-long beefs between major companies, and this year was no exception. We saw Google and Apple take digs at each other, Samsung getting into trouble, and Microsoft doing things that upset a lot of people. This may be the most star-studded controversy list we’ve ever done. So, without further delay, here are the most controversial apps and games from 2022. The most controversial apps and games from 2022 Diablo Immortal is surprisingly expensive Facebook is not having a good time Google vs Apple and iMessage Google Stadia is dead Google debuts user choice billing in Google Play Netflix’s price hikes and ad-supported plans Russia and Ukraine war sees a tech exodus Samsung and Xiaomi throttle over 10,000 apps That whole Twitter thing YouTube Vanced goes down, and everyone’s unhappy Diablo Immortal is surprisingly expensive from Android Apps & Games - Android Authorit

Welcome to the 463rd edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the big headlines from the last week: Google enabled Matter on Google, Nest, and Android products this last week. It’s a pretty big deal. Matter is a smart home connectivity standard that aims to make smart home tech much easier to use. We’ve talked about Matter all year, and it’s nice to see it launch. Apple might allow app sideloading on iPhones in the future . Reports suggest that Apple is working on the feature as we speak. That’s a huge deal because it would allow for third-party app stores and a whole new side of iOS for users to explore. We already have that on Android, but it may not be a unique feature for much longer. Google announced its favorite Chrome extensions this year. There were no ad-blocking extensions on it, which we believe are on many people’s favorite Chrome extensions. That said, Google listed Tango, SwiftRead, Liner, Compose AI, Visbug, and Check US Visa Slots. There were a few others as well

Welcome to the 462nd edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the big headlines from the last week: Google merged its Waze and Maps teams this week . The company did it as a cost-saving measure since both apps do the same thing. On the plus side, consolidation may help both apps. On the negative side, Waze may lose a significant amount of its independence. Hit the link to learn more. Amazon wants to give users $2 per month to spy on their phone usage. The company wants to learn more about how people use their phones and their ads’ effectiveness. It’s not open to everyone right now, and it’s certainly not a lot of money. However, it may entice some folks into doing it. Google Chrome is getting less power and memory hungry . The two new saver features are rolling out as we speak, and we should see them roll out entirely over the next few weeks. The memory saver puts tabs to sleep when not in use, and the battery saver function kicks on when your machine’s battery is under 20%. Goo

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Apple has added an advanced security feature to iMessage. It’s called iMessage Contact Key Verification and allows users to verify that they are messaging only the people they intend to chat with. The feature also alerts users if someone starts eavesdropping on their messages. Apple’s iMessage is perhaps one of the most popular messaging apps out there. Even though it’s restricted to iOS users and hasn’t let in the Android crowd yet , it offers some of the best chat and security features. End-to-end encryption has been a part of iMessage since the launch of the service, but Apple is making it even more secure with a new feature. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/q79pziF https://ift.tt/JSkRyfQ

Android gaming has been steadily getting better. Before, we had simple puzzle games and we could invite our Facebook contacts to be our friends in games. Multiplayer games used to mean just leaderboards. There are now a ton of games that support actual multiplayer play, including real-time co-op or PvP. In fact, most games these days have some sort of multiplayer element in them. If you’re looking for something to play with your friends, here are the best Android multiplayer games. We’d also like to mention Dead by Daylight , a one versus four online multiplayer game with some unique gameplay mechanics. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/DXZS4NK https://ift.tt/ZVs7hmJ

File manager apps are among the most important apps on your device. With them, you can browse your files, find your downloads, manage your storage space, move things around, and a lot more. Not everyone is too keen on file organization because it can be pretty boring, but it still must be occasionally done. Here are the best file explorer apps, file browser apps, and file manager apps for Android. Before we begin, we’d like to note that Google introduced Scoped Storage on Android and has iterated it a few times. File storage apps still work fine, but it’s not quite the same as it was. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/PsvZ1ca https://ift.tt/ZVs7hmJ

Welcome to the 461st edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the headlines from the last week: Google Messages received an update this week . It brought end-to-end encryption for group chats. This is a pretty big deal since end-to-end encryption is a big feature these days. The feature is currently in the app’s beta version, so we expect the full rollout to happen sooner rather than later. South Dakota banned the use of TikTok for all state workers. In addition, the state is urging other states to follow suit. TikTok is almost constantly embroiled in data-sharing controversies. The governor of South Dakota decided that it wasn’t collecting data on her employees. Hit the link to learn more. Google took another potshot at Apple for iMessage this week. Google once again touted the good things about RCS and is pressuring Apple to adopt the technology once again. We hope Apple listens, but it probably won’t. Google compared Apple’s approach to messaging to the 1990s, which is a pret

Music streaming is the main way people listen to music these days. Several excellent music streaming apps are available to the public, each with its own features. However, it seems most people gravitate toward Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. There are many reasons for this, and we’ll go into that in this in-depth comparison. Here’s everything you need to know about Spotify vs YouTube Music vs Apple Music. Hopefully, we can help you choose the one you want. Editor’s Note – All of these services were tested on Android, with a Pixel 6 running Android 13. We believe our findings are largely applicable to iOS and other platforms as well. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/wzqDgY5 https://ift.tt/47mSbhC

There’s a lot to like about Google’s first-ever smartwatch , but its third-party app support is where the device really takes off. Find out the best  Google Pixel Watch  apps to grab to make the most of your device. The best Google Pixel Watch apps Out of the box, the Google Pixel Watch is stacked with useful tools and apps. For starters, you’ll find thorough Fitbit integration for tracking activity and keeping an eye on health stats. You’ll also find the best of Google’s suite including Google Maps, Google Home, Google Assistant , and much more. In short, there is plenty onboard off the bat to get you started.  from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/BKLTujl https://ift.tt/XVEHY0b

Action games are among the most popular of any platform. They’re exciting, they keep you engaged, and the win conditions are generally pretty simple. Additionally, action games can have elements of any variety of genres. It helps keeps things fresh. The pace of play and difficulty define action games more than anything else. There are vastly more than 15 really good action games on mobile, so this list was pretty tricky to nail down. Here are some of the best action games for Android. Let us know about your favorites in the comments. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/QGs1Job https://ift.tt/XVEHY0b

Welcome to the 460th edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the big headlines from the last week: Google launched some helpful search features this last week. Google Lens received a “multi-search near me” feature that searches for things you take a photo of in your general location. Google Maps now has a new Live View, which also includes some features for EV owners. The list is too long for a roundup like this, so hit the link to see all the new stuff. Samsung owners are seeing an increasing issue . A lot of Samsung owners are using the word Samsung as their password on their Samsung phones. That’s a security issue for various reasons, the least of which is that you should never use a password that is the name of the thing you’re using. If you’re one of those people, please consider changing your password. Android is an excellent ecosystem , and our writer Curtis Joe wanted to talk about why he thinks so. It turns out, the ability to play Japanese versions of many Japanese gam

Email is one of the oldest and most important forms of online communication. It’s a service many of us use every single day. There are tons of email services and email apps that accompany them. Some may only have a single account on something like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo. Their individual apps will give you the best experience. However, most people have email apps from multiple providers and want something that can aggregate it all into one spot. If you’re looking for something new, here are the best email apps for Android! The latter half of the decade was rough for email clients, as some of the best (such as Inbox by Gmail and Astro ) went down in flames. We will miss them greatly. We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Hey ( Google Play link ). It’s a really interesting and entertaining email app, but it gives you a new email address and is really expensive so it’s difficult to put it on the list. It has some decent features, though, so check it out if you want another op

Spoof calls and fake calls are occasionally fun and even occasionally useful. Spoof calls make for great pranks around April Fool’s Day or during spooky seasons like Halloween. Additionally, fake call apps can give you a reason to get up and walk away from an embarrassing or awkward situation. Regardless of the reasons, we can help! Here are the best spoof call apps and fake call apps for Android. Please note: we do not endorse spam calling, robocalling, or other activities of questionable legality. This list is for single-use pranks, for fun, and for people you know. Please read the FCC rules here before using any of these apps to make sure you’re not breaking any laws. This list is for educational and entertainment purposes only. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/GlBjXS1 https://ift.tt/hj1qewg

Adventure games are among the most unique of any game genre. It doesn’t have any specific mechanics. The game simply needs to take the player on an adventure of some sort. Thus, almost any game can be an adventure game as long as it has a story for the player to interact with. That made this list insanely difficult to write because there are so many games in contention. We encourage our readers to leave a comment with their favorite adventure games because, honestly, 15 doesn’t feel like enough. Here are some of the best adventure games for Android. We’d also like to give an honorable mention to 80 Days ( Google Play ). It’s an exceptional game about a race around the world. It hasn’t had an update since 2019, though, and we try to keep up-to-date games on our lists. Still, it’s a great play if you don’t mind its age. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/eoR1dFU https://ift.tt/hj1qewg

Welcome to the 459th edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the big headlines from the last week: Google is paying out a $392 million settlement after a lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Google continued to track users even after they opted out of location tracking. Not only is Google paying that money, but they must better express to their users that location tracking still happens even if they opt-out. Hit the link to learn more. You can finally message yourself on WhatsApp. The app lets you message yourself anything you want to send. This is a neat way to message yourself reminders, files to share across your devices, and other things. The rollout started on version 22.23.74 on iOS and version 2.22.23.77 on Android. However, the rollout is in stages, so it’s not available to everyone just yet. The Android Auto public beta for its new UI opened up twice in the last week. The first was late last week and then again a few days ago . Android Auto’s new beta includes a new UI alon

Mastodon is a unique social media experience. It’s a series of servers that all work together to bring you the whole experience. Each part of Mastodon is its own instance, entirely separate from other instances, but still part of the whole. It’s definitely something different. The premise is young, but there are some decent apps to get you online. Here are the best Mastodon apps for Android. Most of these work with other federated social networks like Plemora, Pixelfed, Peertube, Friendica, and others. It’s worth noting that Mastodon is reasonably new in the social media space and has only just begun generating momentum thanks to the Twitter controversies here lately. The apps here are definitely not as polished as third-party Twitter or Reddit apps. from Android Apps & Games - Android Authority https://ift.tt/IX07UFc https://ift.tt/6EaH4pk

Welcome to the 458th edition of Android Apps Weekly . Here are the big headlines from the last week: WhatsApp announced a new Communities feature earlier this year. This week, the company announced a global rollout for it. The rollout is slow, so it’ll be a few months before everyone gets it. That said, the process is in motion, and everything is nice and official. Hit the link to learn more. The new Google Home app is getting a massive overhaul . You can now sign up for the public preview if you want to check it out. It’s available to both Android and iOS users. The overhaul contains a number of UI changes and new features. Disney Plus announced a price hike officially this week . The basic plan without ads is $11 per month or $110 annually, which isn’t too bad. There is also a new ad-supported plan. It goes live on December 8th, and it’ll cost $8 per month or $80 per year. Google Stadia is officially rolling out refunds . People are getting refunds for most things. However, ref