5 Android apps you shouldn't miss this week! - Android Apps Weekly

Welcome to the 170th edition of Android Apps Weekly! Here are the headlines from the last week:

• Google Allo limped over the ten million installations mark this week. It’s a number to be proud of, but we all know that Allo has had a cold reception from almost everyone. That makes the ten million mark seem both impressive and a little sad. The app has been getting better and we’re sure it’s only a matter of time before things pick up a little more. As it stands, these things are marathons and not sprints, so it’s still too early to call this a success or failure.
• Evernote has updated their privacy policy and everyone’s pretty mad about it. The policy will give a small number of Evernote employees the ability to view your notes. According to the CEO, this is so the machine learning features that will be implemented soon can work properly. Thankfully, the company will give users the option to opt out of this if they want to. The change will take place in late January so keep your eyes peeled if you use Evernote.
• Okay, so get this. Someone actually went and spent $1 million on a freemium game. The guy who did it actually stole the money from the job he was working. He then turned around and blew a million of it on a game called Game of War. He also spent money on plastic surgery and season tickets to the San Francisco 49ers. As you can imagine, the man has been arrested. This also no doubt helped Game of War’s bottom line quite a bit.
• Google released their top regular search trends for 2016. As you can imagine, it sums up the year pretty well. You see the expected results like Hillary Clinton and Trump along with Prince, the Olympics, David Bowie, and Pokemon Go. The very top of the list was Powerball, which was worth a mind-bending $1.56 billion back in January. Apparently, everyone wanted to see how that turned out.
• Super Mario Run was released on iOS this last week. There are tons of game play videos on YouTube now if you want to check that out. It’s had a fairly polarizing reception so far with some praising the mobile-centric game play while others wish it adhered to older Mario mechanics. In either case, you can get it on iTunes now. Nintendo is going to release the game on Android. However, they have been a little quiet on when that will happen for right now.

For even more Android apps and games news, releases, and updates, check out this week’s newsletter by clicking here! There you can find all of the Android apps and games news that we didn’t have space for here. You can sign up for the newsletter using the form below if you want and we’ll send it to you every Sunday. Don’t forget to check out the Android Authority app!

[Price: $1.99]
Retro Winter Sports 1986 is a sports game that is actually comprised of six other mini-games. You’ll be able to play retro versions of Ski Jump, Biathlon, Bobsled, Speed Skating, Curling, and Slalom. The graphics are as you’d expect from a game with the word “retro” in it. You’ll also be able to play against other people, choose between 12 different nations, and you’ll have access to leaderboards and achievements via Google Play Games. It’s a cheap game with no in-app purchases.

[Price: Free]
Events from Facebook is the latest arm of Facebook to be spun off into its own app. This one handles all of your events. It also allows you to search for other events that you may want to attend. You’ll also be able to import calendars from your phone to keep track of them as well. The interface is a bit clunky but still usable. It’s also worth noting that the app’s layout isn’t all that great either. You can try it and it should work for the most part. However, don’t expect the most enjoyable experience right now.

[Price: $4.99]
Kathy Rain is a puzzle-adventure game with a retro style. You’ll play as Kathy, a go-getter journalist who is investigating the death of her grandfather. The journey is wrought with peril and some emotional distress. As a player, you’ll follow a trail of clues that will lead you to the killer. The game features 40 hand-drawn environments, 40,000 lines of dialogue, and even voice acting. It’s a nice blend of old and new and there are no in-app purchases.

[Price: Free]
Netflix has officially released their app for Daydream VR. The good news is that it should work with all of their video content. The VR experience puts you in a room with a TV with Netflix playing on that TV. It actually looks pretty cool. The bad news is that the app is suffering from some release bugs which include playback errors. The UX probably could use a little work as well. Still, it does work most of the time so it’s worth a shot if you have Daydream.

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Shadow Bug Rush is an action-platformer mixed with an infinite runner. You’ll play as a little silhouetted robot as you cut your way through various enemies and levels. It features one-finger controls, procedurally generated levels, and dozens of obstacles for your to overcome. You’ll also have leaderboards and achievements if you want those. It’s a freemium game which isn’t great. However, it’s a good little time killer that looks nice and plays well.

Related best app lists:

• The best free Android games!
• Check out the best free Android apps!

If we missed any great new Android apps, tell us about them in the comments!