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

• Amazon may compete with Google’s YouTube. Amazon apparently called dibs on AmazonTube and OpenTube this week through trademark filings. This seems to indicate that Amazon may be looking into a video sharing service. Of course, most of this is speculation at the moment. However, the YouTube problems could push Amazon into such a space. We can only wait and see at this point.
• Apple is doing something awesome that Google should copy. Apple is forcing developers to reveal percentages of item drops. That way users know what their odds for the good stuff. This is a great idea. Loot boxes and random drops can be potentially predatory. Many games intentionally bottleneck the game in order to sell that stuff. Some Android games, like Nintendo’s Fire Emblem Heroes already have that. However, this should be mandatory for everybody.
• Google announced a few big changes. For starters, all apps must support 64-bit by August 2019. Additionally, developers have to target a specific API by August of 2018. The idea is to prevent developers from using old API levels to circumvent new features. For instance, Facebook uses an old API in order to bypass Android’s Doze Mode. Google decided that it’s time for developers to stop that. There are also more changes coming down the pipeline.
• Zooper Widget mysteriously disappeared from the Google Play Store this week. To date, no one knows why. The developers are also not saying much. The developers have other apps still available such as Themer, their launcher. We can only speculate as to why. Apps and games have a habit of going down for a bunch of reasons these days. It’s one of the more popular widget creation tools out there.. We won’t know until the developers say something.
• YouTube is inching closer to a music service. The company locked in the proper deals for a paid music service this week. This new service will likely supplant Google Play Music. We still don’t have a ton of details on the upcoming service. However, we do know that YouTube has deals with Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Group.

For even more Android apps and games news, updates, releases, and more, check out this week’s newsletter by clicking here! You can also subscribe to the newsletter with the form below. As always, the fastest news updates come from the Android Authority app!

If we missed any big Android apps or games news, releases, or updates, tell us about them in the comments! Happy holidays and happy New Year! Check back next year to see more!