Android Apps Weekly: Google rolls out Android 14 feature drop, and more

Welcome to the 512th 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. This week saw Google dominating the news with a new feature drop, as well as some YouTube ad drama. Let’s jump right in and take a look at some of the biggest highlights from the last week: 

• Google has started the rollout of its Android Feature Drop for Q4 2023. The new update incorporates several changes, including the addition of ten new free TV channels to the Google TV app, enhancements to Google Messages featuring a new Samsung-style image clipper, improved smart home controls for Wear OS, enhancements to the login process, the introduction of a new reply-by-text feature during calls, and several other significant changes.
• As we mentioned, Google is also in the news for a less positive reason. In November, there were several reports about NSFW adult ads appearing in YouTube ads. These ads resemble normal advertisements but have pornographic videos overlaid on top of them. Google states that these issues are attributed to a few bad actors, and it is actively working to address this problem, although they have yet to fully address all of our concerns and questions. Hopefully, this situation will be resolved for good.
• Whatsapp is also in the news cycle this week as it’s rolling out a few new features. First up, you can now lock sensitive Whatsapp chats with a secret code. The new feature is rolling out now and should hit all devices within the next month or so. Whatsapp is also working to bring audio to its screen-sharing feature and a few other changes, at least according to a code dive of the latest Whatsapp beta. 
• The Meta Threads social network has been massively popular so far, with over a hundred million users in less than a week of its launch. Of course, the app is still in the early days and has already shown it will have a tough time competing with Twitter (aka X), despite the latter’s management and reputation issues. In an effort to broaden its reach, Threads is set to expand to Europe as early as this month. Users in the EU may even have the option to utilize the platform without requiring an account.
• A recent code analysis of the Uber app has unveiled a set of code strings indicating a potential new feature: the capability to purchase eSIM plans directly within the Uber app. This feature will likely involve collaboration with specific partner carriers worldwide in order to facilitate the service. The code also hints at a promotional offer, providing users with 100MB of complimentary data for use within the Uber app upon reaching a new travel destination. While the feature does not seem to be active in the app at present, it could very likely rollout in the near future.
• Telegram is getting a new voice transcription feature for all users. While this version works similarly to the Telegram Premium option, the latter offers unlimited access. The feature is expected to rollout gradually. 

Android Apps Weekly: New apps and games of the week

Looking for some new Android apps and Android games to keep you occupied? Below, we take a look at some of our favorite suggestions for the week, most of which happen to be RPGs this time around. 

Wombo Me

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

Wombo Me is a new AI tool primarily designed for entertainment rather than serious productivity. In simple terms, it takes your picture and transforms it into various AI-generated avatars for online and other uses. Users can easily swipe through the options, select their favorites, and download them for use on different platforms. The app is free to use and comes with a few styles at no cost, but additional art styles are available for purchase, providing more flexibility in avatar creation. As you can see from my own examples above, the images can be a bit silly looking, but it’s actually a lot of fun to mess around with.

Black Clover M

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

The popular Black Clover series has ventured into the realm of mobile gaming with the introduction of Black Clover M. In contrast to some other games on the list, this one appears to provide a more console-level experience thanks to the use of UE4 and the game’s high quality 3D models. Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving. Despite its appealing visuals, I encountered numerous connection and network errors during my time with the game. Once I did get it to work, it seemed to be enjoyable enough but I only played for a short period of time. It’s essential to temper expectations, as this one won’t come close to the experience offered on consoles or PCs. Still, for fans of Black Clover, it’s likely worth exploring.

Merge Brain: 2248

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

While Merge Brain: 2248 is just one of many 2248 games available on the Play STore, the developers have done a commendable job, particularly in terms of the soundtrack and effects. The gameplay involves tapping similar numbers to combine them in this puzzle game. If you enjoy this genre, Merge Brain: 2248 is worth downloading. However, it’s worth noting that the game can be a bit heavy on advertisements, although not to the extent that it renders the game unusable.

Blood Knight: Idle 3D RPG

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

Blood Knight is your typical idle RPG, where the gameplay involves defeating numerous hordes of enemies while engaging in upgrades and other enhancements. Although these RPGs aren’t particularly challenging, they serve as a good time waster. From its muddy graphical style to a few painful bugs, Blood Knight is currently a bit rough but it has some potential and will hopefully improve with updates. As for the story, characters, and other elements? Serviceable, but also very generic. 

Dark Slayer: AFK RPG

• Price: Free with in-app purchases

Dark Slayer is yet another RPG that can be played infinitely, but this one is certainly much more impressive. The 2D art style and effects are quite nice and it’s certainly much more visually pleasing than Blood Knight. The story and visuals are also pretty generic, but with a much more entertaining anime aesthetic at least. I will say that this game requires a lot of load times between screens, which is likely down to more optimization.

Pro Tip of the Week

In our Pro Tip of the Week we share tips or suggestions that we think could benefit our readers. This could include app recommendations for obscure apps that aren’t new, how-to guides for emerging issues, or any advice we think will help you out.

Are you seeing ads on YouTube Premium? Here’s how to fix it

YouTube recently blocked ads from its free tier, which led more of us to move on to the Premium version. Unfortunately, some users are still being plagued by ads. While we have a full guide that goes deeper into how to stop the ads from showing in YouTube Premium, here’s a quick TL;DR on what you should check to potentially fix the problem:

• Check your membership isn’t expired. It’s a simple thing but you never know. 
• Make sure you’re not in incognito. This can cause problems with ads.
• Check to see if you’ve blocked YouTube cookies by going to Menu > Settings in Chrome. Under the “Privacy and Security” section, select Site Settings. Next go to “Permissions,” select Cookies and Site Data. Under “Sites that can always use cookies,” click Add. Create an exception for “[*.]youtube.com.” 
• Sign out of YouTube Premium and go back in, sometimes that’s all it takes.