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Apps and Updates

1,647 'Apps and Updates' stories June 2013 - December 2015
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You can now watch all of your favorite Twitch streams on Android TV

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 4 2015 - 9:20 am PT
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Twitch has announced the launch of its app for Android TV, bringing the site’s video game streaming experience to your living room. With the new app, you’ll be able to watch both live and recorded video from the site, follow the channels and games that you love, and browse profile pages just as you would on the Android mobile app…

Our Android TV app gives you a more personal viewing experience, including the ability to login and follow content you love, search for your favorite games and broadcasters, and an integrated chat experience. Here’s the full breakdown of the features you can expect:

  • Watch live and recorded video of top games, players, and esports events.
  • Follow channels and games you want to keep tabs on.
  • View profile pages to learn about broadcasters, including the ability to check out their VODs.
  • Hi-res video (1080p/60fps) support for Android TV devices.

Additionally, Twitch says that Whispers 2.0 has launched on mobile in the latest versio, bringing an updated chat experience. You can read more about Whispers 2.0 at Twitch’s blog.

Play Store highlights best apps and entertainment in end of the year lists

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 3 2015 - 1:00 pm PT
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In past years, Google just highlighted the best apps in their end of the year list. But to demonstrate the content store’s shift into more than just apps, other forms of entertainment like music and movies are getting their own section in the Play Store’s Best of 2015 this year.


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Google launches new Cardboard Camera app for shooting VR photos from your phone

Avatar for Zac Hall Dec 3 2015 - 9:39 am PT
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Google is out today with an interesting new app for VR fans called Cardboard Camera for Android. The new camera app lets users shoot their very own virtual reality photos right from a smartphone. Simply launch the app, start shooting a photo and pan in a circular motion like you’re shooting a panorama image, and you’re set.

Then throw your phone in a Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer and you can experience the immersive shot as if you were back in the moment, adding a new dimension to still images.
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Scores of new emojis coming soon to WhatsApp, and you can get them today

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Dec 3 2015 - 6:27 am PT
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Android Police spotted that WhatsApp is testing a new version of the app containing scores of new emojis in line with the web version and iPhone app.

There are new facial expressions for hugs, upside down smiles, dollar signs, rolling eyes, nerds, and extreme sadness, among others. There is a new sign of the horns gesture that joins the previously added vulcan (Spock) salute and raised middle finger. Family emojis have been extended with the addition of plenty of LGBT choices. Among other novelties, the nature tab sees a turkey, shamrock, spider, unicorn; the food tab has a popcorn box, popped champagne bottle, taco, burrito, hot dog; and sports/activities get their separate tab and now include racing cars, medals, ice skating, volleyball, weightlifting, and a quirky levitating man in a business suit.

The emojis have also been reorganized – so if you can no longer find the hearts, that’s because they’ve moved from faces to symbols.

If you’re too impatient to wait for the new version to hit the Play Store, you can download it today … 
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Songza shutting down in January, features will be folded into Play Music

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 2 2015 - 1:00 pm PT
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Google acquired music streaming service Songza in June of last year, and Songza’s unique recommended playlist feature was integrated early on into Play Music. Today, the Songza team has announced (via The Verge) that the rest of the service will be shut down on January 31st, and that Google Play Music’s free tier will soon be coming to Canada…


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Google puts two more stock Android apps on the Play Store: Phone & Contacts

Avatar for Stephen Hall Dec 2 2015 - 11:02 am PT
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Update 2: And they’re back!

Update: Uh oh. Looks like they have disappeared from the Play Store.

Google has slowly been moving many of its in-house built stock apps to the Play Store for quite some time now, and today two more apps were added to that list. Starting now, you’ll be able to download and update both the stock Dialer app and the Google Contacts app via their Play Store listings…
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Google launches annual Santa Tracker site w/ updated Android app

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 2 2015 - 1:09 am PT
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Google knows all, including where Santa is. I’m not just talking about on Christmas Eve, but also what he’s doing while on vacation. If you want to join in on the tracking, check out the newly updated Santa Tracker website and Android app.

Both feature a countdown to Santa taking off on Christmas Eve, when people (mostly children) can track Santa’s whereabouts as he is delivering presents all over the world via Google Maps. Until then, the updated-daily site has fun activities and information on other holidays celebrated around the world.

The updated app includes several fun games where you can earn achievements and rank on leaderboards in Play Games. There are also various festive Android Wear watchfaces featuring Santa and elves. For the first time, this year there’s also a Google Cardboard component and an Android TV app that allows you to track Santa’s journey when the countdown to Christmas Eve is finished.

To partake in the fun, head on over to the Santa Tracker website and download the app on Google Play.


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PSA: Verizon customers can get a free Star Wars-themed Cardboard viewer on Wednesday in stores

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 1 2015 - 7:44 pm PT
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Starting tomorrow, Verizon carrier stores will be offering a free Star Wars-themed Google Cardboard viewer. Verizon’s page mentions that the offer is only available to Verizon customers, but whether that mean subscribers or just anybody shopping in the store is unclear.

This is part of a larger promotional campaign between the carrier, Google, and Disney. The viewers are meant to be used to watch the Star Wars virtual reality experience that is coming out on the same day. According to Lucasfilm, the experience will tie directly into the beginning of The Force Awakens. If you already have a Cardboard viewer, be sure to download the Star Wars Android and iOS app to watch the VR video.

Four versions of the viewers are up for grabs, with a BB-8, R2D2, Kylo Ren, and Stormtropper design on the front and Verizon branding on the side. Supplies are limited and expect Star Wars fans to be the first to try and get what will certainly end up being a collectible item. Do comment below if you are successful in getting one.

Chrome 47 released to stable channel, removes rarely used notification center

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 1 2015 - 2:52 pm PT
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The stable channel for Chrome has been updated to version 47 on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The update contains the usual fixes and improvements, but Google hints at upcoming new features and big efforts that they’ll share in the coming days. Besides the removal of the notification center, the update is relatively unexciting, but Chrome 47 is however introducing interesting new features on Android…


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Google appears to be testing partial payments with Google Play credits on paid purchases

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 1 2015 - 12:40 pm PT
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According to one Reddit user, Google is now seemingly beginning to allow users to part-pay for items using their Google Play Store credit. Previously, if you didn’t have enough credit to cover the entire cost of a download, you couldn’t use it. It’s particularly frustrating if an app or download is only a few cents more than what’s in your balance. If you don’t have enough, it usually defaults to your registered credit card to pay the full amount, leaving your Google Play balance untouched.
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Weird bug resulting in users seeing skull and crossbones emoji in Gmail

Avatar for Abner Li Dec 1 2015 - 11:23 am PT
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Update: Google has provided us with a statement, or rather a statememe, about the bug:

When logging into Gmail yesterday, some users saw a tiny “skull and crossbones” icon in the lower right of their window. Hovering over said icon revealed text like “Component Spy,” “Data Spy,” and “Channel Spy.  The issue is not widespread with one user mentioning that the bug only appears on one of his three Gmail accounts.

Replying in a thread on the Gmail Help Forum, a Googler stated that the issue is “purely cosmetic and should not affect normal Gmail functionality.” An issue with Google’s in-house debugger is responsible for the skull and bones and a fix is being worked on.

For some, the skull is still present today in Gmail across Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. If the icon is so bothersome, switching to the HTML version of Gmail should get rid of it. Rest assured, however, that the skull and crossbones emoji should be gone very soon.

Notably, although probably unrelated, the skull and crossbones emoji was just recently added to iOS in the 9.1 release.

Chrome for iOS adds 3D Touch shortcuts, better hardware keyboard support

Avatar for Zac Hall Dec 1 2015 - 8:53 am PT
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A few weeks ago we noticed that Google has started testing pre-release versions of Chrome through Apple’s TestFlight beta distribution service, and today the version in testing then has been released to everyone through the App Store. The latest version of Chrome for iOS takes advantage of Apple’s new pressure sensitive iPhone 6s displays and offers even more hardware keyboard shortcuts that will benefit iPad users.
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BlackBerry PRIV’s first Android software update includes Camera, performance and reliability improvements

Avatar for Cam Bunton Dec 1 2015 - 8:21 am PT
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BlackBerry announced this morning that it’s pushing the first major software update to its new Android customers. The recently launched BlackBerry PRIV update weighs in at around 475MB and features a number of improvements as well as the regular security update promised by the company. Anyone who purchased their PRIV unlocked through ShopBlackberry will start to see the software update from today, while carrier-purchased PRIVs will receive the software from December 7th…


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Add a World AIDS Day geofilter to a snapchat photo today to help (RED) raise $300M from Bill Gates

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Dec 1 2015 - 5:16 am PT
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Add a World AIDS Day sticker – or geofilter – to a Snapchat photo today, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $3 to (PRODUCT)RED. The LA Times reports that it hopes to raise as much as $3M from the initiative – something that could be achieved if just 1% of Snapchat users joined in.

You can also raise $3 by sharing a themed video clip on Instagram.

If you’re willing to part with a little cash, donating to the cause will buy you entry into one or more of a range of competitions with prizes like a bike ride through Central Park with Bono, a trip to the Games of Thrones set and meeting Snoop, Jimmy Kimmel, George Clooney, Matt Damon and more.

Apple is also joining in, with an iPhone 6S leather case in (what else) red.

Via Engadget

Google releases ‘Arts & Culture’ app, but it’s just a 52KB Chrome wrapper

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 30 2015 - 3:07 pm PT
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Google has today released a new app called “Arts & Culture,” but it’s pretty much the most disappointing app to come from the Mountain View company in quite some time. Actually, I don’t really know why it exists. It’s just a Chrome shortcut.

Yes, really. If you don’t want to download this app from Google Play, you can simply head over to the Google Cultural Institute website on your Android phone and add a shortcut to your home screen.

As you can see for yourself on the Play Store listing, the new app comes in at just 52KB. Once you open the app and navigate around, you quickly find out that it’s not a native app — the hamburger menu, for instance, is a laggy mess. Moving around the content found within the app (which is exactly the same content you can find at the Cultural Institute website) is not really enjoyable at all.

Ranting aside, you can grab the app for free on the Play Store.

Instagram is (finally) adding multiple account support to its Android app

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 27 2015 - 2:13 pm PT
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Update: Instagram has pulled the feature from everyone that had it this morning, maybe?

One of the most long-awaited Instagram features, multiple account support, is now being tested on a variety of Android devices. Most people started noticing the feature after version 7.12.0 of the app started rolling out over the last day or two, but the company has yet to make the addition official — and it appears to be a server-side switch that enables it…
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$100 Google Play gift card for under $80 shipped (20% off)

Avatar for Justin Kahn Nov 26 2015 - 10:57 am PT
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From 9to5Toys.com:

As expected from its leaked Black Friday ad, Sam’s Club is now offering a $100 Google Play gift card for $79.64 shipped. That’s more than 20% off your next Google Play purchases on games, apps, movies, TV shows and more. While we do see iTunes gift cards go on sale quite often, these Google Play vouchers are much harder to come by. They can be amazing gifts for Android users and anyone who’s locked into Google’s video services.

It ships free and can be redeemed on the web or Android devices. Full details/instructions can be found below. Head over to 9to5Toys for all of the best Black Friday deals the entire weekend-long.

Includes:

One (1) $100 Google Play gift card

To redeem on the web:

  1. Go to play.google.com/redeem.
  2. Scratch label off of card & enter code.
  3. Start shopping – your gift card value will be added to your Google Play balance.

To redeem on an Android phone/tablet:

  1. Launch the Google Play Store app on your Android phone or tablet.
  2. Select Redeem.
  3. Scratch label off of card & enter code.
  4. Start shopping – your gift card value will be added to your Google Play balance.

Specifications

Terms and Conditions

Use of card subject to additional terms and privacy policy: play.google.com/about/card-terms.html. Valid only for users 13+ years of age and resident of U.S. Redemption requires Google Wallet account and internet access. Limits may apply to redemption and use. No fees or expiration dates applicable to this card. Card may be used for purchases of eligible items on Google Play only. Any refunded amount will be credited back to your Google Play balance for future use under same terms. Card is not redeemable for cash or other cards; not reloadable or refundable; cannot be combined with other non-Google Play balances in your Google Wallet account, resold, exchanged or transferred for value (except as required by law). Once card is purchased, risk of loss and title for card passes to purchaser. Google Payment Corp. and its affiliates disclaim all express or implied warranties as to the Google Play card and Google Play.

New York promotes mobile app to report suspicious activity in ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Nov 24 2015 - 4:48 am PT
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced that the state is supporting a mobile app allowing people to report suspicious activity, reports the NY Daily News. The See Send app, available on both Android and iOS, allows users to send either a text note or a photo.

The app […] will allow people to send a photo or written note to the state police Intelligence Center, where its credibility can be examined and referred to the proper law enforcement agency if necessary. [It] should be used to report suspicious behavior or specific situations like an unattended backpack in a public place, not simply hunches.

The app is already supported by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Louisiana, Colorado and Virginia.

State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico likened the app to a telephone crime tip line, with police hoping that making it easier to pass on tips will make it more likely that people will use it.

“If you see something that may be linked to terrorism, send something,” D’Amico said. “Your tip could provide valuable information that could prevent a tragedy.”

For emergencies, you should of course still call 911. More information about the ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign can be found here. The See Send app is a free download on Google Play.

Samsung will give you a $50 Best Buy gift card if you activate Samsung Pay

Avatar for Stephen Hall Nov 21 2015 - 2:23 pm PT
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Samsung really wants you to use its new payments service, and they’re even willing to give you a $50 Best Buy gift card if you get on board. To get the free gift card, you need to register on Samsung’s website and activate Samsung Pay on an eligible device between Friday, November 20th and the end of the year.

The eligible devices include Samsung Galaxy S6, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (of any configuration). You can get the Samsung Pay app on the Play Store, and you need to register at least 1 qualifying card within the app.