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Fitbit app to get a revamped look that simplifies the experience
A new app is coming, and you can try it early if you're in the beta.
Fitbit makes some of the best fitness trackers and although the company was purchased by Google some years back, it has still managed to offer compelling products, along with easily accessible software. While things are changing, Google ensures that these changes will be good for Fitbit users. Today, the company shared a new revamped look and feel of the upcoming Fitbit app that's set to arrive in the fall that's set to simplify the experience.
Apple is reportedly making a journaling app for the iPhone
A new journaling app from Apple could be on the horizon. It might even make its debut at WWDC.
Apple is looking to bolster its app offerings in the near future with a new journaling app that can be used to log daily activities. This app would mark a deeper push for Apple in the health and wellness segment, which it has focused on with products like the Apple Watch and iPhones.
How to set up Google Authenticator on your Android phone
Here's how to set up and use Google Authenticator, or transfer your account to a new phone.
None of your online accounts are completely safe from hackers, which is why we recommend setting up two-factor authentication or 2FA. For the uninitiated, 2FA is a process that allows web services to verify a login attempt using a secondary method to add an extra layer of security. While 2FA doesn't guarantee you complete protection from potential hackers, it's still your best bet to keep your accounts safe from bad players at work. With 2FA, you will essentially get a link to click or a code to enter when prompted to verify the login attempt. Alternatively, you can also use authenticator apps to verify.
Cursive Review: Hands on with Google's new writing app for Chromebooks
In this google cursive review, we look at all of the pros and cons of Google's new handwriting progressive web app on Chromebooks.
There are a lot of options if you want a quality app for taking handwritten notes. Of course, not all of those are made by our beloved Google. As Chrome OS fans, it's always nice when Google releases a new app to play around with (even if they decide to kill it later on). Such is the case with the new Cursive Progressive Web App (PWA). Google has decided to take a shot with a new type of notes app. Considering the success of Google Keep (or is it Keep Notes?), that makes a lot of sense to me.
Samsung Gallery update brings a better tablet UI and full screen scrolling
Samsung has rolled out a new update to its Gallery app which brings a new "Drawer UI" optimized for large screen of tablets. Read on.
Samsung is rolling out a new update to its Gallery app. It’s not a massive update, but it does bring along a useful change for tablet users: a new Drawer UI. The new UI is optimized for tablets and moves all additional options to the sidebar, freeing up valuable real screen estate.
Wear Installer makes it easy to sideload Wear OS apps again
A new app called Wear Installer makes it easy to sideload apps on your Wear OS smartwatch using your phone. Read on to know more!
Every day, independent developers post new apps or games on our forums as well as various other online platforms. In fact, there are so many releases each day that finding a truly unique and fascinating app can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but that’s exactly what we’ve done today. A developer named Malcolm Bryant has come up with a really innovative solution to the problem of sideloading apps on Wear OS devices. Called "Wear Installer," the app lets you save your legacy Wear OS apps and sideload them on your watch without any hassle.
Turn your tablet into a PC monitor with Deskreen
Deskreen is an open-source app that lets you use a tablet or phone as a secondary display for your PC over Wi-Fi. Check it out!
Having a secondary screen has its benefits, but buying a second monitor may not always be a feasible solution. If you have a smart device lying around, say like an older tablet, you can now turn it into a secondary monitor for your PC using Deskreen. A free open-source app, Deskreen lets you use any device with a web browser as a second screen over Wi-Fi. Best of all, it offers support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
This app lets you open all installed apps on Android TV without replacing the default launcher
App launcher for TV is a simple app that lets you open all installed apps on your Android TV without replacing the default launcher.
Browsing through installed apps on Android TV isn't as user friendly as it is on Android. This is because both Android TV and custom Android TV skins, like Xiaomi's PatchWall and OnePlus' OxygenPlay, focus heavily on content discovery and content aggregation from various services. As a result, content recommendations dominate a large part of the Android TV home screen, with apps restricted to a single row on the interface. On top of that, the Apps section doesn't list all the installed apps, lacks app labels, and arranges apps in a random order, which leads to a poor browsing experience. This is where the App launcher for TV app from the developer of EasyJoin comes in.
AniWeather is a beautiful new weather app for Android focused on animations and simplicity
AniWeather is a unique weather app that features a simple, uncluttered and stylish design that evokes memories of the developer's Substratum chops.
AniWeather, like its name suggests, is an animated weather app developed by one of our community's legendary Substratum themers, XDA Senior Member llevo3. If by any chance the word "animated" conjures up images of tacky whirling lights or flashing graphics from a 1996 Geocities homepage, there is no need to worry - there is none of that here. The animations strike an excellent balance between subtlety and adding to the user experience. Another outstanding feature of AniWeather is its simplicity - there is no complex labyrinth of settings within settings or any cluttered array of obscure weather data.
MicroToggles is an open source widget with 30+ toggles for rooted power users
MicroToggles is a highly customizable Android widget filled with tons of tinkering options for rooted power users. Read on to know more!
Google introduced Quick Setting tiles in Android Lollipop to allow users to easily toggle certain settings on their devices. However, you still need to pull down the notification shade with one finger at least twice to see the full set of Quick Settings tiles (you only need to pull down once if you use two fingers). Now imagine the freedom to have all those toggles on your home screen in the form of a widget. This is where MicroToggles from XDA Recognized Developer ukanth comes into play.
Lockscreen Widgets lets you add widgets to your Android lockscreen
Lockscreen Widgets is an app that allows you to add widgets to your lockscreen and pretend it's 2013 and you're running Android 4.4 KitKat.
Even in 2020 Android devices running Android 10 can party like it's 1999 2013 with Lockscreen Widgets by XDA Recognized Developer/Contributor Zachary Wander (Zacharee1). As the name suggests, the app restores the ability from Android 4.4 KitKat and before to add widgets to the Android lockscreen. It works on any Android device running Android 5.1 Lollipop and later!
Wavelet is an Android app that can make your headphones sound much better with automatic EQ
Wavelet is an audio optimization app for Android that can be tailored to any of over 2,300 different headphone models, and it doesn't require root access.
Apps or mods that significantly improve the sound quality of your Android device often require root access, but that is not the case for Wavelet, an app developed by XDA Senior Member pittvandewitt. While the app is designed primarily for headphones, I've found its benefits extend to the phone's speakers and even my car's stereo over Bluetooth.
Android 10 lets developers ask users if they want to retain app data before uninstalling
Android 10 introduces a Manifest flag for app developers that when enabled, allows the user to retain app data when uninstalling the app. Read on for more!
Android 10 is the latest update to Android from Google, bringing along a fair few improvements to the mature OS. Most changes and new features on the newest update either get highlighted by Google themselves during Google I/O or are found shortly after public source release. But some notable changes do tend to slip under the radar, surfacing months later when someone accidentally stumbles upon them. That is what is happening in this case because as it turns out, Android 10 allows developers to ask their users if they want to retain app data before their app is uninstalled.
Bowvie Weather app uses OpenWeatherMap and supports Android 10's dark mode
Bowvie Weather app uses a simple yet neat interface to display the weather and 5-day forecast from OpenWeatherMap, and supports dark mode on Android 10.
Most smartphone OEM UX skins come with their own launcher, and often their own weather app and widget included. If for whatever reason you dislike the included weather app for your phone and haven't settled on any of the weather app choices we have presented in the past, like YoWindow, NavBar Weather, Overdrop, and TodayWeather, you can take a look at Bowvie Weather -- a simple weather app that sources its data from OpenWeatherMap.
Memoria is a beautiful, Material Design gallery app for your photos
Looking for a new, simple, beautiful Material Design-inspired photo gallery app? A new QuickPic alternative, Memoria Photo Gallery, seeks to impress.
With how similar smartphones may seem these days, one of the main distinguishing aspects of new devices is their camera. If you take a lot of photos, you need an easy way to view your pictures so you can edit, organize, and share your memories. Most OEMs have their own stock gallery app, but they're usually not that good or are aesthetically unpleasing. Memoria Photo Gallery is a new app that addresses that latter problem. It's a beautiful, free Material Design-inspired gallery app for your smartphone's photos.
Reachability Cursor makes it easy to use tall Android phones One Handed [XDA Spotlight]
A new app called Reachability Cursor makes it easy to use your tall Android phone with one hand. If you need one handed use of your phone, look no further!
Every day, many developers post new apps or games on our Apps and Games forum. We scour the XDA forums for interesting new Android apps that we think you might like, and some of our favorites have even received special attention from us. There are so many apps released each day that finding a truly unique and fascinating app can be like picking a needle out of a haystack, but that's exactly what we've done today. A developer on our forums came up with an innovative solution to the problem of using tall Android phones with one hand. Called "Reachability Cursor," the app creates an on-screen cursor that you can drag to perform taps, long presses, and drag gestures.
Heimdall is a free and simple Parental Control app
Looking for a simple parental control app on Android that's also free? Check out Heimdall Parental Control from our Apps and Games forum!
In an era of borderless internet, it's sometimes fair to be concerned about what your children are doing with their devices. Digital wellbeing is becoming mainstream as the biggest companies are devoting resources to make sure that you can always see how you use your device. Many of the popular applications are gaining the special mode for children to ensure that the little ones don't see what they shouldn't see. But, sometimes that's not enough. As a parent, you may want to have more control over your child's device.
DevCheck is a hardware and system info app that tells you everything about your device [XDA Spotlight]
DevCheck is an app that helps you view every technical detail about your device's software and hardware. It's available for free so check it out!
The XDA forums are full of developers who make lives easier for those who want to mod their phones. Whether it be an app for controlling superuser access, changing governors on your CPU, overclocking, flashing, or many other functions. DevCheck is yet another application that helps tech-savvy people find technical info about their device. It is made by XDA Recognized Developer flar2. He is the one who brought one of the best custom kernels, ElementalX, to life. The application is free with an option of a paid $2.49 in-app purchase, which offers some neat features and also gives you an ability to support the developer.
Hands-on with Lawnchair v2, a customizable Pixel Launcher
After releasing the first stable version just a couple hours ago, Lawnchair Launcher v2 alpha is available. We go hands-on.
Lawnchair is a launcher based on Google's Pixel Launcher that adds man more customization options. You can change almost everything starting from the icon pack to the app drawer. While it's been in works since June of 2017, the first stable version was just released. Users are already looking forward to version 2 and we're lucky enough to test an alpha build (download below). I'm about to break down every feature Lawnchair v2 has to offer. I'll dive into the sections of the launcher settings and talk about all the new features and options.
Android App Bundle & Google Play Dynamic Delivery will reduce app size to help increase user retention
Google introduced a new app model for Android called the Android App Bundle. This, coupled with Google Play Dynamic Delivery, will dramatically reduce app size to help improve user retention.
As a developer, it's up to you to do everything in your power to improve user retention. Keeping the install-to-uninstall ratio as low as possible is important for your app to be ranked highly. New users are joining the Android ecosystem by the millions each year as Google continues expanding into markets such as India and various African nations. The users in these emerging markets tend to be more data-conscientious than most, so you may not even realize that your APK size has become too large to appeal to these users. That's why Google is introducing a new app model for Android called the Android App Bundle. Coupled with the new Google Play Dynamic Delivery, app sizes can be dramatically reduced to help improve user retention in key markets.