5 Android apps not to miss this week!

Welcome to the 365th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the headlines from the past week.

• The WWE Network will be shutting down in March 2021. Peacock has the streaming rights and all WWE content goes there after the change. NBCUniversal reportedly paid $ 1 billion for the rights. The switchover takes place on March 18, 2021. After that, you will need to obtain your WWE content from Peacock. You can check out Peacock here.
• Last week we were talking about Google finally making their Google Messages app only available on certified phones. It turns out that Google Duo can benefit from the same treatment. It doesn’t change anything for Google Play Store users. However, that will change for people who have devices that don’t use Google Play services. Click on the link to find out more.
• The Indian government banned Chinese apps in 2020. The whole debacle made our list of the most controversial apps of the past year. This week, the Indian government made the ban permanent for around 60 Chinese apps. Some of the names include TikTok, WeChat, Baidu, and several Xiaomi apps.
• Plex is entering the game streaming market with its new Plex Arcade. It has a bunch of Atari titles and it supports titles from your own library. There is also support for SEGA and Nintendo consoles with more support to come. It also supports a variety of platforms like Chromecast, Android TV, Apple TV, and others. Click on the link to find out more.
• The WhatsApp drama continues this week, but not in the usual way. Telegram now allows you to import your WhatsApp chats into Telegram if you decide to switch. Moreover, Signal has added a lot of features to attract WhatsApp users as well. The battle for future WhatsApp users is well underway in the end-to-end privacy chat segment right now. WhatsApp is always adding features, including biometric authentication on its web and desktop apps.

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Star hunter

Price: Free to play

Stellar Hunter is an engaging mix of a space RPG and a roguelike. You get the fun of RPG leveling up and getting stronger, but also randomly generated events and things to throw sticks in your wheels. The game is mobile RPG style with some unique twists. So, it is quite simple to learn and play. This one has its ups and downs, but the concepts are fun. There is also a gacha element that you don’t have to pay as much attention to. It’s pretty good, although there is a certain level of expectation with the game’s twists and turns.

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Touch Locker

Price: Free / $ 0.99

Touch Locker is a utility application with a very specific function. It allows you to lock your touch screen so that you cannot touch it. The application is mainly intended for watching media or listening to music. You can start your media, activate the app, and you can’t touch your screen to accidentally mess things up. You simply swipe down from the status bar and stop the service with the notification. There are a variety of niche use cases for something like this and the app does what it said on our test phones. However, some people report that it does not work on their phone.

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Dragon Quest Tact

Price: Free to play

Dragon Quest Tact is a new gacha mobile RPG from Square Enix. It uses the cast of monsters from the Dragon Quest games, both figuratively and literally. You summon monsters, level them, and use them to fight bad guys. The game can be used even for low rarity monsters, but we didn’t test the game long enough to see what they were as the game progressed. It’s otherwise a pretty decent mobile gacha with some Dragon Quest combat and story elements. Our only potential complaint is the gem system. It might end up being a bit aggressive late in the game.

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Simple notepad

Price: Free / $ 1.99

Simple Notepad is, well, a simple notepad app. You can create notes, edit notes, and share notes with other people. The app has a simple user interface, light and dark mode, and that’s really it. The basic version comes with advertising and you can remove the ads with a single in-app purchase. The app will not turn on the Play Store with its originality. However, it works quite well, especially for power users. Others may want something a little more modern like Google Keep or ColorNote.

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SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

Price: $ 9.99

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a mobile port of a classic video game remaster released on PC last year. The remaster removed some content from the game, but added other elements. The game lets you play as SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy as you fight your way through different levels to save Bikini Bottom from the robots. The game also offers Google Play Games features as well as controller support. It’s a bit pricey at $ 9.99, but there are no in-app purchases or ads.

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If we missed a great app or Android game version, let us know in the comments!