5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week and all the latest app news

Welcome to the 521st 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. Let’s jump right in and take a look at some of the biggest highlights from the last week:

Easily the biggest news of the last week is the announcement of Google Bard’s death. Google has announced that Gemini will now act as the name of its Gemini LLM variants as well as the name of its front-facing chatbot and app. The new Gemini for Android is available now for compatible phones but be aware it completely replaces the Google Assistant experience with no way to go back.
On a related note, the Gemini App is currently not available outside of the US, likely due to regulatory hurdles it hasn’t finished jumping through. Google says it will bring the new Gemini app to Asia-Pacific, LATAM, Africa, and the rest of North America this week. There isn’t an exact time frame for the launch of Gemini in Europe with some speculating that Google may be waiting for Europe’s AI act to become fully law before it launches.
Whatsapp has revealed more info on its plans to work with other encrypted messaging services in light of changing laws in Europe that will position WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as gatekeeper services that must play nice with other messaging apps. The company says it will offer a dedicated inbox for messages from third-party apps and cross-compatibility will be completely opt-in.
Google Maps is making a change to its Android app, one that was ironically already available on iOS for a while. The new change brings an overlay with weather and air quality for the part of the map you are looking at. You can also tap on the weather widget to bring up a card that shows the forecast for the day and more.
Circle to Search is a new feature that’s temporarily exclusive to the Pixel 8 series and the Galaxy S24 but what about the Pixel 7? Interestingly a Pixel 7 owner claimed Circle to Search was showing up in the Pixel Tips app. While the Pixel 7 thinks the feature is available, Google has clarified that it isn’t supported and shouldn’t have even appeared in the Tips app, as that was just an error.

Android Apps Weekly: New apps and games

Looking for some new Android apps and Android games to keep you occupied? This week saw two new apps worth highlighting, as well as three great games.

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