Apps 18 October 2025 - 14 April 2026

Google Messages Could Get Samsung-Style Chat Themes as Samsung Messages Shutdown Nears
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Google Messages Could Get Samsung-Style Chat Themes as Samsung Messages Shutdown Nears

Google is moving to introduce Samsung-like chat themes in Messages, just as Samsung gets ready to phase out its texting app in the US this July. According to Android Authority, new beta code suggests users will soon see options like photo backgrounds, a dedicated “Custom” theme category, plus the ability to adjust backgrounds and chat bubble colors separately. Samsung’s decision lands as the company informs U.S. users that Samsung Messages will shut down in July 2026, steering customers toward Google Messages. It also notes Galaxy S26 and newer devices aren’t able to download Samsung Messages from the Galaxy Store anymore.
April 14, 2026
5 New Android Apps and Games to Download in February 2026 — Tomb Raider, Warframe make the cut
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5 New Android Apps and Games to Download in February 2026 — Tomb Raider, Warframe make the cut

Android Authority dropped its February 2026 roundup of top new Android apps and games, featuring upcoming titles like Tomb Raider and Warframe alongside a fresh keyboard app plus two smaller games. The list highlights Urik Keyboard, SILT, and RGB as well. As February releases pile up, users are digging past store rankings to spot what's fresh. Big names still dominate, pulling focus—and downloads—away from smaller developers.
February 3, 2026
Android users are replacing Google apps with Fossify — here’s what they gain (and lose)
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Android users are replacing Google apps with Fossify — here’s what they gain (and lose)

An Android Police writer said he “replaced every Google app I could” on his Android phone with open-source alternatives from the Fossify suite. Fossify’s Clock, Calculator, Keyboard, Calendar and Contacts apps have “entirely replaced” Google’s equivalents for him, he wrote, though other swaps were “mixed results.” In a Jan. 31 essay, Jon Gilbert wrote that Google’s apps have long been part of the appeal of Pixel phones, partly because they share one design and avoid the “feature bloat” of Samsung’s OneUI interface. But he said Google’s approach to weaving Gemini — its AI assistant — into those apps has become “heavy-handed.”
February 1, 2026
Windows 11 users: 5 popular Android apps you still won’t find on the Microsoft Store
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Windows 11 users: 5 popular Android apps you still won’t find on the Microsoft Store

On Thursday, BGR put together a list spotlighting five Android apps that Windows users still can’t access as native programs. The piece points out a gap where several popular mobile-first tools lack direct counterparts on Microsoft’s desktop OS. Among the apps mentioned were Textra SMS, BuzzKill Notification Manager, Podcast Republic, Hermit — Lite Apps Browser, and Web Video Cast. The timing is crucial since Microsoft’s official way to run Android apps on Windows is being phased out. Amazon announced it will stop supporting the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11 after March 5, 2025, as Microsoft is dropping support for the Windows Subsystem for Android, the key technology behind it.
January 23, 2026
China’s Viral “Are You Dead?” App Disappears From China Stores as Solo Living Soars
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China’s Viral “Are You Dead?” App Disappears From China Stores as Solo Living Soars

Beijing, January 16, 2026, 17:00 GMT+8 A Chinese mobile app called “Are You Dead?” that went viral by asking users to prove they are still alive disappeared from Apple’s App Store in mainland China early Friday, after drawing intense attention and a backlash over its grim name. The one-button app, aimed at people living alone, costs about 8 yuan and prompts users to tap a large green circle as a daily check-in; if they miss several days, it alerts a designated emergency contact. One of the developers, Ian Lü, said the goal was a low-friction routine — “It’s unrealistic to message people every day just to tell them you’re still alive” — and the team said the takedown happened suddenly
January 16, 2026
Best Fitness Apps and Wearable Trackers for 2026: Science‑Backed Picks, AI Coaching Trends, and New‑Year Deals Ending January 15
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Best Fitness Apps and Wearable Trackers for 2026: Science‑Backed Picks, AI Coaching Trends, and New‑Year Deals Ending January 15

Published: January 15, 2026 Mid‑January is where New Year’s resolutions usually start to wobble—and 2026’s fitness tech ecosystem is built specifically to stop that slide. The big shift this year isn’t just “more apps” or “better watches.” It’s behavior design: platforms are bundling social accountability, automated planning, and lightweight rewards into tools that make it easier to show up even when motivation dips.
January 15, 2026
Best New Android Apps for January 2026: DogEar, Seriatim Reader, MyRadar and 7 More
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Best New Android Apps for January 2026: DogEar, Seriatim Reader, MyRadar and 7 More

January 5, 2026 — New year, new downloads. If your Android home screen has looked the same since last summer, January is the perfect moment to refresh it with a few smart picks: apps that help you read more, sleep better, edit photos like a pro, track storms at a glance, and even turn an old phone into a surprisingly capable webcam. Android Authority+1 Below is a curated “10-app” short list built from the most talked-about Android app roundups hitting the web this week—plus a quick snapshot of the biggest Android app ecosystem headlines developing today. Sandisk+3Android Authority+3BGR+3
January 5, 2026
Best Apps of 2025: The Android, iPhone, and Cross‑Platform Picks Defining How We Work, Play, and Stay Focused
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Best Apps of 2025: The Android, iPhone, and Cross‑Platform Picks Defining How We Work, Play, and Stay Focused

A year-end roundup of the best apps of 2025 across Android and iPhone—plus the standout tools, AI assistants, and privacy picks that shaped how we used our devices. As 2025 closes out, the year’s most influential apps aren’t just the ones that went viral — they’re the ones people actually kept installed. Over the past week, multiple tech publications published “best of 2025” app roundups, revealing a clear pattern: AI is now practical, privacy matters again, and the “boring essentials” still win because they quietly power daily life. Thurrott.com+3Android Authority+3Techloy+3
December 28, 2025
Android TV Sideloading Is Changing: 6 Essential Apps to Install Before Google’s New Rules Bite
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Android TV Sideloading Is Changing: 6 Essential Apps to Install Before Google’s New Rules Bite

As Google prepares strict developer verification for Android apps, Android TV sideloading is about to get harder. Here’s what’s changing and 6 free apps to grab now. If you own an Android TV or Google TV box, you’ve probably installed at least one app that isn’t in the Play Store — a custom launcher, a retro gaming emulator, or a better YouTube client. That freedom has been one of Android’s biggest selling points.
November 22, 2025
Phictly Launches Spoiler‑Safe Book and TV Club App, Betting Big on Niche Fandom Communities
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Phictly Launches Spoiler‑Safe Book and TV Club App, Betting Big on Niche Fandom Communities

As of November 22, 2025, a new social app called Phictly is turning book clubs and TV chats into tight‑knit, spoiler‑safe micro‑communities — and tech media around the world is paying attention. Phictly, a new iOS and Android social app, launches globally with 20‑person clubs, spoiler‑safe posts and flexible pacing for fans of books, TV shows and movies. Here’s how it works, why it matters, and how it fits into the wider boom in niche social and reading apps as of November 22, 2025.
November 22, 2025
Mississippi Lottery Official App Launches: How to Download It, Check Tickets and Avoid Scams (Nov. 20, 2025)
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Mississippi Lottery Official App Launches: How to Download It, Check Tickets and Avoid Scams (Nov. 20, 2025)

The Mississippi Lottery Corporation has launched its first-ever official mobile app, giving players a new way to check tickets, track jackpots and enter second-chance drawings directly from their phones — but still without any option to buy lottery tickets online. https://www.wlox.com+1 The Mississippi Lottery Official app is now live in both the Apple App Store and Google Play, a move MLC officials are calling a “major milestone” in how Mississippians interact with lottery games. https://www.wlox.com+1
November 20, 2025
Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS in 2025: Turn Your iPhone and iPad into Pro Synth & DAW Controllers (Updated 18 November 2025)
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Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS in 2025: Turn Your iPhone and iPad into Pro Synth & DAW Controllers (Updated 18 November 2025)

The line between “phone” and “instrument” is getting seriously blurry. As of 18 November 2025, your iPhone or iPad can stand in for a bank of hardware faders, a LinnStrument‑style MPE controller, a MIDI looper, and even a hybrid MIDI/CV modulation brain for your entire studio. Yesterday, Gearnews published a fresh buyer’s guide titled “Best MIDI Controller Apps for iOS: Control your Synths from your iPhone or iPad”, spotlighting a handful of standout controller apps and the interfaces you need to hook them up.Gearnews.com At almost the same time, developers like FAC and NovoNotes are pushing the format even further with deep modulation and free MPE‑ready controllers.SYNTH ANATOMY+1
November 18, 2025
Free Apps Are Getting Worse in 2025: How “Freemium” Turned Into a Bait-and-Switch
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Free Apps Are Getting Worse in 2025: How “Freemium” Turned Into a Bait-and-Switch

A growing wave of smartphone users is asking a pointed question in 2025: are “free” apps still really free, or have they quietly turned into paywalls with extra steps? That frustration is captured perfectly in a new Android Authority feature by Megan Ellis, titled “I’m tired of ‘free’ apps that are just trying to bully me into paying,” which has been widely syndicated and discussed online over the past 24 hours.Android Authority+1
November 17, 2025
Google Play Store v48.8 adds a ‘Remote Uninstall’ button on app pages — rolling out now (Nov. 11, 2025)
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Google Play Store v48.8 adds a ‘Remote Uninstall’ button on app pages — rolling out now (Nov. 11, 2025)

Google is making multi‑device Android life a little easier. A new Google Play Store update adds the ability to remotely uninstall apps from your other Android devices directly from an individual app’s listing, eliminating the old, multi‑step trip through “Manage apps & device.” Google documents the change in its official Google System Services Release Notes and multiple outlets report the feature going live today. Google Help+2Android Authority+2 This replaces the older method: Profile photo → Manage apps & device → Manage → filter by device → select apps → tap the Trash icon. That still works if you want a bird’s‑eye view of everything on a specific device, but the new button is dramatically quicker for one‑off removals. Android Authority
November 11, 2025
Finally! Google Wallet’s Next Update Solves Your Commute’s Biggest Hassle
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Finally! Google Wallet’s Next Update Solves Your Commute’s Biggest Hassle

Google is gearing up to eliminate one of commuters’ biggest pain points: having to unlock your phone and dig through payment cards just to pay for transit. According to an Android Authority app teardown, the latest Google Wallet version contains an upcoming feature called “Express Transit Card,” which will let you tap to pay for public transport without even unlocking your phonephonearena.com. In practical terms, you’ll be able to designate one of your credit or debit cards in Google Wallet as a dedicated transit card, separate from your usual default card for purchasesphonearena.com. Once this feature goes live, paying for a bus or train ride will be as simple as waking your phone and tapping it on the turnstile –
November 4, 2025
ChatGPT App’s Meteoric Rise Stalls: Downloads Dip and Daily Usage Tumbles as Rivals Surge
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ChatGPT App’s Meteoric Rise Stalls: Downloads Dip and Daily Usage Tumbles as Rivals Surge

ChatGPT’s mobile app — which rocketed to the top of iOS and Android charts after its 2023 launch — now shows signs of peaking. According to Apptopia, global download growth “slowed after April” of 2025 and has flattened in recent months techcrunch.com techcrunch.com. In practical terms, October 2025 downloads were tracking ~8% below September’s level techcrunch.com. At the same time, daily engagement metrics are easing. Apptopia finds U.S. users are spending significantly less time in the app than before. Average time per active user has fallen 22.5% since July, and average sessions per user have dropped 20.7% techcrunch.com. In other words, Americans are using ChatGPT less frequently and for shorter periods each day. These trends coincide with reports that total
October 18, 2025