Droid Life

Category: Apps

The latest selection of Android apps, both free and paid, are found right here. If you were looking for that fresh list of trending Android apps, we have you covered on a daily basis. Want to know the newest Android application releases first? Want to know which Android applications are free for a limited time?

Whether it’s Gmail, Google Calendar, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, or lesser known apps like Nova Launcher, Trello, Sling TV, and Philips Hue, you will know the best Android apps at all times.

Got a suggestion for a new app you think we should check out? We are all ears and regularly accept user-submitted applications, so that you won’t pay until you know if we approve.

  • New Google Lens Features From Google I/O are Rolling Out!

    New Google Lens Features From Google I/O are Rolling Out!

    Some of the new Google Lens features that were announced at Google I/O are now available. I’m seeing them on the Pixel 2 XL and OnePlus 6 sitting here on my desk, so the rollout could be quite wide.

    The new features are listed in the screenshots below and include real-time object tracking that can turn into text selections or product matching. This allows you to point your phone and Google Lens at an object and pull text from it, whether that be a phone number, date, address, etc. Along with text selection, Google has added a way to find similar products in front of you (like clothes or furniture) and then shop for them.

    Not only do we have these new features, but Google Lens’ UI has changed some too. When you load it up (open Google Assistant>tap the Lens button) for the first time, you’ll be introduced to the new features as well as a bubbly white bottom-placed card that expands to show you results.

    Again, this all seems to be widely rolling out now. Give it a shot!

    GOOGLE LENS UPDATE GOOGLE LENS UPDATE

    // 9to5Google

  • DIRECTV NOW’s Cloud DVR Now Available to Android Users

    DIRECTV NOW’s Cloud DVR Now Available to Android Users

    Last week, iOS and Apple TV users were treated to a massive update for DIRECTV NOW. Well, it’s now Android’s turn, with the update available via Google Play.

    The big change is the addition of DIRECTV NOW’s Cloud DVR feature. With it, users can get up to 20 hours of free recording, regardless of where you are and when it is. So long as a show is saved to your Cloud, you can access it on any device at any time.

    Here is DIRECTV’s detailing of the Cloud DVR feature, which is still in beta.

    The feature provides twenty hours of free recording, allowing you to watch, pause, fast forward and rewind your favorite shows or series virtually anytime and anywhere you want for up to 30 days. You’ll be able to record up to 100 hours and keep it stored up to 90 days, for $10 per month, later this summer.

    On top of the Cloud DVR, DIRECTV lists UI changes for the platform that emphasizes your most-watched channels and programs, as well as local channel access even if you’re not in your home market. As an example, if you watch FOX (WNYW) on DIRECTV NOW at home in New York and are traveling to Dallas (where the local FOX station is available for DIRECTV NOW customers), you’ll be able to watch KDFW during your visit.

    Check out all of these changes by updated your DIRECTV NOW app.

    Google Play Link

    // DIRECTV

  • Twitter for Android TV, Couple Other Platforms is Going Bye-Bye This Week

    Twitter for Android TV, Couple Other Platforms is Going Bye-Bye This Week

    Launched in late 2016, Twitter for Android TV is going away this week, probably for good. In a Tweet sent out this morning, Twitter Support says Twitter for Roku, Twitter for Android TV, and Twitter for Xbox will no longer be available starting Thursday, May 24.

    While you may assume Twitter for any of these platforms is merely an extension of your timeline to a bigger screen, Twitter for Android TV is more about watching videos and scrolling through various Moments. It was also useful when Twitter had a deal to stream Thursday Night Football with the NFL, but that deal has been gone since since the season before last.

    Anyway, if you use Twitter for Roku, Android TV, or Xbox, be prepared to see it disappear soon.

    https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/998956840674193409

  • Google Play Music Collections, Playlists, and Preferences Will Migrate to YouTube Music

    Google Play Music Collections, Playlists, and Preferences Will Migrate to YouTube Music

    Readers of ours have been curious about what might happen to their Google Play Music libraries should Google shut the service down and force everyone onto their new YouTube Music service. Google hadn’t made the answer clear, but we now know thanks to T. Jay Fowler, the head of music at YouTube.

    According to Fowler, who was replying to a question on Twitter, your music collection, playlists, and preferences should all come over to YouTube Music, as YouTube will “do the heavy lifting for you.” He actually said that they will be “preserved” as well. Assuming everyone was on the same page during this exchange, that should indeed mean that when you get access to YouTube Music, your Play Music library should come with you.

    I’d love to tell you if that has happened, but Google is slowing rolling the new music service out and we don’t have access yet. Can anyone with YouTube Music confirm for us?

    https://twitter.com/tjayfowler/status/997180474576453632

    // reddit

  • YouTube Music is Available Today, Sort of…

    YouTube Music is Available Today, Sort of…

    YouTube Music was announced in the middle of the night last week on a Wednesday, which sure seemed like odd timing for the launch of such a major service. Google said at the time that its new streaming music service would be rolling out on May 22 and we’ve reached that day. I’d tell you that you can sign-up and start using it, but it really is “rolling” out. In other words, you probably can’t sign-up for it at the moment.

    Am I alone in thinking that a slow rollout of a brand new service that you want to be the future of the streaming music is kind of odd? There seems to be no better way to kill any buzz YouTube Music had than saying it’s available, only then not allowing everyone to sign-up at the same time. Like, is  your new music service ready or what, Google?

    As a reminder, the launch of YouTube Music also means that YouTube Red is becoming YouTube Premium and that changes may one day come to Google Play Music, just not right away.

    Anyone able to sign-up yet?

    Google Play Link

    // YouTube Blog

  • Instagram Now Lets You Mute Accounts Rather Than Unfollow Them

    Instagram Now Lets You Mute Accounts Rather Than Unfollow Them

    Because Instagram doesn’t want you to have to offend the friends you dislike the most on Instagram by unfollowing them, you can now mute them instead. Like Facebook has done for a while, you can follow someone on Instagram and mute them, to never be bothered by their obnoxious wannabe-life-inspiring quote posts ever again.

    To mute an account, you’ll simply tap on the menu button in a corner of a post from someone you want to mute and then choose the “Mute” option. From that point forward, you’ll still be following them, still be able to see photos on their profile page, and get notified of comments or posts that you are tagged in, but their posts won’t hit your feed. If you want, you can unmute at any time.

    You can mute posts and stories as well.

    This change will rollout to your phone over the coming weeks.

    Google Play Link

    // Instagram

  • Hell Yeah, Favoriting Photos Comes to Google Photos

    Hell Yeah, Favoriting Photos Comes to Google Photos

    Even though Google Photos is about the best app to be released in four or five years, thanks to all of its smarts like searching, sometimes a curated listed made by you is even more powerful than the computer behind the scenes. This week, that’s arriving in the form of a favorite button that has begun rolling out.

    With this new favorite button, you’ll see a star icon within photos attached to your account. If you tap that star, you’ll add items to a separate Favorite album that can be accessed within the Albums section.

    This could be a great place to add the best pictures you’ve taken in the simplest form. Let us know if you see it show up!

    Google Play Link

  • Twitter Switches Over to Own Emoji Service for Select Android Users to Combat Missing Emoji

    Twitter Switches Over to Own Emoji Service for Select Android Users to Combat Missing Emoji

    Depending on the version of Android your device is running, you may see little boxes with an “X” going through them at times when browsing Twitter. They look like what you see in the header image above. This typically means someone has placed a character or emoji in a tweet that your device doesn’t recognize.

    To combat this, Twitter has switched over to its own Twemoji emoji service for Android KitKat to Nougat users, meaning everyone should soon see all the same emoji goodness, even if they’re running an outdated version of Android.

    According to a design lead at Twitter, who confirmed the following stat to Emojipedia, “At least 50% of eligible Twitter users should now see this change, with the feature being enabled for more users over the course of this week.”

    That’s a lot of people about to be seeing certain emoji for the first time.

    To get an idea of what Twitter’s emoji library looks like, you can view it all here.

    // Emojipedia