Welcome to the 473rd edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines from the last week:
- Google rolled out an update this week that sort of fixes an Android Auto problem. You can’t normally open Google Maps on your phone when Android Auto is active. This latest Google Maps update makes it possible for a small number of users. We’re not sure if this was even intentional, but we certainly hope it was.
- Vivaldi Browser on Android now lets you play YouTube videos in the background. This lets you listen to music, podcasts, or just regular videos without needing to be stuck in the app. The big update also included some performance improvements, UI scaling options, sync reminders, and more.
- Samsung’s Camera Assistant app is now available for more One UI 5.1 phones, including the S22 Ultra and others. The app has several options that the stock camera app does not have, and it even fixes some of the shutter lag on some S23 Ultra phones. Those with older Galaxy phones on the One UI 5.1 update can check the Galaxy Store to see if it’s available for you.
- Mozilla did a study to see if apps were protecting user privacy. It turns out, many of them aren’t. Some examples of the worst offenders include the Google Play Store, Twitter, and TikTok. Hit the link to see the results of Mozilla’s study.
- AI was a big topic of conversation this week. Qualcomm used an Android phone to generate an AI image in under 15 seconds with no Internet connection required. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing and Edge apps came to mobile this week, although you need to be part of Microsoft’s preview program in order to use it. Samsung’s Bixby uses AI to clone your voice to answer phone calls on your behalf, but it’s only available in Korean at this time. Finally, Gboard may give users the ability to generate AI images from text. Hit the links to learn more about each AI product.
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