Welcome to the 410th edition of Android Apps Weekly. Here are the big headlines and releases from the last week:
- Google announced a partnership with Pluto this week. The partnership brings 300 free channels to Google TV. The channels include Comedy Central, Paramount Plus Picks, Showtime Selects, CBS News, and many others. It should roll out in the next few weeks according to Google. That makes Google TV an excellent cord-cutter option if you want a bunch of TV channels.
- Telegram launched a pretty big update this week. The update includes several new features, including the ability to quickly link your stuff via QR code, a setting that logs you out of inactive devices after a given time period, and more. Telegram has had a renaissance this year after WhatsApp policies drove a ton of users to the platform. Hit the link for more details.
- Microsoft Teams is getting a fix for a peculiar bug in the near future. The bug only appears on Pixel devices and it prevents users from calling 911. That’s kind of a big deal for obvious reasons. The bug only happens if you install Microsoft Teams and then don’t log in to any accounts. It also only affects devices running Android 10 or newer. The fix is coming at the end of January 2022.
- WhatsApp had a couple of updates this week. The first allows select US users to send and receive cash through WhatsApp. It uses Novi, a service provided by Facebook. WhatsApp is basically beta testing the feature and you can hit the link to learn more. The other update basically gives you the option to make any message you send disappear. There is an option to make it the default setting that a message disappears. Users can choose between 24 hours, a week, or 90 days at their discretion. Hit both links to learn more about each new feature.
- Google Play Games is coming to Windows PCs in 2022. This is a big deal because Amazon’s Appstore still isn’t ready for prime time and Google is going to take advantage of it. Play Store games coming to Windows isn’t the result of a partnership. Google was working on this privately in the background so Microsoft has little to do with it. You can already run the Play Store with a series of weird mods to Windows 11, but it’ll certainly be nice to get it for real.
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