Welcome to the 465th Android Apps Weekly and the final edition in 2022. Happy new years, and here are the big headlines from the last week:
We asked our readers how well Google did this year. You all told us that you thought Google did pretty well this year, both in terms of hardware and software. Regarding stats, 48% of you said that Google had a good year, while only about 5% thought the year was a total failure. You can hit the link to see the more granular stats.
We also asked our readers when they sideloaded an app on Android last. Over 40% of our readers have sideloaded an app within the last month, and only about 15% have never sideloaded an app at all. We found that interesting since the common narrative is that sideloading is rare. Apparently, we have some rare readers.
Our own Adam Birney attempted to use Google Translate on a trip with some mixed results. For example, some of the traveler-friendly features don’t work offline. Adam outlined his experience with the various features working or not working, and you can read it at the link above.
Google is worried about Search. The number of AI tools and their surging popularity have the company a little on edge. Reportedly, the situation is a code red at Google. The worry is that AI responses give such tight answers that people won’t click on advertising links anymore, which would cause Google to lose a lot of money. Hit the link to keep reading, and we’ll keep monitoring to see what happens.
As per the norm, we have rounded up the best new Android apps, best new Android games, and most controversial apps and games from the last year. You can hit any of the links to check out our selections. Overall, there are 50 apps and games to scroll through, along with ten more controversial apps and games. It was a pretty exciting year with some interesting launches.
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