Category: Android

While those running various Nexus devices have seen or are starting to see the Android Marshmallow update come to their devices, the bigger question has always been when other manufactures would have the latest version of Android available for their devices.  Apparently, sooner rather than later.  LG announced in a press release last night that the LG G4 will be seeing Android Marshmallow starting this week in Poland and then rolling out to the rest of Europe and the Americas later.  The news is great to hear frankly as updates to devices is always a point of pain/contention for Android users.  LG at least wants to get it done and get it done quickly.

YouTube Gaming for Android devices has been updated and while the update is a “.1” release, the feature set really makes it worthy of being a 2.0 version.  Nevertheless, the new 1.1.20.3 build for those keeping score at home, brings a huge number of updates to the broadcasting gaming platform.  The biggest news in this update is the support for live streaming of your mobile games from your Android devices.  If you are running a device with Android Lollipop or Android Marshmallow, you can now live stream or record your mobile games.  You host your stream with your device’s front facing camera and the app leverages your device’s microphone for audio.  Essentially this allows you to more easily share mobile games than ever before or frankly from any other game streaming platform.

YouTube Gaming – Free – Download Now

Google has released an updated version of the Google Chrome browser for Android, bringing a host of updates, fixes and a few new features.  The build is version 46.0.2490.76 for those keeping score at home and it should be hitting the Google Play Store and your device in the next few days.  While the bulk of this update is fixes and other improvements, there is an improved image loading by allowing Chrome to negotiate with the web server to provide the best image over HTTP based on the bandwidth available and the device type.  Sounds geeky right?  It is and it is certainly something that developers would have to include on their sites but the key is that Google is positioning Chrome to be able to handle this without any user intervention once it is enabled.

Google Chrome for Android – Free – Download Now

The Fitbit for Android app has received an update that brings much more detail around your weight tracking to the app.  The update is version 2.12.2 for those keeping score at home and the weight screen has been completely redesigned to give you better charts, goal progress and history of your weight.  For those who are trying to gain or lose weight, this new section of the app will come in handy and is far more information rich over the previous version.

As many long time readers will know, I lost over 100 lbs starting in 2010 and I have publicly credited Fitbit and MyFitnessPal as being two of the key ways I kept myself on track (and still do today).  Fitbit continues to improve their apps and services and this update is another example of their continued efforts to drive more functionality into their apps.

Fitbit for Android – Free – Download Now

At the Google event last month we heard the announcement that Spotify would be updating their app and supporting Chromecast casting.  That update has happened and it is now available in the Google Play Store.  The update is version 3.8.0.800 for those keeping score at home and not only includes support for Chromecast but also supports the music streaming service built into 2016 BMW 7 Series cars.

Spotify for Android – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now

Google Hangouts has been updated today in the Google Play Store and it should be hitting your devices soon.  The new 5.0.104885319 version for those keeping score at home brings mostly bug fixes to the texting-meets-chatting app from Google.  You aren’t going to find a lot of changes in this build from a feature perspective but if you are a user of the Google Hangouts widget on your home screen…. well, it just got a little sad for you.

Google Hangouts for Android – Free – Download Now