Joe Maring / Android Authority Ever since it debuted on the Pixel 9 series in 2024, Google’s Pixel Weather app has been my go-to weather application. I love its simplistic and Pixel-y UI, the customizable home screen, the excellent pollen tracker, and more. For what I want in a weather app, Pixel Weather checks just … Read More “The best Pixel Weather alternative” »
Andy Walker / Android Authority This open-source tool acts as a middleman between elevated Android functionality and permissions and third-party apps, giving the latter (and the user) access to previously locked-away features. It might not sound like much, but it’s a core reason why Shizuku is one of the most important Android apps for power … Read More “These are the 10 best Shizuku apps for leveling up Android” »
Joe Maring / Android Authority Google’s had a messy relationship with messaging, with now-defunct platforms like Hangouts and Allo failing to achieve the kind of relevance and staying power enjoyed by competing services like iMessage and WhatsApp. In recent years, though, the company has consistently thrown its weight behind its RCS and SMS client Google … Read More “5 missing features that would make it better” »
Joe Maring / Android Authority Samsung Messages is going away — and this time for good, with the app officially set to be discontinued in July 2026. When I got my Galaxy S26 last month, Samsung Messages wasn’t even pre-installed. So, like most users, I trusted Samsung’s recommendation and started using Google Messages. It felt … Read More “Samsung Messages is dying. Here’s the app I’m replacing it with” »
Andy Walker / Android Authority For over a decade, Nova Launcher was the first app I installed on any new Android device. It was the gold standard for customization, offering a level of control that manufacturer skins simply could not match. It was clean, it was fast. Whether you wanted a pixel-perfect layout or complex … Read More “I used Nova Launcher for 10 years, but I’m officially done with it” »
Joe Maring / Android Authority There are loads of options for Android keyboards out there, from the default apps provided by your phone’s manufacturer to open-source, privacy-respecting options to what many believe is the current standard, Gboard. But one solution that’s regularly mentioned, especially by Samsung users, is Samsung Keyboard. The default Samsung typing experience … Read More “Survey shows Samsung Keyboard is broadly disliked, yet most users haven’t switched” »
Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR Sleep&Arrive is a new app for public transit commuters that tries to wake you based on your location rather than a fixed time. The app can alert you as your stop gets close via an alarm on your phone and headphones, or through vibration patterns on your Wear OS … Read More “This new Android app could be a lifesaver for sleepy commuters” »
