ambient sounds Archives

AppWizard

January 19, 2026

One of my most anticipated games for 2026 is a little sandbox puzzle game that plays like the lovechild of Unpacking and PowerWash Simulator

Hozy is a new simulation game that allows players to clean and decorate various rooms in a whimsical sandbox environment. During playtests, players explored a spacious living room and a compact studio apartment, cleaning by gathering clutter into floating orbs and disposing of them in a whimsical wheelie bin. After cleaning, players can freely arrange furniture from moving boxes to create a customized aesthetic. The game encourages thoughtful placement of larger items and offers a relaxing gameplay experience, enhanced by ambient sounds. Some players experienced minor glitches, such as floating fairy lights. Hozy is noted for its engaging experience, particularly for those who enjoy order and organization, but it currently lacks a release date, with fans hoping for more content by 2026.

AppWizard

December 7, 2025

Debate: Which videogame songs are best for unwinding after a long day?

A member of the PC Gamer team has created a playlist of video game soundtracks to enhance their daily activities, finding that video game music can evoke emotions and create atmosphere. They have traditionally favored soft piano compositions from JRPGs but have recently discovered relaxing tracks from the Minecraft soundtrack and Danganronpa series. Notable tracks include "Beautiful Ruin" from Danganronpa 2 and "Cool Morning" from Danganronpa V3, which they enjoy for winding down.

AppWizard

December 2, 2025

New Android features keep you focused on what matters most

Android's Expressive Captions feature generates real-time captions that transcribe spoken words and capture the emotional nuances of the speaker's tone. It includes emotion tags such as [joyful] or [sad] to enhance understanding, especially when audio is muted. The feature also recognizes ambient sounds like [cheers and applause], providing a richer viewing experience and fostering inclusivity.

AppWizard

November 5, 2025

6 Android Apps Caught Recording Conversations

Security researchers from ESET discovered that 12 malicious Android chat applications, including Privee Talk, MeetMe, Let’s Chat, Quick Chat, Rafaqat رفاق, and Chit Chat, were found to covertly harvest users’ messages and deploy a remote access trojan called VajraSpy. Six of these apps were available on Google Play before being flagged for suspicious activity, resulting in approximately 1,400 downloads, primarily targeting users in India and Pakistan. The spyware could extract messages from encrypted chat platforms, record ambient sounds in real time, and intercept communications on apps like WhatsApp and Signal. The operators used honey-trap tactics to entice users into installing the apps, which requested permissions typical of espionage tools, such as RECORD_AUDIO and access to notifications and accessibility services. Users are advised to uninstall these apps and review permissions to protect against potential threats.

AppWizard

October 19, 2025

5 Best Pomodoro Apps for Android: How to Stay Focused in the Digital Age?

The Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s, involves working intensely for 25 minutes followed by a short break to enhance productivity and reduce burnout. Several Android applications implement this technique: - Forest allows users to grow a virtual tree during focused work sessions, with the tree wilting if the user gets distracted. It also contributes to real-world tree planting. - Focus To-Do combines a Pomodoro timer with a task planner, enabling users to assign sessions to tasks and track productivity. - Pomodoro Timer offers a minimalist design without unnecessary features, allowing users to use the timer without account creation or ads. - Engross includes app blocking and productivity tracking, with options for note-taking and advanced statistics in its premium version. - Tide integrates ambient sounds with the Pomodoro technique and offers breathing exercises and sleep improvement tools.

AppWizard

October 11, 2025

14 unusual Android apps I always install on my phone

whoBIRD is a free, open-source app that helps birdwatchers identify birds by their calls using the BirdNET call database. Noice provides ambient sounds for relaxation and sleep, requiring a data connection. The Survival Manual is a comprehensive app offering essential survival skills and knowledge. RunPee identifies the best moments in films for bathroom breaks and provides information about post-credit scenes. Drinkable is an open-source app that helps users craft cocktails based on available ingredients. Tomato is a Pomodoro technique app that manages work sessions with structured intervals. Golden Hour helps photographers plan outings based on optimal lighting conditions. Historical Calendar chronicles significant historical events that occurred on any given day and includes a quiz feature. Marine Traffic provides real-time data on vessels at sea, allowing users to track ships and monitor their movements. Unit Lab is a unit conversion app that works offline for various measurements. PlantNet identifies plants through image recognition by allowing users to upload pictures. PeakFinder uses augmented reality to identify mountain peaks and their elevations. SkyMap helps users locate stars, planets, and constellations using GPS. WiFiAnalyzer optimizes home networks by identifying the best channels for Wi-Fi signals and providing insights into network strength.

AppWizard

October 11, 2025

You’ll need to be careful moving around the forests of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, as its trees will help players identify potential threats: ‘It can be very hard to understand where you’re dying from’

Realism is a key focus for the upcoming release of Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, presenting challenges similar to those faced by soldiers during the Vietnam War. The game's dense jungle environment significantly affects visibility, making it difficult for players to identify threats. The development team is committed to authenticity, with attention to detail in both visuals and sound, including historically accurate ambient noises. The transition from World War II to Vietnam is expected to influence gameplay dynamics, potentially enhancing the combat experience and distinguishing it from previous iterations of the game.

AppWizard

September 12, 2025

Meet Max, Russia’s all-in-one app: From messages to spying on Russians

The Russian messaging application Max was first tested in March 2025 and is developed by Communication Platform LLC, a subsidiary of VK. It is marketed as a "national" and "unified" messenger, with significant promotion from the Kremlin. A law signed by President Vladimir Putin in June 2025 established Max as a state-owned entity, mandating its use in school chats and pre-installation on smartphones. Mobile operators are required to offer Max without consuming data traffic. Users in occupied Ukrainian territories are also required to install the app. Restrictions on other messaging services have been implemented, with security services limiting their functionalities. By mid-August 2025, Max had around 18 million users, but it has faced criticism for lacking end-to-end encryption and requesting excessive access to smartphone features. Users have reported performance issues and concerns over surveillance by the Russian government. The Kremlin has acknowledged monitoring through Max, and the app is compared to China's WeChat. Putin has ordered increased control over foreign messaging applications, aiming to restrict the use of foreign software by September 2025.

AppWizard

September 9, 2025

The 7 Best Cozy Games For PC To Enjoy In 2025

Seven free-to-play PC games are recommended for cozy nights during the autumn and winter seasons: 1. Raid: Shadow Legends - Year Released: 2018 - Awards: Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards (Best RPG Finalist) - Reviews/Rating: 4.5/5 average rating - Key Features: Turn-based strategy, beautiful fantasy artwork, over 500 champions - Fun Fact: Many players use it for evening relaxation due to its strategic yet stress-free gameplay. 2. Sky: Children of the Light - Year Released: 2019 - Awards: Apple Design Awards - Reviews/Rating: 4.6/5 average rating - Key Features: Free-to-play exploration, social gameplay, relaxing flight mechanics - Fun Fact: Designed to evoke warmth and connection, making it popular in colder months. 3. Palia - Year Released: 2023 - Awards: Recognized as a relaxing MMO - Reviews/Rating: 4.3/5 average rating - Key Features: Life simulation, community-focused, beautiful art style - Fun Fact: Created as an “anti-stress” MMO focusing on relaxation and community. 4. Fishing Planet - Year Released: 2015 - Awards: Recognized for realism in fishing simulation - Reviews/Rating: 4.2/5 average rating - Key Features: Realistic fishing simulation, serene environments, meditative gameplay - Fun Fact: Used by players as a form of digital meditation. 5. Virtual Cottage - Year Released: 2021 - Awards: Community favorite for cozy productivity - Reviews/Rating: 4.5/5 average rating - Key Features: Ambient environment, productivity tools, soothing sounds - Fun Fact: Popular during cold months for creating a cozy atmosphere for work and relaxation. 6. Sudoku - Year Released: Early 2000s (digital versions) - Awards: Recognized as a relaxing puzzle format - Reviews/Rating: 4.4/5 average rating - Key Features: Classic gameplay, no time pressure, beautiful themed versions - Fun Fact: Commonly used as a bedtime routine game for gentle mental engagement. 7. What Never Was - Year Released: 2020 - Awards: Community recognition for storytelling - Reviews/Rating: 4.3/5 average rating - Key Features: Short adventure, hand-drawn art style, gentle puzzles - Fun Fact: Designed to evoke nostalgia and warmth, popular in colder months.

AppWizard

August 20, 2025

Minecraft Snapshot 25w34b

This week, a new main menu panorama has been introduced, along with a comprehensive Code of Conduct for servers and ongoing enhancements with Copper Golems. Snapshot 25w34b has been released, addressing connectivity errors with Realms. New features include an in-game Code of Conduct that players must accept to access a server, with an option to opt out of future displays unless updated. A new boolean field, enable-code-of-conduct, has been added to server.properties to manage this feature. The main menu has been updated to feature Copper Golems. The sound effect for the End Light Flashes has an increased delay, and the accessibility setting "Hide Lightning Flashes" has been renamed to "Hide Sky Flashes." Copper Golems will now have invisible eyes when splashed with a Potion of Invisibility, and their hitbox has been adjusted to allow navigation through open doors. Sounds associated with Copper Golems and Copper Chests can now be heard from up to 12 blocks away, with modifications to the volume of copper sorting sounds. The Data Pack version has been updated to 84.0, introducing a new fetchprofile command for downloading player profiles. The alignitemsto_bottom block state property has been removed from the Shelf block. Fixed bugs in 25w34b include issues with glowing items, world selection screen overflow, and various interactions with Copper Golems and other entities. Snapshots are available for Minecraft: Java Edition, and players are advised to back up their worlds before installation.