avatars Archives

AppWizard

February 17, 2026

29 Years Ago, AOL Launched An App That Changed Everything

AOL's AIM introduced an early AI chatbot and reached 36 million users in 2001. The platform struggled to adapt to the rise of mobile communication, leading to its shutdown on December 15, 2017. AIM popularized personal screen names, emojis, and status markers in instant messaging, and it influenced figures like Biz Stone and Mark Zuckerberg. AIM's legacy continues to impact modern messaging, which incorporates various multimedia elements.

AppWizard

February 15, 2026

Android Auto update will put your car inside Google Maps – with customised models and colours

Android Auto is expected to introduce customizable driver avatars in Google Maps, allowing users to personalize their navigation experience. Recent findings indicate that hidden options in the latest version of Android Auto will enable drivers to modify their vehicle representation directly from the car's dashboard, similar to the customization available in the Google Maps app. Although these controls are not yet visible to users, they appear to function seamlessly across platforms. The potential for avatar customization marks a shift towards a more dynamic user interface in Android Auto, which has historically been conservative in rolling out new features. The timeline for the public release of this feature remains uncertain.

AppWizard

January 30, 2026

Phasmophobia’s roadmap includes evidence of a 1.0 launch in 2026: the player character overhaul, a new event, and Horror 2.0

Phasmophobia is set to celebrate its sixth anniversary with a 1.0 launch later this year. Kinetic Games is working on a roadmap that includes a horror rework and lore update scheduled for September. The player character overhaul has been rescheduled to Q1 2026, and players can expect unique character models and free cosmetics. Tanglewood Drive will receive a major makeover in Q1 2026, followed by enhancements to 13 Willow Street and a new map later this year. Kinetic is expanding the event calendar with returning seasonal events and a new secret event.

AppWizard

January 27, 2026

Minecraft-like RPG Hytale’s second big update adding necromancy is already out as devs work on “several updates in parallel”

Hytale launched its early access 11 days ago and has released two updates since then, introducing features like necromancy and enhanced customization options for avatars, including new masks and hairstyles. A toggle feature for helmet visibility has also been added. Development team member Collins-Laflamme encourages players to embrace the game's experimental nature and announced that Update 3 will enter pre-release next week, with a focus on creating a predictable release schedule. The creative lead of Minecraft expressed a preference for Minecraft over Hytale, to which Hytale's lead acknowledged the validity of such opinions.

AppWizard

January 26, 2026

Best AI apps for Android

Artificial Intelligence is significantly impacting Android, enhancing user experiences in writing, studying, photo editing, web searching, and task management. Notable AI apps for Android in 2026 include: 1. ChatGPT for Android: A popular app for writing, learning, coding, and answering everyday questions, assisting with emails, article summaries, math problems, code generation, and exam preparation. 2. Google Gemini App: Google's official AI assistant, integrating with Gmail, Google Docs, Maps, and Search, aiding in email writing, summaries, and idea generation. 3. Microsoft Copilot: An AI tool for Office users, providing writing, summarization, and image generation features, particularly useful for Microsoft Word, Excel, or Edge users. 4. Perplexity AI: An AI-powered search tool that offers accurate answers with citations, preferred by users over traditional Google Search. 5. Adobe Firefly: An AI image creation and design app that allows users to generate images, remove backgrounds, and apply AI effects using text prompts. 6. Otter AI: Designed for voice recording and transcription, it provides live voice-to-text, speaker detection, and AI-generated summaries. 7. Notion AI: A paid add-on for note-taking, planning, and writing, assisting with content rewriting, note summarization, and brainstorming. 8. Lensa AI: A paid app for photo enhancement and avatar creation, popular on social media. Free AI apps are suitable for casual users and basic tasks, while paid apps cater to professionals and creators who require more advanced features.

AppWizard

January 22, 2026

You voted on the best Android apps and games of 2025, and it wasn’t even close

In 2025, the best Android app, according to a poll, was Androidify, which received 40% of the votes. Other contenders included Google Journal and Banana Browser, which did not reach double digits. The best mobile game was Red Dead Redemption, garnering just under 30% of the votes, followed by Subnautica with around 14% and Persona 5: The Phantom X with approximately 11%.

BetaBeacon

January 13, 2026

Samsung just abandoned this mini-game you never heard of, but there’s good news

Samsung has removed the Creature Collection feature from its Gaming Hub app, which allowed players to unlock collectible "monsters" by progressing through games and hatching virtual eggs. Despite this change, all the unlockable monsters are now available for users to set as their display pictures inside the app without having to complete specific missions or reach certain progress levels.

AppWizard

December 23, 2025

My 18 favorite Android apps of 2025

Mishaal Rahman shared her favorite Android apps from 2025, which include: - Octopi Launcher: A launcher designed for foldable smartphones that allows users to create custom layouts for different screen orientations. - Nobook: A lightweight alternative to the official Facebook app, offering a simplified social media experience without ads. - Banana Browser: A browser that excels in video handling, featuring a built-in player and ad-blocking capabilities. - NotebookLM: A digital manual and note-taking app that helps users organize information effectively. - OSS Document Scanner: An open-source PDF scanner with automatic capture and OCR support. - whoBIRD: An app for identifying birds by their calls using real-time audio sampling. - Tomato: A minimalist Pomodoro timer that integrates focus and rest periods into productivity routines. - Stellarium: An app for exploring celestial bodies with detailed information about stars and planets. - Google Journal: A straightforward journaling app that stores entries locally and supports multimedia integration. - Next Player: A simple video player that supports various formats and offers organizational features. - Weather Master: A user-friendly weather app with customizable data sources and concise summaries. - Perplexity Comet: An AI browser that enhances news and information access. - LocalSend: A file-sharing app for quick and secure transfers across devices on the same network. - Super Display: An app that turns any Android device into a secondary monitor. - URLCheck: A link manager that scans for security threats and allows users to choose apps for opening links. - Samsung Food: A recipe management app that helps users curate digital cookbooks. - DeepSeek: An AI chatbot offering versatile capabilities and offline access. - Androidify: An app for creating personalized avatars and customizing devices with unique designs.

AppWizard

December 9, 2025

Connected, Creative, Expanded: Android XR’s Next Wave of Innovation Enhances the Galaxy XR Experience

Samsung Electronics unveiled the Galaxy XR in October, which operates on the new Android XR platform co-created with Google and Qualcomm. The device features multimodal AI for seamless interactions through voice, vision, and gesture, and offers full immersion capabilities. The latest update to the Android XR platform includes three significant features: PC Connect, Likeness, and Travel Mode. PC Connect allows users to integrate applications or their entire computer desktop into the immersive view of the Galaxy XR, enhancing productivity and entertainment. Likeness enables users to customize their appearance during video calls on platforms like Google Meet, enhancing the sense of presence. Travel Mode allows users to create personal cinema or workspace experiences while on the go, with a stable view and a portable Travel Case. These features will roll out to users starting December 8 in the United States and Korea.

AppWizard

December 9, 2025

Samsung Galaxy XR Gets Realistic Face-Tracked ‘Likeness’ Avatars

The rollout of the first significant update for Google's Android XR on the Samsung Galaxy XR includes several new features: 1. Likeness (Beta): A beta version of an avatar system for video calls that replaces traditional video feeds with virtual representations, using advanced eye and face tracking capabilities. Users can create their avatar by scanning their face with their phone. 2. Travel Mode: A feature that enhances positional tracking while in motion, reducing the misinterpretation of vehicle movements as head movements by relying more on computer vision. 3. PC Connect (Beta): A feature that allows users to connect to and control their Windows PC as a virtual screen within Android XR, requiring a streamer app on the PC. Additionally, Android XR is getting an AI feature that can convert any 2D content into 3D.