recordings Archives

BetaBeacon

January 2, 2026

Best Mobile Games for 2026

- Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption was released on mobile in 2025, including the original story campaign and Undead Nightmare expansion, priced at .99 or available through a Netflix subscription. - Subnautica also transitioned to mobile, offering a survival adventure set on an alien oceanic planet, optimized for touch controls and supporting controllers, priced at .99. - Persona 5: The Phantom X delivered a mobile-specific RPG experience with gacha mechanics and turn-based combat, maintaining ties to the original Persona 5 storyline, and offering free-to-play mechanics. - Where Winds Meet is an open-world wuxia title on mobile with demanding hardware requirements, featuring cross-progression support and light monetization. - DREDGE brought its Eldritch fishing simulation to mobile, included in Google Play Pass for subscribers, priced at .99. - Cassette Beasts is a premium turn-based RPG inspired by Pokémon on mobile, offering cassette monster collection and combat, priced at .99. - Destiny: Rising brought the FPS MMO experience to mobile for free, with typical NetEase monetization strategies. - Enter the Gungeon and Exit the Gungeon were released on mobile simultaneously, offering bullet hell and platforming gameplay with touchscreen and controller support. - Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown combined platforming and Metroidvania elements in a 2.5D action-adventure on mobile, offering offline play and full controller support.

AppWizard

December 18, 2025

What replaced secret conversations? Is Messenger encrypted?

Facebook Messenger has discontinued its “secret conversations” feature as part of its transition to default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for eligible one-on-one chats. E2EE now protects personal messages and media shared within those conversations, including audio and video calls, while standard encryption is still used for business chats, Marketplace messages, and community chats. E2EE on Messenger utilizes the Signal Protocol for message encryption and the Labyrinth Protocol for encrypting messaging history across devices. Users can verify E2EE status by checking chat settings and can manage their E2EE conversations through the app's privacy settings. Disappearing messages remain available, and while Messenger shares E2EE features with WhatsApp and Signal, it currently applies this encryption solely to personal, one-on-one chats.

AppWizard

December 18, 2025

Kimsuky Spreads DocSwap Android Malware via QR Phishing Posing as Delivery App

A new Android malware campaign has been launched by the North Korean threat actor Kimsuky, introducing a variant called DocSwap. This malware is distributed via QR codes on phishing websites that impersonate CJ Logistics. Attackers use QR codes and notification pop-ups to lure victims into downloading the malware, which decrypts an embedded APK and activates Remote Access Trojan (RAT) capabilities. The malicious app is disguised as a legitimate application to bypass Android's security measures. Victims are tricked into installing the app through smishing texts or phishing emails that mimic delivery companies. The app downloads an APK named "SecDelivery.apk," which then loads the malware. It requests permissions to access various device functions and registers a service that simulates an OTP authentication screen. The app connects to an attacker-controlled server, allowing execution of commands such as logging keystrokes, capturing audio, and gathering sensitive information. Additionally, two other malicious samples have been identified, disguised as a P2B Airdrop app and a trojanized version of the BYCOM VPN app. The campaign also includes phishing sites mimicking popular South Korean platforms to capture user credentials.

AppWizard

December 8, 2025

Google Drive update makes navigating PDFs and files effortless

Google Drive has upgraded its file viewer, introducing a new interface that improves the experience for accessing PDFs, images, and videos. The PDF viewer now features a sidebar with a table of contents and page thumbnails for easier navigation. Video files include a transcript search tool for locating specific spoken keywords. Google Drive also offers Gemini-powered audio summaries, allowing users to generate and listen to quick overviews. The new design includes a redesigned toolbar and intuitive file menu for a more organized environment. The rollout is in progress for users on Google’s Rapid Release track, with Scheduled Release domains expected to receive the update starting December 11, 2025. Both personal and Workspace users will benefit from these enhancements.

AppWizard

November 21, 2025

Arc Raiders players have been trading guns for binoculars, and it’s making for some incredibly cinematic on-field reporting that’s hauntingly good

Arc Raiders is a multiplayer game that features thrilling encounters with terrifying robots, fostering both camaraderie and betrayal among players. The game creates a cinematic atmosphere, with players documenting their experiences using binoculars and framing their recordings as in-world reports. These recordings mimic war correspondents' styles, utilizing claustrophobic angles, shaky camera work, VHS noise, and retro color correction to enhance the 70s sci-fi aesthetic. Players capture intense battles against robotic foes and other players, with notable moments including a massive Matriarch and a stealthy Leaper. The trend of cinematic storytelling is also seen in other games like Helldivers 2. There is excitement for future Arc Raiders documentaries, with suggestions for unique press costumes and 35mm film cameras to enhance player storytelling.

AppWizard

November 20, 2025

Poke Genie -Remote Raid IV PvP For Android

Poke Genie has a rating of 4.7 stars and over 10 million downloads. It offers features such as an IV Checker, Remote Raid Coordinator, PvP IV Calculator, Name Generator, Battle Simulator, Moveset Ranking, Pokedex, Type Effectiveness Tool, Scan Organizer, and Power Up/Purification Simulator. The app does not require logins and operates using screenshots and screen recordings, complying with Niantic’s terms of service. It is a fan-made third-party app popular among Pokémon Go players.

AppWizard

November 20, 2025

Mind Monitor For Android

Mind Monitor is an application developed by James Clutterbuck that allows users to monitor their brain activity in real time using the Muse: The Brain-Sensing Headband from Interaxon. The app features real-time EEG data, spectrogram analysis, data recording in CSV and Muse Protocol Buffer formats, integration with gyroscope and accelerometer sensors, channel splitting for brain analysis, online graphing at Mind-Monitor.com, and OSC streaming for wireless data monitoring. It is priced at USD 14.99, rated for everyone, has over 10,000 downloads, and holds a rating of 4.4 stars in the health and fitness category.

AppWizard

November 20, 2025

StellarRecovery For Android

StellarRecovery is an application developed by SkyFusion Labs for Android users to recover lost or deleted files. It has a rating of 4.7 stars from over 500,000 users. The app offers features for photo, video, audio, and document recovery, ensuring a fast and reliable process with an easy-to-use interface. It prioritizes user data safety by keeping recovery processes local. The app is free to download.

AppWizard

November 18, 2025

My favorite horror game of 2025 sounds like a literal nightmare because its composer sampled the creaking of an old house and a metal saw scraping ‘an instrument that sounded horrifying yet could have been made in feudal Japan’

Labyrinth of the Demon King is a first-person survival horror game set in Feudal Japan, featuring a soundscape composed by Remu Daifuku. Daifuku's sound design includes unsettling noises such as gurgles and eerie biwa string solos. He recorded sounds from his old house and the town's bonshō bell to enhance authenticity. A custom daxophone was created using old nokogiri blades to align with the game's historical context. The final sound design was processed through an old tape machine for a gritty texture that complements the game's visuals. The soundtrack is available on YouTube and itch.io, and the game can be found on Steam.

AppWizard

November 14, 2025

Older Pixel Devices Can Now Record Calls Directly in the Phone App

Google has expanded the call recording feature in its Phone app to include Pixel 6 and newer models. This feature allows users to record phone conversations, although it does not include transcription or automatic note-taking capabilities. Call recording is available in regions where it is legal, and users in the United States and Canada currently have access. To use the feature, users must have a Pixel 6 or newer device with Android 14 or higher, or a non-Pixel device with Android 9 or higher, and must update their Phone app. Users can activate call recording in the Phone app's settings and have options for automatic recording and deletion of recordings after a specified period. The call recorder will announce the recording to all parties involved in the call.