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AppWizard
October 15, 2026

After Valve was criticized, devs back Steam’s refund policy by creating a 2-hour game literally called Refund This Game: “We celebrate players’ right to refund”

Mateo Covic, a developer known for Paddle Paddle Paddle, expressed frustrations about Steam's two-hour refund window, sparking scrutiny of Valve's policy. In response, developers launched a game titled Refund This Game, a first-person platformer that challenges players to navigate Steam's refund policy. The game encourages players to complete it in under two hours to earn a refund. It is priced at a promotional rate and takes inspiration from the classic rage-inducing platformer Getting Over It. Co-developer dofhouse noted that the discussion around Steam's refund policy inspired the game. Additionally, Steam recently surpassed 43 million concurrent users, an all-time high, attributed to the popularity of titles like Wardogs and Deadlock.
Google Play now lets anyone build and run private AI-generated apps on Android
AppWizard
October 15, 2026

Google Play now lets anyone build and run private AI-generated apps on Android

Google has introduced a feature that allows Android users in the United States to create AI-generated applications through Google AI Studio. Users can run these custom apps privately on their devices via Google Play without public distribution. The feature enables the creation of tailored applications for personal needs, such as habit trackers or finance management tools, and ensures that these apps remain hidden from Play Store search results. Google plans to allow users to share their apps with friends and potentially publish them publicly after safety reviews. Additionally, Google is launching new tools in the Play Store, including a personalized game recommendation tool, Community Posts, and updates to the Ask Play AI assistant.
16 advanced Android messaging features you’ve probably never noticed
AppWizard
October 12, 2026

16 advanced Android messaging features you’ve probably never noticed

Android users can now locate and optionally restore deleted messages in the Google Messages app. Users can personalize notification icons with their faces and create unique sounds for each conversation using the Priority conversation setting. The app includes a snooze option to temporarily silence notifications and allows users to customize conversation themes. Google Messages profiles are now more accessible for personalization. Videos can be expanded in-line within messages, and web links gain context with the right settings. The Gemini image editing tool enhances image sharing when functioning properly.
WhatsApp Spotted Testing New Contacts Tab on Android
AppWizard
October 9, 2026

WhatsApp Spotted Testing New Contacts Tab on Android

WhatsApp is testing a dedicated Contacts tab in its Android application, currently available in the beta version. This tab is integrated into the navigation bar and allows users direct access to their contact list, featuring a green dot indicator for online users. The new section includes birthday reminders with notifications and emojis, a search bar for locating contacts by name, phone number, or username, and sorting options for organizing the contact list by activity or alphabetically. Users who have disabled their "last seen/online" status will not appear as active.
The Google app could soon get a cleaner, more organized settings page, and here's your first look
AppWizard
October 6, 2026

The Google app could soon get a cleaner, more organized settings page, and here’s your first look

Google is redesigning the settings page for its Google app to improve usability and accessibility. The new layout will transition from a list format to a card-based design, categorizing settings under labels like Your App Experience and Privacy & Safety. Key features such as Search personalization and SafeSearch will be more prominently displayed on the main settings screen. The redesign will follow Google's Material 3 Expressive design language, but it differs from a similar initiative for the Gemini app. The release timeline for the new settings page is currently uncertain.
Riot's absurd expectations of player counts 'in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions' doomed 2XKO from the start
AppWizard
October 2, 2026

Riot’s absurd expectations of player counts ‘in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions’ doomed 2XKO from the start

Marc Merrill discussed the development challenges of the game 2XKO, which faced difficulties in attracting a sufficient user base to support its live service model after eight years of work. The game required a monthly active user count in the high hundreds of thousands to justify its ongoing operation. The decision to shift 2XKO to a "box game" model resulted in layoffs and reflected broader industry challenges. The podcast highlighted that even with 400,000 daily players, sustaining a monthly unique player count near one million would be difficult. Merrill indicated that 2XKO would likely struggle to exceed 500,000 monthly active users, raising questions about Riot Games' market assessment and the developers' effectiveness.
'Samsung Sound' is no more: app prepares for shutdown and future integration
AppWizard
October 2, 2026

‘Samsung Sound’ is no more: app prepares for shutdown and future integration

Samsung will close the Sound app on March 31, 2027, and is encouraging users to transition to SmartThings, where the app's functionalities will be integrated. This follows the closure of several other apps in 2026, including Messages, Quick Measure, and AR Doodle. Samsung aims to streamline its offerings and enhance user experience through this consolidation.
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