wellness Archives

AppWizard

June 12, 2025

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Little Big Workshop, Don’t Starve Shipwrecked, more

Thursday features new deals for Android users, coinciding with a price reduction on the Google TV Streamer 4K. Highlights include Lenovo’s Snapdragon X Elite Copilot+ PC, Samsung’s budget-friendly Galaxy A16 smartphone, TCL’s 2025 QM6K 144Hz Google Smart TVs at all-time low prices, and discounts of up to 50% on Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. A curated selection of top Android games and applications is also available to enhance the mobile experience.

AppWizard

June 2, 2025

8 Free Open Source Android Apps: Hidden Gems for a Better Phone

Enoch Boateng highlights eight standout open source Android apps that prioritize privacy, transparency, and functionality: 1. Mindful: A journaling app for mental well-being that supports text, voice, or photo entries, includes gratitude journaling, guided meditations, mood tracking, and security features like pin locks. 2. YTDL: A media downloader for videos and audio from over 1,000 websites, featuring batch downloads, metadata embedding, and privacy options like incognito mode. 3. ML Manager: An APK management app that allows extraction, backup, and sharing of apps, with batch extraction and integration with APK Mirror. 4. Loop Habit Tracker: A habit-building app with a forgiving scoring system, progress graphs, offline functionality, and an ad-free experience. 5. Shop Sync: A task management app for shopping lists with cloud syncing, offline access, and CSV export capabilities. 6. Snapsafe: A privacy-focused camera app that removes metadata, blurs faces, and offers customizable location tagging. 7. Booming Music: An offline music player with gapless playback, lyrics syncing, equalizer presets, and Android Auto compatibility. 8. Image Craft: An image editing toolkit that compresses, resizes, and converts images, offers batch operations, and creates password-protected archives.

AppWizard

May 21, 2025

Google Play adds topic pages, audio previews, and new subscription tools for developers

Google is enhancing its Play Store with upgrades for Android app developers, including a robust toolset for managing subscription-based applications, allowing developers to pause live app releases. New "topic browse" pages will help users discover apps related to over 100,000 media and entertainment titles, and the "Where to Watch" feature will expand to the U.K., Korea, Indonesia, and Mexico. Developers can integrate new visual content options, such as a hero content carousel and audio samples, which have increased app installs for Health & Wellness developers. Curated spaces for user interests will expand, particularly in Japan. The Play Console will feature a new asset library for organizing visual assets and provide new metrics for app listing performance. Subscription management tools will allow multi-product checkout and enhanced reminders about subscription benefits, reducing voluntary churn by 3%. Developers can offer a grace period of up to 30 days or a 60-day account hold for declined payments. The Engage SDK will support additional categories and markets, while the Play Integrity API will improve security with enhanced abuse detection and device security update checks.

AppWizard

May 21, 2025

Major Google Play Store update grabs your attention with ‘browse pages’ and more

Google I/O 2025 announced new features for the Play Store aimed at enhancing user engagement. The "topic browse pages" will allow users to explore apps in a more interactive way, debuting in May in the U.S. with a focus on Media & Entertainment content. The "Where to Watch" feature will expand to users in Korea, Indonesia, the U.K., and Mexico, while developers will gain access to a hero content carousel for showcasing YouTube videos. "Audio samples" will be introduced on the Apps Home, starting with Health & Wellness content. Developers will receive new overview pages for Grow and Monetize statistics and can halt app rollouts if necessary. The Asset Library will be updated for easier management of app assets. Google is also streamlining the subscription process with "multi-product checkout for subscriptions," allowing users to bundle subscriptions with related add-ons. Enhanced controls for developers regarding subscription management and improved payment setup during device initialization are also part of the updates.

BetaBeacon

May 17, 2025

The 5 Best New Apps for Android and iPhone this Week

- EA SPORTS FC Tactical is a mobile game that offers a turn-based system for making strategic decisions during key moments of a football match. - The game combines realistic player models with stylized animations and a rock-paper-scissors-style attribute system to determine the outcome of encounters. - The game features a unique approach to traditional football elements and offers a cinematic experience with dynamic music and visual effects.

AppWizard

April 13, 2025

Google app removing Assistant settings on Android

The Google app version 16.12+ has removed the link to "Google Assistant" from the profile menu under Settings, affecting how users access Assistant settings. Users can still manage Assistant settings through the Google Home app or by navigating through System Settings on their mobile device. Some users have also noted that "Gemini" is not present in the Google app settings, which primarily focuses on Google Search functionalities.

AppWizard

April 11, 2025

I really wish these 7 apps worked on Android Auto

Google's Android Auto has the potential to enhance the driving experience through the integration of various apps, which are currently limited due to safety concerns. Anticipated additions include: - Google Tasks: Allows access to to-do lists and checklists directly from the car dashboard, facilitating pre-trip preparations and reminders. - Google Keep: Provides quick access to stored information like road trip plans and addresses, improving efficiency for passengers. - Airbnb: Enables reading host messages aloud and accessing check-in procedures and contact information while driving. - Google Drive: Offers quick access to important documents and reservation confirmations on the Android Auto screen. - Slack: Could allow users to manage workplace communication and respond to messages safely while on the road. - Fitbit: May provide insights into health metrics like heart rate during driving, potentially suggesting optimal driving times and rest breaks. - YouTube: Could allow access to audio content while driving, with video playback available when parked. These apps could significantly enrich the Android Auto experience, making it safer, more enjoyable, and efficient.

AppWizard

March 7, 2025

Samsung confirms two Health app updates for Galaxy as we spring forward

Samsung will introduce two new features for its Health app on Galaxy phones later this month to help users manage the transition to Daylight Savings Time. The first feature, the Sleep Environment Report, will analyze factors like room temperature and humidity to improve sleep quality. The second feature, an Activity Consistency metric, will enhance the Health app's Energy Score, allowing users to track their daily activity levels and health trends over the past four weeks. These updates are designed for devices running One UI 7, starting with the Galaxy S25 series, with a broader rollout expected in April.

AppWizard

February 24, 2025

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Crystal Journey, Earthlings Beware!, Water Tracker, more

A selection of price drops on Android games and apps is available on Google Play. Promotions for the Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra include a complimentary double storage upgrade, discounts of up to 84% on Galaxy Buds, and potential savings of up to 0 with eligible trade-ins. Customers can also receive a free Galaxy Fit3 wearable. Significant markdowns are noted on SanDisk’s 1.5TB 150MB/s Ultra microSD cards, with an Amazon sale on SanDisk products starting at .99. Highlighted apps include Crystal Journey, Earthlings Beware!, and Water Tracker: Hydro Coach PRO.

Tech Optimizer

February 22, 2025

How Mindbody improved query latency and optimized costs using Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Optimized Reads

Mindbody utilizes a cloud-based platform for the fitness and wellness industry, offering services such as client booking, scheduling, payments, marketing, and analytics. Their email marketing platform is built on an Aurora PostgreSQL cluster, currently at version 13.8, with a size of approximately 17 TB and a workload distribution of 80% reads and 20% writes. Mindbody faced scaling and performance challenges due to architectural limitations and increasing data demands, leading to all workloads being directed to the writer node. The average BufferCacheHitRatio was below 80%, indicating frequent disk access rather than cache hits, contributing to higher query latencies and I/O costs. To address these issues, Mindbody adopted Aurora Optimized Reads, which enhances caching capacity and improves latency and throughput for I/O-intensive workloads. Transitioning required upgrading the database cluster to version 14.9 or higher, and extensive testing was conducted in a proof-of-concept environment. The upgrade process involved a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize production disruption. After implementing Aurora Optimized Reads, Mindbody experienced significant performance improvements, including a 50% reduction in average daily CPU utilization and a 90% reduction in ReadIOPS. The AuroraOptimizedReadsCacheHitRatio indicated that 85% of read requests were served from the optimized cache. Cost analysis revealed a 23% reduction in monthly Aurora costs post-transition, with potential for further savings by downsizing instances.