Android
Interactive ads from Adwords allow trial runs for games, interstitials for apps

In a scenario rather close to what South Park demonstrated in episode 9 of season 19, Google has just introduced a new type of interactive ads. These game ads that developers will be able to make use of will allow users to try an Android app or game before installing it, albeit only for 60 seconds. The idea supports the ongoing effort on the part of Google and developers to bring more engagement to the apps and games they publish in the Play Store.
In a blog post Google described the new Adwords tool as being the next step in user engagement and marketing, and the ad of the future, of course. In South Park’s Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan as well as adults get lost in the world of ads and distracted from the content they are searching for, but Google says the new interactive ads will help make people good decisions about what they’re installing and developers to better understand the userbase they are creating for.
Interactive ads are essentially inception in the world of ads, seeing as you will be able to see a free to play game with all the ads that it serves in-game, within an ad that you view before you install the game. Or that would be the funny way things could go. More likely, developers will pick the parts of the game that are most interesting to play or the functions of the app most people will find useful and showcase them in their best formats to get people to install the app or game upon trying it for 60 seconds.
These in-app interactive ads are called the Trial Run Ads and according to the blog post, they represent immersive ads at their finest, all the while promising more relevant ad clicks, app downloads and pre-qualified app users. It’s a nice idea in my opinion, because this way we can see if a game or app is actually what we’re looking for or not. I just think developers might take advantage of the ad format and be a little false with what the entire game or app experience is about. Do you think you can tell if an app or game is good for you based on 60 seconds of trying it out within an advertisement?
Another new tool developers are getting to help monetize their interactive ads better is mobile customizability. These new ad formats are called interstitial ads, HTML5 ads that can be customized by developers according to what advertisers want. Featuring dynamic data pull and customizable functionalities that are supposed to be engaging to users. An example Google shows in the blog post demonstrating interactive ads and interstitial ads showcases how a full screen ad requires the user to swipe in order to reveal the part of the ad that is hidden.
These new advertising tools are targeted at developers and Android users will see a few months pass before seeing them being implemented on a large scale. A few partners of Google are already using interactive ads, but developers are just now getting limited access to the new ad formats. Although mainly targeted at games, app developers can also make use of interactive ads to let users try out photo editing apps for example. That would be my wishlist.
Interstitial ads are more suited for apps than games, as Google explains that the new ad formats are supposed to allow users to experience how the app is supposed to help them on a daily basis. All these things are good and interesting, but the consumer browsing the internet should still be aware that these interactive ads are still just advertisement. Both trial run interactive ads and interstitials are in beta, and those interested in getting a hold of them should contact their account managers, according to Google. What are your feelings about these new ads? Do you think they have potential to be very misleading or do you think they’ll improve the ecosystem on the internet and help users be more comfortable with freemium business models?
Android
Google appeared as a car manufacturer

Google has recently used CES as a platform to present its philosophy of “Better Together,” the notion that all devices should get along with one another. Typically, this entails making announcements regarding new Cast compatibility and features like Fast Pair. The business revealed that it is collaborating with Spotify to incorporate the Connect streaming capability into the Android UI at CES 2023. Additionally, it showed a sneak peek at an audio handoff tool that would recommend various devices to shift your music to based on your preferences and location.
However, CES is a significant vehicle event, and Google also sells items for cars. Additionally, it said today that the Polestar 3 would receive its higher-resolution maps, and it debuted the most recent Android Auto user interface for the first time since it was revealed at I/O 2022.
Two vehicles, a Volvo EX90 with Google preinstalled and a BMW i7 with the new Android Auto experience, were at the Google stand in the trailer lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center. We had never seen the Volvo before, and we’ll be posting a separate hands-on on that experience shortly. The new Android Auto is the main topic of this article and video.
The redesigned interface will support larger screen sizes and have a split screen layout, as we discovered at I/O. Google has eliminated the status bar and inserted a row of shortcut keys below it, along with some indication icons in a small area to the top left. When we were in the car, the Spotify app was located on the left panel, and we could access a list of suggested playlists by swiping in from the right side.
Alerts that you won’t have time to respond to while driving are likewise stored in this left pane. For instance, you can swipe right on a notification to move it to the dock, where it will wait until you’re ready to deal with it.
Check out the video up top for more of our experience with the updated Android Auto in the BMW i7! And be sure to pay attention this week as there will be a ton of news at CES 2023.
Android
WhatsApp’s new Communities feature aims to bring related group chats together

Additionally, stand-alone groups will now have access to 32-person video chats.
One of the new features that WhatsApp is introducing is one that aims to group together related group chats. The Communities feature, which was introduced earlier this year by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aims to let users consolidate group chats “under one umbrella with a structure that works for them.” For Facebook and Instagram, comparable technologies are under development.
In the upcoming months, communities will be accessible to all WhatsApp users. To discuss topics that are important to you, you can create smaller group chats inside a community and easily switch between them. WhatsApp will provide administrators with “strong new capabilities” to govern communities, including the capacity to select which groups to include and the option to broadcast announcements to all users.
WhatsApp suggests that communities may be created through local areas, workplaces, and parents with children attending the same school. To begin, select the Communities tab from the menu at the top of the Android app or the bottom of the iOS screen. You will have the option of building a community from scratch or expanding an existing one.
The Communities feature has some similarities to Facebook Groups (as well as Nextdoor and Discord), but it is protected by end-to-end encryption. Making group chats more like Facebook Groups, where false information has thrived in recent years, may have some drawbacks, even though Zuckerberg has been eying a community-driven model to lessen the reliance on feeds across Meta’s applications. Due to the platform’s focus on encryption, WhatsApp generally has fewer moderation capabilities, which may make it harder to keep a lid on fabrications.
In other places, WhatsApp is giving groups—including those that aren’t connected to a community—new functionality. Group polls are also being added, along with support for the 32-person encrypted video conversations that Meta has been beta-testing over the past few weeks. Furthermore, groups now support a maximum of 1,024 people.
Android
15 top Android music player applications

Numerous apps are available for music, which has the power to uplift individuals. The top Android music player apps are listed here!
Nowadays, private music collections are uncommon due to music streaming. A personal music collection is still beneficial to many people, though. Higher-quality music is available; it is offline-compatible and doesn’t require a subscription. Thankfully, there are several options available for grooving out to your favorite music. Here are our top choices for Android music player apps.
The best music player apps for Android
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