Best Android Apps of the Week: Noyze, Viber 5.0, Hangouts 2.3, and More

A new week has just begun and Best Android Apps of the Week column is here to bring you the most noteworthy applications that debuted in Google Play Store over the past seven days. Our Best Android Apps of the Week column debuted early this year and it had tens of thousands of views over time.

Our loyal readers may know that in the Best Android Apps of the Week post we are featuring both new and older apps that received major updates. Some of the apps that you will find in our article are free, others may have in-app purchases, while some could be payed apps. Don’t worry we will be mentioning whether you will need to pay anything for the apps found in this article.

Noyze – Free

Android has became so popular courtesy of the almost-endless customization options that it’s offering. Even though many of the customizations are only for rooted users there are certain apps that don’t require root access in order to allow you to modify certain Android functions.

Noyze is one of those apps and it aims to bring some life into the stock Android Volume Panel. After you install Noyze you will have to active it in Accessibility settings, then you will be able to apply custom skins to the Volume panel and even improve its functionality.

Noyze is a free app and it can be downloaded from Google Play Store at this link. Anyway, in order to be able to enjoy full functionality you will need to buy the pro version which is $1.58.

Alarm.com – Free

As you may know, Alarm.com is a home security company that sells home safety packages. Alarm.com had a dedicated Android app, but let’s be honest, it looked horrible. We are glad to announce you that the Alarm.com Android app received a major update last week.

The new Alarm.com update brings Holo interface and support for tablets. The official changelog also mentions that the app is now faster and more responsive and that you will now be able to decide which notifications appear in the notification bar.

Alarm.com is free. You can download it from Google Play store here.

## Ultralingua Dictionaries – Free

There are lots of dictionary apps available for download in Google Play Store, but only a handful are worth a download. Ultralingua is one of the best you will be able to find boasting about tens of complete dictionaries.

The standard Ultralingua download arrives with a full English dictionary. The nice part is that the said dictionary is more detailed than other alternatives, also including definitions, conjugations, slang, and more.

Ultralingua Dictionaries is available for free. You can download it from Play Store here, but if you want extra dictionaries you will have to buy them via in-app purchases.

Viber 5.0 – Free

Viber is one of the most popular mobile call and text app available in Google Play Store, with hundreds of millions of people using it. Moths after being purchased by Japanese company Rakuten, Viber received a major update.

Viber 5.0 introduces video calling. Aside the new functionality, the latest Viber update also brings UI changes for both tablets and smartphones. The new UI brings more Holo, the dialer has received a new color scheme, and the contacts section now clearly shows which of your contacts are actually using Viber. You will even be able to add contacts by scanning QR codes.

The Viber 5.0 update is now being rolled out to users. The app is free and you can check it out in Google Play Store at this link.

Android Geeks 1.2 – Free

If you are looking for a great source of Android news and tutorials you would probably want to check out the Android Geeks 2.0 app. Oh, wait, that’s us! We are proud to inform you that our Android app has received an update to version 1.2.

We believe that Android Geeks 1.2 is pretty neat, so feel free to use it to check out our articles. The 1.2 update brings a revised interface to enhance your reading experience, night mode, and the ability to swipe left or right to go through articles.

The Android Geeks app is free and it will stay so. You can download it form Google Play Store here.

Chrome Beta 38 – Free

As you may know, Google’s Chrome browser has two versions available for download in Play Store. The regular one and the beta version, the latter one allowing users to get a taste of the latest features before they hit the regular build.

Chrome Beta has been update to version 38 and it brings more Android L with it. Besides bringing even more Material Design UI tweaks the new update brings support for Android’s new battery status and screen orientation APIs. If you’re rocking Android L Developer Preview on your Nexus 5 or Nexus 7 2013 you should also be able to notice the new “Merge tabs and apps” option in Settings that reportedly brings Project Hera functionality. Anyway, we’ve tested it and this particular feature doesn’t seem to work.

Chrome Beta 38 also brings some bug fixes and performance improvements. You can download it for free from Google Play Storehere.

Hangouts 2.3 – Free

It was rumored for a while that Google’s Hangouts will receive Google Voice integration. Well, the feature is finally here and it was integrated in the 2.3 update.

Besides bringing support for Google Voice, the Hangouts 2.3 update also arrives with major UI tweaks. Google is definitely preparing Hangouts for the Android L release, that’s why the interface got much more greener. You will find two tabs one for contacts and one for chats. If you install the new Hangouts Dialer (listed below), you will get a third tab that allows you to dial numbers in order to use Google Voice.

Hangouts 2.3 is now being rolled out to users. You can also check the full changelog in Play Store at this link.

Hangouts Dialer – Free

We’ve told you above that Hangouts has received Google Voice integration starting with version 2.3. Well, in order to be able to enjoy Google Voice you will have to download and install the Hangouts Dialer.

Even though the Hangouts Dialer is a separate install, you will be able to access it directly from the Hangouts 2.3 app. Now you will be able to make phone calls to any phone number in the world. The good news is that most US and Canada calls are free.

The Hangouts Dialer app is completely free. You can download and install it on your device from this link.