Best Android Apps of the Week: WhatsApp, Metromile, Nova Launcher 3.1, Pushbullet, and More

Because it’s Monday today, we are here to bring you another edition of our Best Android Apps of the Week column. As usual, we’ve spent the past week looking for noteworthy apps for you to enjoy.

Our loyal readers may know that, in the Best Android Apps of the Week post, we are featuring both new apps that just made it into Play Store and older apps that received important updates. In our weekly column you will be able to find payed and free apps, while some might have in-app purchases. Anyway, we will be giving you a heads up on any of these occasions.

WhatsApp – Free

WhatsApp is no doubt the most popular messaging platform in the world. Well, the Android version of the app has received a new update that brings it to version 2.11.362.

The new update will definitely be warmly welcomed by the early adopters of the Android Wear-powered smartwatches. The WhatsApp messaging support for Android Wear has been tested for a while in the beta version of the app, but you will now be able to enjoy it on the general Play Store release, too. You will also get bug fixes and “improved message storage reliability.”

WhatsApp is compatible with any device running Android 2.1 or later. You will be able to download it for free from Google Play Store, but the chat platform will cost you $1 per year.

Yahoo Mail 4.6 – Free

Yahoo Mail is one of the biggest mail clients in the world and, as all of you may know, it has an official Android app. Well, the said app got updated to version 4.6.0 which brings a couple of useful features.

After you update Yahoo Mail to version 4.6.0 you will be able to enjoy Enahnced Links (links are changed into cards when you share a link in mail), simplified settngs, and certified Yahoo badge. Anyway, the most useful new feature is the way the filters are handled. You will be able to update or delete email filters to better organize your inbox.

The new Yahoo Mail update is now being rolled out to users. You can also check it for free in Google Play Store here.

OneDrive 2.7.0 – Free

Microsoft’s companion app for their OneDrive cloud storage service got updated over the past week. Even though the app received updates on iOS, Windows Phone, and Android, the latter version was the most improved one.

The new OneDrive update will allow you to import personal and work accounts and the ability to add 4-digit PIN for opening the app. You will also be able to open files from OneDrive in other apps, while the photos are now backed up more quickly.

OneDrive is compatible with any Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich and higher. You can download it from Play Store at this link.

## Metromile – Free

If you own a car you probably know how expensive insurance and maintenance can be. Well, Metromile aims to help you reduce those costs.

First of all, you will need to install the Metromile app from Google Play Store (link here), sign up for an account, then get your free “Metronome” device by signing up for the Beta testing program onmetromile.com. The service is currently live in California, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois.

After that you will be able to use the Metromile app to analyze your MPG, view stats for every trip, diagnose car troubles, locate where you’ve parked your car, and more. The developers have promised that even more new features will be arriving in the near future.

Nova Launcher 3.1 – Free

We told you last week, that the Nova Launcher Beta app has been updated to version 3.1. Well, the new features that were introduced in the beta version are now available for everyone else.

The new Nova Launcher 3.1 update arrives with new transition animations like slide up, circle, zoom, and fade. It also brings app drawer search, so if you have a lot of apps installed on your device finding them will now be easier.

The new 3.1 update is now being rolled out for users, but you can also check for it in Play Store. Here’s the download link.

FotMob – Free

I am a football (read soccer if you happen to live in the States) fan myself and FotMob is my go-to-option when it comes to checking live scores. The app just got updated to version 22.3.

Since I recently purchased an Android Wear smartwatch I have to admit I celebrated when I’ve read the changelog of FotMob 22.3. The football app has received support for Android Wear and it looks great and it’s easy to use. You swipe up or down to see various matches, or swipe to the right to see a match’s details. It’s that simple.

If you are a football fan, too, then FotMob is a must-have app. You can download it for free from Google Play Store at this link.

Pushbullet 14.8 – Free

Since I spend a lot of time switching between my computer and my smartphone, Pushbullet is one of my most used apps. Mirroring phone notifications on my desktop is cool, but the 14.8 update brought an even cooler feature.

Back in June, the Pushbullet developers were proudly announcing that their app is capable of replying to EvolveSMS messages. Well, Pushbullet 14.8 brings desktop SMS replying to any app. If you enable the feature, you will be able to see the new “reply” button no matter what messaging app you’re using.

Pushbullet is definitely an app worthy trying, so if you don’t have it on your device head over to Play Store and install it. It’s free.

AllCast – Free / $4.99

AllCast, the popular casting app has received an important update last week. What’s new? Well, take a look below.

The new AllCast version fixes the Chromecast detection issues, it brings better proxy server for primitive receivers (Roku, DLNA), and it removes the 10 minute viewing limit on Chromecast (you’ll get a watermark instead, though). It also brings better looking ad units, it adds Crashalytics, a new HTTP Engine and more.

AllCast is free and it can be downloaded from Google Play Store atthis link. Anyway, if you want full functionality, you will have to purchase AllCast Premium for $4.99.

Cash – Free

Cash is an app that allows you to send money to others for free. Well, the app got updated to version 2.0 and it’s pretty major.

After you update to v2.0 you will be able to send cash to any mobile phone number via text, enjoy the new sending interface, or import your address book into the Cash app for faster contact selection. You can also add notes to your payments, choose push notifications, text messages, or email notifications, and more. You will even get $1 if you invite friends via text message to join Cash.

Cash is a free app and it’s available in Google Play Store. It can be downloaded at this link.

Google News and Weather 2.0 – Free

Since Google Now was introduced I have forgotten about the Google News and Weather app. A few days ago I received a notification to updated it to version 2.0, and, boom!, the new interface made me fall in love again. Well, not really, but it’s a big and important update.

Besides the obvious UI changes, Google News and Weather 2.0 also allows you to sign-in with your Google account for Google News personalization, it has been optimized for tablets, and it allows you to expand stories for snippets and related articles. It also brings swipe navigation, weather and local news for multiple places, and a new homescreen widget.

The update is now being rolled out for Android devices running 4.0 and up. You can check it out in Google Play Store at this link.