Apps of the week: Apex Legends now also for smartphones | NOW

An artificial intelligence draws your new profile picture and the popular game Apex Legends comes to smartphones. These are the apps of the week.

Apex Legends Mobile

The popular game Apex Legends is now available for smartphones. Apex Legends Mobile contains virtually everything the original game for PC and consoles also has, except for controller support. You will only be able to use it after a future update. The makers specify that this game is distinct from its big brother on PC and consoles. This means that the story and future updates belong to them.

Apex Legends Mobile is a battle game royale, just like Fortnite. So you fight against a large number of other players on an increasingly smaller playing field, and the last team to survive is the winner. An important part of the game are the various heroes, playing characters who all have their own special power. Unique to this smartphone version is the hero Fade, who moves faster and can rewind time.

The lack of controller support is a big let down, as touch control on small phone screens quickly leads to jitters. Besides, Apex Legends Mobile a successful mobile version of a leading game.

Download Apex Legends Mobile for android or iOS (free).

New profile picture

You have probably already come across them on social networks: profile photos in the form of drawn faces. The images look like they were created by professional artists, but that’s not the case. They just come from an app.

This app is called New profile picture† You upload a photo that clearly shows your face and choose a style. A drawing is then made using artificial intelligence.

The company behind New profile picture has offices in Russia, but declares not to transmit your data. Additionally, the app uses servers from Amazon and Microsoft in the United States. New profile picture is free to use with a ton of ads. These can be removed by subscribing to the pro version. This will cost you 28.49 euros per year.

Download NewProfilePic for android or iOS (free).

NewProfilePic_example

Apple podcast

Apple Podcasts is the premier place for anyone interested in podcasting with an iPhone. But it is often not the last, because in terms of functionality the application is still quite behind its peers. Apple would like that to change, so a year ago it introduced a new design and since then more and more options have slowly been added.

The latest update can be found in your iPhone and iPad software update, iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5. A big improvement is that Apple podcast now better manages the storage space on your device.

You can limit the number of recorded episodes, which will automatically delete old episodes. You can also manually limit the number of episodes to auto-download, or choose to only download episodes that appeared in the last 7, 14, or 30 days.

Moreover, podcast makers are made more interesting to use the app. They will have the option of offering paid episodes as well. It is also possible to sell an annual subscription.

Download Apple Podcasts for iOS (free)

Apple podcast