Instagram has finally added a themed icon on Android! This is available in version 307.0.0.0.30.

Now the only app that's missing support for this in my "Social" folder is Facebook.

H/T Omar Tosca on Threads

Facebook also now has a themed icon on Android, starting with version 439.0.0.0.30 (alpha)!

Thanks to White_Eagle_ on Telegram for the tip!

Google has announced that Play Games on PC now has over 3,000 games, which now includes the massively popular Clash of Clans and Clash Royale.

Also new is:

* An "All Games" section with a search bar

* Support for game controllers including Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PS5 DualSense, and PS4 DualShock. Requires game support.

* 4K screen resolution support, along with the ability to select from a list of supported screen resolutions in-game by pressing Shift + Tab.

The Google Play Games on PC developer emulator is now available for anyone to download. This developer-focused build lets you deploy games via ADB sideloading, adjust some graphics and hardware settings, and more. There are two tracks to pick from: Stable and Beta.

The developer emulator build was announced back in March during the Google for Games Developer Summit but was only open to approved developers who filled out a form.

Here are some new Google Play policies app developers should be aware of:

* Starting January 31, 2024, apps that allow users to create content (text, images, voice, or video) using generative AI must prohibit the generation of Restricted Content. These apps must contain in-app reporting or flagging features that let the user report or flag offensive content.

* Starting mid-2024, Google will begin cracking down on apps that unnecessarily request the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and/or READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions (on Android 13+) to access the user's images and/or videos. Apps that only need to access the user's images and/or videos once or infrequently will be "requested" to remove these permissions and use the system photo picker instead. Starting in early 2025, though, only apps with core functionality relying on accessing the user's image and/or videos can use the READ_MEDIA_IMAGES and READ_MEDIA_VIDEO permissions.

* Starting May 31, 2024, the Device and Network Abuse policy will prohibit apps from using the full-screen intent permission (USE_FULL_SCREEN_INTENT) to force user interaction with disruptive ads or notifications. Android 14 changes the permission's protection level from normal to appop, and only apps that need to do things like set off an alarm or show an incoming phone/video call will be automatically granted the permission by Google Play. Other apps will have to request the user to grant the permission.

Home Assistant, an open source home automation app, has been updated to show a Home Assistant dashboard instead of Android's limited set of device controls, when accessing the Device Controls interface on Android 14.

This is a bit confusing to explain, but bear with me.

Android 11 introduced a feature called Quick Access Device Controls (Device Controls for short) that provides an interface for smart home apps like Google Home to display controls for devices like smart lights, thermostats, cameras, and more. This Device Controls interface is accessed by tapping a shortcut in Quick Settings or on the lock screen.

These controls are displayed as templated widgets, ie. they all look the same no matter what app you use (Google Home, LG ThinQ, Mi Home, etc.) since Android handles the UI.

Android 14, though, added a new API (ControlsProviderService#META_DATA_PANEL_ACTIVITY) that lets apps embed a custom activity in the Device Controls interface. This means that instead of showing controls whose UI is determined by Android, apps can show basically whatever they want.

The Google Home app was the first to support this new API (which they call the "home panel"), and now Home Assistant supports it as well, as shown in the above video (recorded by tipster Hamzah Malik).

Here's Home Assistant's documentation on the app's support for Android's Device Controls feature. And also attached are some screenshots from a developer showing the settings interface for enabling this on Android 14.