This week in apps: McDonald's, Duolingo's flashcards, and Meet by Google
With the clearest images of Samsung's Galaxy S8 yet, WhatsApp reportedly testing new features for businesses, and Korean messaging giant Line introducing its own assistant, you may have missed some of this week's best new apps.
Luckily, we're keeping score for you for you. Each week, we round up the latest app news, along with a few of our favorite new and updated apps, to keep you in the loop with everything coming to your phone.
Here's what we were following this week. And if you're looking for more, be sure to check out last week's look at top apps.
Facebook's reactions mean more than you think
Ever wondered how Facebook's News Feed algorithms respond when you "love" something instead of just "liking" it? Well, it turns out Facebook does treat its reactions differently than a mere like. The social network confirmed this week that it weighs reactions more strongly than likes in determining what type of content to show you. (All reactions are treated the same though, at least for now, so no need to worry about which one you're using.)
McDonald's is getting an app for mobile orders
McDonald's says it's working on a new app to enable mobile ordering and payments at 20,000 stores by the end of the year. The app will enable mobile ordering and payments, as well as be tied to in-store kiosks to make for "a more stress-free, personalized experience."
Duolingo's flashcards head to the web
Tinycards, the flashcard app from language learning service Duolingo, launched on the web. Like the iOS version of the app, the latest version of Tinycards allows you to create sets of flashcards based on subjects you want to learn. The app then helps you lean to memorize the decks with repetition-based games.
Meet by Google
It looks like Google pulled the trigger on its latest app a little early. The company released Meet, a video chat app that that looks to be a more business-friendly version of Hangouts. An iOS app bearing the name appeared in the App Store (it was removed soon after), as did a website. No further details from Google yet.
Elsewhere:
SoundCloud has a new offering. The music app introduced a new mid-range tier. For $4.99 a month, SoundCloud Go offers the same streaming content as its free version but allows you to listen ad-free and offline.
FitMenCook finally launched an Android version of its app. The cooking app helps you find and plan healthy meals with shopping list guidance, video instructions and tip for planning out your meals for the whole week.
Dropbox rebranded its paid tier. What was once Dropbox Pro is now called Dropbox Plus.
Neverthink is a new video app that aims to be like TV, but for Internet videos. The app offers topic-based channels you can browse in a simple interface.
And finally, Twitter has more abuse updates. Yes, again.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
