Mei-Lin Chua
Contributing editor, apps and storefronts
Writes about distribution: which version reaches which country, what a store listing leaves out, and why an app that works fine in one place is missing in another. Reviews across the rest of the catalogue too.
Articles by Mei-Lin Chua
NewsThe Ants: Underground Kingdom
The Ants: Underground Kingdom adds Emerald Damselfly, ends fragment cost for buddy upgrades
StarUnion's latest update for its ant colony strategy game adds a new Insect Buddy and swaps the fragments in its paid One Time Offer packs. Levelling a buddy no longer uses up Insect Buddy Fragments.
Newst2. Новый уровень
t2 app lets subscribers choose what goes into their itemised bill
Subscribers can now ask for a report covering only spending and top-ups, only mobile internet, or everything, and t2 says the finished report can be opened inside the app.
ReviewTikTok - Videos, Shop & LIVE
TikTok review: a free ticket to a huge video feed, with a shop waiting at the end of it
TikTok costs nothing to install and gives away its feed, its editing tools and its sound library. The catch is that its feed learns from what you watch, and it has a shop and LIVE streams built in right alongside it.
NewsMyUMobile
MyUMobile lets U Mobile customers add share lines as eSIMs
U Mobile's account app now offers eSIM for family and share lines. It comes a month after the operator rebuilt the app from scratch, and the extra lines still cost RM38 each on the main postpaid plans.
NewsSam's Club: Shopping & Savings
Sam's Club app now unlocks Walmart+ for Plus members at no extra cost
From 20 October, Sam's Club Plus members can link a Walmart+ account inside the app and get both memberships for $120 a year, though only the primary member can activate it and there is no monthly plan.
ReviewTikTok
TikTok review: free to watch, but the endless feed runs on what you do
TikTok is a free short-video app built around a feed that learns from what you watch, like and share. It costs no money up front. What it costs you is attention and a steady record of your viewing habits.
NewsJigsort®: Solitaire
Jigsort: Solitaire's latest update targets performance and smoothness
EasyFun Puzzle Game Studio's card-sorting picture puzzle is free to play with ads. The developer describes the new release as a performance and general experience update, with no new modes named.
ReviewBlock Blast!
Block Blast! review: a simple block puzzle that does one thing and works offline
Block Blast! is a grid puzzle about clearing rows and columns that you can play without a connection. It's a sound pick for short breaks, but there is only one idea here and the brain-training pitch is marketing, not evidence.
ReviewFlipkart Online Shopping App
Flipkart review: India's everything store, with a loan desk by the till
Flipkart puts a huge catalogue, 10-minute delivery, rewards and Gen-Z fashion in one free app. It's worth having if you shop in India, but treat the built-in personal loans with real caution.
ReviewPUBG MOBILE
PUBG MOBILE review: a free battle royale that wants your time and your squad
PUBG MOBILE charges nothing to install and throws 100 players into one shrinking fight. It suits squads who play online, but there's nothing here for solo offline players and it asks you to accept a publisher account agreement.
NewsIdle Office Tycoon- Money game
Idle Office Tycoon adds a card collection that sends players around the city with Jane
Warrior Game's idle property sim adds a card set built around exploring the city with Jane, a character in the game, with events along the way. The latest update also brings bug fixes, according to the developer.
ReviewRoblox
Roblox review: one free app, a vast online catalogue, and an age rating parents should read
Roblox is a free front door to a huge library of online multiplayer games made by studios and solo creators. It suits players after variety with friends, but its quality is uneven and its USK 16+ rating deserves a look.
NewsDark Mode
Dark Mode app targets night mode on some Android 11 and 12 phones
Julian Eggers' night mode switcher adds support for some Android 11 and 12 handsets, removes features that no longer work on recent Android versions and gains a Czech translation.
ReviewPhone by Google
Phone by Google review: a dialler that filters spam well, with its best tricks held back
Phone by Google is a free dialler built around spam warnings and caller ID. Call Screen, Hold for Me, voicemail and recording all live here too, but only some phones get them, so check what yours will actually receive.
NewsSubway Surfers City
Subway Surfers City opens a haunted Phantom Park district for Halloween
SYBO's runner adds a time-limited City Tour district and spooky Weekly Wonders trials that pay out Halloween Tokens, which buy themed outfits and avatars in a shop that closes on November 2.
Review8 Ball Pool
8 Ball Pool review: online pool that's free to play, with your coins on every rack
Miniclip's 8 Ball Pool is free online multiplayer pool. You stake coins on every match and can buy random items, and it needs a connection every time, so it suits competitive players more than casual ones.
NewsSeaBank
SeaBank expands cardless cash withdrawals to Alfamart, Alfamidi and Dan+Dan
Indonesia's SeaBank now lets customers take cash out at three more minimarket chains using a code from the app. An Alfamart promotion offering seven free withdrawals a month runs only until 30 September.
ReviewFacebook
Facebook review: groups and Marketplace still earn their place, the rest is optional
Facebook is free and everyone you know is probably on it. Groups and Marketplace are the reasons to install it. Reels, Meta AI and the generative tools pile on top, and you need an account before any of it works.
NewsLikee-Live, Chat & Party Games
Likee bets on live rooms, voice chat and party games such as Ludo and Uno
Likeme's app now describes itself as a place to watch live streams, talk in voice chat rooms and play Ludo, Domino and Uno inside those rooms, with host battles and paid gifts.
ReviewWhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp Messenger review: free, private by default, and tied to your phone number
WhatsApp gives you encrypted chats, group calls for up to 32 people and desktop access at no cost. The price is a phone number as your identity and an account with Meta, which will put some people off.
App pages by Mei-Lin Chua
코콤 스마트홈+: phone entry for apartment buildings
A smart home app for apartment residents that opens shared entrances and lobby doors over Bluetooth, with unit control, visitor management and linked smart home devices.
코콤 스마트홈+
CredFin: Instant Personal Loans of ₹5,000 to ₹2 Lakh
CredFin is a personal loan app for salaried people in India. Loans run from ₹5,000 to ₹2 lakh, over 62 to 365 days, paid straight into your bank.
CredFin:Instant Personal Loans
Shoot The Moon: high score rocket shooter for Android
Shoot The Moon is a free arcade game for quick sessions, where you fire rockets at a singing cartoon moon to chase leaderboard high scores.
Shoot The Moon
incharge.evc: EV charger map and payment in Greece
Map-based app for finding public electric car chargers in Greece, filtering by charger type, paying in-app and tracking charge progress.
incharge.evc
DIY Store: Phone Case Maker, a 2D case-decorating game
A 2D game about running a phone case shop, where you clean, paint, dry and decorate covers to fill customer orders. Aimed at casual players.
DIY Store: Phone Case Maker
Joshi ji: open-world car game with a town and a home
A 3D town you can cross on foot or by car, with a race circuit, badminton and basketball, and a house to return to. Suits players who like free roaming.
Joshi ji - Open World Car Game
Loan Lio EMI Calculator: monthly EMI and total interest
Loan Lio is a loan EMI calculator for personal, home, car and other instalment loans. Enter amount, rate and tenure to see the monthly figure and total interest.
Loan Lio - Loan EMI Calculator
بلاغ تجاري: file consumer complaints in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Ministry of Commerce app for filing consumer complaints about trade practices and tracking the status of each report, for consumers in Saudi Arabia.
بلاغ تجاري
Garena 傳說對決:十週年裂隙穿梭版本, a 5v5 MOBA on Android
A free 5v5 MOBA with over 100 heroes, three-lane tower pushing and ten-minute average matches, for phone players who want quick team fights.
Garena 傳說對決:十週年裂隙穿梭版本
Chinese Chess - easy to expert: endgame puzzle trainer
A xiangqi trainer built around more than 6000 endgame puzzles, 1700 endgame levels and a daily puzzle, for players who want to sharpen the final phase of a game.
Chinese Chess - easy to expert
Chirp Halo: pad placement guide for muscle stimulator
A companion guide for owners of the Chirp Halo Muscle Stimulator, covering how to use the device and where its pads should go.
Chirp Halo
Bambo: swipe dating, chat rooms and video calls
Bambo is a dating and chat app for local singles, with swiping, chat rooms, messages and video calls for dates, friends or casual chat, rated 19+.
Bambo - Dating, Chat & Meet!