Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority One of the best parts about Android is the ability to customize the platform with various software skins. Android OEMs often overlay their own software skins on top of Android to differentiate the way their phones look compared to competing devices. However, changing the way your Android phone appears isn’t the only plus point of Android skins. They often come with exciting features that you won’t otherwise get on stock Android.

The ZTE SPro 2 is a portable and powerful projector that runs Android, and even though the price point may seem quite steep, this device does what it is designed to do extremely well. One of the biggest advantages of the open nature of Android is that it allows for its use and application in a variety of product, and has led to a unique line of devices from ZTE.

Update: This is a depreciated list and will no longer be updated. Please refer to our current best list of best SMS apps and best texting apps here: [aa_button text="The best texting apps and SMS apps for Android (new!)" url="https://www.androidauthority.com/best-texting-apps-for-android-653970/" icon="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/themes/aa/images/button_icon/android.svg" align="center" nofollow="1" color="#19db97" ]  SMS has been the gold standard for text messaging for a long time. Most cell phone plans just give them away in unlimited capacities these days and it’s dead easy to use.

Update (2/8): Last month we told you that Supercell launched Clash Royale to the iOS App Store, with an Android launch likely coming down the pipeline sometime very soon. Thankfully we won't have to wait much longer, as the developers have just announced that Clash Royale will make its way to Android and iOS devices around the world in March! We still aren't sure of an exact release date, though we do know it's coming soon.

Google search is getting a new update today that is designed to make it easier to take a picture or record a video without having to “fumble with your phone to open the camera app”. The new voice commands are implemented at the back-end, meaning you won’t need a new version of Google Search for this to work. Keep in mind that the commands aren’t enabled for everyone just yet, so there’s a possibility they have yet to reach your device.

TL;DR Asus and Tencent Games have confirmed a July launch window for the ROG Phone 3. There’s no word on an exact launch date though. The two companies launched a Tencent-branded ROG Phone 2 in China last year. The Asus ROG Phone series has established itself as the top gaming phone around, owing to flagship internals, a high refresh rate, big batteries, and extra inputs. We’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Asus ROG Phone 3, and it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer.

Love it or hate it, the launcher on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus features unread notification badges on app icons. In case you’re unfamiliar, we’re referring to the little numbered bubbles next to app icons that designate how many unread notifications that app currently has. If you’re not a fan of these badges (which many people aren’t), luckily there are a couple different ways to remove them from your app icons.

The problem with making laptops is keeping them fresh and competitive each year is more than a little difficult. The 2-in-1 design changed the landscape, but manufacturers still need to come up with new ways to entice customers into purchasing their latest products. Google also helped change the landscape with the introduction of Chrome OS, promising fast performance for affordable prices with the platform’s lightweight design. The education sector ate them up, and now they’ve become popular alternatives to Windows- and macOS-based PCs.

Magisk Manager, an app that made it possible to run Android Pay and Pokemon Go on rooted phones, has been removed from the Google Play Store for violating its malicious behavior policy. The app, which could hide software modifications from apps that require unaltered operating systems, was pulled on Google‘s authority, and its lead developer, topjohnwu, was emailed with an explanation of the decision. The dev suspects that the app conflicts with two Google policies specifically: “Apps that introduce or exploit security vulnerabilities,” and “Apps or SDKs that download executable code, such as dex files or native code, from a source other than Google Play.

Lenovo Moto X4The Moto X4 brings the Android One Program and Project Fi into a simple package with very little frills. While it may not sound like the most exciting device on paper, the Moto X4's true appeal is its affordable price, timely updates, and how it will make Project Fi more easily accessible to consumers. Table of contents The Moto X4 revives the Moto X name, but it’s no longer the Moto X we once knew.