You can make yourself look better with the new Microsoft Selfie app for Android

Want to make your selfie photos look better with little to no effort? The Microsoft Selfie app is designed to do just that. The app, which was first released for iOS several months ago, is now available for Android phones in the Google Play Store.

See also: Best Android phones for taking selfies46

The app uses Microsoft's experience with machine learning to create an app that can automatically account for a person's age, gender, and skin tone in a photo, along with other factors such as lighting in the image. The Selfie app can then make the photo look better with just a tap of the finger.

If you are unhappy with the results of the automatic change, there are different filters and sliders that you can access in Microsoft Selfie to make some changes. The app also works with any image stored in your camera along with any new selfie photos you might wish to take of yourself.

The iOS version got some great reviews when it was released in December 2015, and it will be interesting to see how Android phone owners react to this app. If you have installed and used Microsoft Selfie, what are your initial impressions? Let us know in the comments!

Get it at Google Play

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5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week – Android Apps Weekly

Welcome to the 164th episode of Android Apps Weekly! Here are the headlines from the last week:

• A report released this week indicated that YouTube Red only has 1.5 million subscribers. Several things have contributed to this number. For starters, YouTube Red doesn't have a ton of original content and no really big hits yet. They also don't advertise it often. Despite the low numbers, YouTube is fairly happy with their growth and have decided to move forward with creating more original content.
• Giphy offered up its services to beleaguered Vine users this last week. The service expressed that it wants to turn all of those seven second vines into gifs and give them a permanent home on Giphy's website. It will be launching a tool that will not only turn those videos into gifs, but also host the videos themselves. It could be a big move for Giphy as they are the most popular gif providers out there right now.
• Google Play is going to be cracking down on apps that try to use devious means to improve their rankings. For years now, apps have been able to get fake reviewers to leave tons of positive reviews to give them a better ranking than they deserve. A new backend feature is going to try to stop that from happening. Developers that engage with it will have their efforts thwarted and repeat offenders will simply have their apps taken down. This is good news.
• IFTTT made some big decisions this week. It has ditched the "recipes" moniker in exchange for "applets". They have also added new functionality into applets to make them more powerful. On top of that, they have merged all of their mobile apps into one. That's also after IFTTT was added to Google Assistant. Big things are happening with this app and it's fun to watch.
• The latest Google Play Newsletter arrived at our doorsteps to tell us about the top trending apps from October 2016. They were Flipp, ShareTheMeal, Anchor, LinkedIn Learning, and CNN Mobile. On the games side, PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator, FIFA Mobile Soccer, Frozen Free Fall Icy Shot, Dan The Man, and Shuffle Cats were the top trending games. If you downloaded any of those, congrats, you were part of the statistics!

For even more Android apps and games news, releases, and updates, check out this week's newsletter by clicking here! There, you'll find all of the stuff we didn't have space for here. You can sign up for the newsletter and get it sent straight to your inbox every Sunday using the form below! Don't forget to also check out the Android Authority app for even faster updates!

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Email Address

• Android Weekly
• Apps Weekly

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Brave Browser

[Price: Free]
Brave Browser got a re-release this last week. Meanwhile, the previous Brave Browser went back to being Link Bubble. The new Brave Browser has most of the features of the old one so there aren't many changes for those who have used the browser before. For those who don't know, Brave Browser offers ad blocking, privacy protection, and security features along with a fairly simple browsing experience. It's a free app if you want to check it out.

Download now on Google Play!

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The Trail

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
The Trail is the latest game from Peter Molyneux. For those who don't know, he's the guy who also did Godus, Black & White, Fable, and other games. In this title, you'll be walking along a trail while you do a variety of other things. You'll be able to craft and trade items, make a fortune, and join towns in order to create communities. It also features some charming, if somewhat retro graphics. The Trail is a freemium game, though, and has the usual pitfalls.

Download now on Google Play!

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Lifestage

[Price: Free]
Lifestage is kind of like Snapchat but for high school kids. The basic premise is that you make little videos and post them for everyone to see. The difference being that only people from your high school can see them. Every post is public and you'll be asked to identify stuff that you like or don't like. It definitely needs some work. The app doesn't feel like the kind of quality you'd expect from Facebook. However, if they can work out the kinks and make sure no creepy older people join in, it could be a fun little thing for kids to do.

Download now on Google Play!

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Asphalt Xtreme

[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
The latest game in the Asphalt series has finally hit Google Play. Prior titles in the series gave you tons of cars and tracks to race them. Asphalt Xtreme differs from these by giving you things like monster trucks, sport utility vehicles, and other similar vehicles. You'll then be racing them on a variety of off-road courses. It maintains a lot of the things that made prior games fun and fans of the series should be able to just jump right in. Like the prior titles, it is a freemium game.

Download now on Google Play!

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Three Adobe apps

[Price: Free]
Adobe released not one, but three applications this last week. The first was Adobe Comp CC which allows you to layout ideas using photos, text, shapes, and more. The second was Adobe Photoshop Sketch which allows you to sketch using layers which can then be exported to Illustrator or Photoshop. Finally, Photoshop Fix was released which allows you to retouch and edit photos using tools like red-eye removal, spot healing, clone, and others. All three apps are free to download but you'll need an Adobe Creative Cloud account in order to take full advantage.
Get Adobe Photoshop Sketch by clicking here!
Download Adobe Comp CC by clicking here!

Download Photoshop Fix on Google Play!

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Related best app lists:

• The 10 best Android browsers!
• Or check out the best racing games on Android!

If we missed any big Android apps or games news, tell us about them in the comments! To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.

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Axon 7 mini International Giveaway!

You know what time it is! Welcome to the Sunday Giveaway, where every week we give out a free Android phone or tablet!

Congratulations to last week's Google Pixel Giveaway winner: Frank J. (Greece).

This week we're handing out a free Axon 7 mini!

This ZTE device is a recent entrant to the so-called "premium mid-range" tier of smartphones, a category that offers surprisingly impressive specs at a price that won't break the bank. The Axon 7 mini comes with a Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 under the hood powered by 3GB of RAM. Its default storage space is 32GB, but MicroSD lets you boost that up to an additional 128GB. All in all, it's fairly similar to its bigger brother the Axon 7, but packaged in a smaller 5.2-inch design that seems to fit more nicely in the hand.

For more information, check out our previous coverage:

• ZTE Axon 7 mini officially announced: 5.2-inch display, Snapdragon 617, 16MP camera
• ZTE Axon 7 mini hands on/a>
• TE Axon 7 mini US pre-orders begin for $300

Enter giveaway

Axon 7 mini International Giveaway!

Winners Gallery

Winners Gallery on Google+

Terms & Conditions

• The giveaway is an international giveaway (Except when we can not ship to your Country.)
• If we can not ship to your country, you will be compensated with an online gift card of equal MSRP value to the prize.
• We are not responsible for lost shipments.
• You must be age of majority in your Country of residence.
• We are not responsible for any duties or import fees that you may incur.
• Only 1 entry per person, do not enter multiple email addresses. We will verify all winners and if we detect multiple email addresses by the same person you will not be eligible to win.
• We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
• This giveaway is operated by AndroidAuthority.
• The prize will ship when it is available to purchase.

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Amazon Alexa Skills now neatly organized under detail pages

Amazon's assistant Alexa has become a very popular solution for those who want advanced voice controls. There are skills for all kinds of apps and services, but it is also true discovering them has so far been a mess.

You can do a lot with Alexa and Echo products, but sometimes people just don't know how! This is why Amazon has decided to organize Alexa Skills under detail pages, similar to how they have organized their apps, books and products for sale.

These skills now find themselves neatly organized under categories. Skills can then be arranged and filtered based on consumer ratings, most recent additions and more. It has become a breeze to look through good Alexa skills to fill up your repertoire.

These detail pages make it simple to learn about any skill. One can even enable it and link it to other accounts, so as to make them work properly on your Alexa-powered devices. Pretty neat, right? Go check out the experience at Amazon's dedicated website.

Check out the Amazon Alexa Skills

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Best Buy selling unlocked smartphones at great discounts

The holidays are right around the corner, which means the Christmas deals are about to start showing up. You don't have to wait around much longer to get a good discount, though. Best Buy is holding a savings event on unlocked smartphones right now.

The event page includes plenty of great smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the Honor 8, the Sony Xperia X Compact and more; all with discounts of up to $100! Want to sign up? Let's give you some examples of what you should expect.

• $100 off Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – $669.99
• $50 off Honor 8 – $349.99
• $80 off Moto X Pure – $269.99
• $100 off Sony Xperia X Compact – $399.99
• $50 off Sony Xperia XA Ultra – $199.99

These are only a few of our favorite deals being featured in this Unlocked Smartphone Savings Event. There's over 15 deals in there, including one for an iPhone (if you are into that).

Just click through and take a look at what Best Buy has to offer. Some of these are great deals for unlocked devices! Then hit the comments section to let us know if you are signing up for any of these.

Check out the Best Buy Unlocked Smartphone Savings Event

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Xiaomi officially announces three Redmi 4 devices, all affordable midrangers

It wasn't too long ago that we saw the beautifully-crafted Redmi 3 series from Xiaomi. Now, the Chinese tech company has unveiled their successors: Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, and Redmi 4 Pro.

Redmi 4 (Standard Edition)

The all-new Redmi 4 doesn't feel too unfamiliar. In fact, in terms of specs, not much has changed from the Redmi 3. It sports the same 5-inch 720p screen and has the same configuration: 2GB of RAM with 16GB of internal storage. Just like last year's model, it will have a 13-megapixel Phase Detection Autofocus camera – albeit a different unit – and a 4,100 mAh battery. The processor is different, however. Instead of Snapdragon 616, Xiaomi has opted for Snapdragon 430 this time around. The design seems to have changed a little with a fingerprint scanner on the back, giving it a more premium feel. However, that doesn't mean it will have a premium price tag. In fact, the Redmi 4 will cost around $100 in China.

Redmi 4A

The Redmi 4A is essentially an even cheaper version of the Standard Edition, and looks a lot like the Redmi 3 or the Redmi 3s. Just like the regular Redmi 4, it has a 5-inch 720p display with the same internal configuration (2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage) and keeps the same 13-megapixel camera module. It's powered by Snapdragon 425 and has a slightly smaller 3,120 mAh battery. It will go on sale for $70 in China.

Redmi 4 Pro

Priced at $130, the Redmi 4 Pro Edition is the most expensive of the three. In terms of design, it seems to be very similar, if not the same, as the Standard Edition. Specs differ slightly though. The Pro has a 5-inch screen with a 1080p resolution, and boasts an upgraded configuration: 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Instead of Snapdragon 430, it's powered by Snapdragon 625. The rest, however, is exactly the same.

You can check out the gallery below for more images:

Which is your favorite? The Standard Edition? Pro? Or the 4A?

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HTC is giving out a freebie every Friday in the US

The Taiwanese electronics company has a pleasant surprise for us – called "Free Fone Fridays" (who doesn't love some alliteration?) HTC is giving out a shiny toy every Friday up until the end of December.

See also: HTC posts $63 millon operating loss in Q3 2016 earnings report51

If you're feeling lucky, enter HTC's Sweepstakes to see if you can win a brand new phone or a tablet. The first one happened already yesterday, with a total of two HTC One M9 devices given out. But the offer is valid for seven more weeks, so you have plenty of time. The process itself is quite simple: fill out a form on HTC's official website within the 24 hours (PST) of any Friday in the next seven weeks, and you're in! However, there are some requirements.

In order to take part in HTC's Sweepstakes, you need to be 18 years old or older and as is the case with most giveaways, you need be a legal resident of the US unfortunately. But for those who are of age and US residents, here is the list of prizes that are scheduled for the next few weeks:

1. Sweepstakes #1 – (2) HTC One M9 (Already happened)
2. Sweepstakes #2 – (2) Desire 626
3. Sweepstakes #3 – (2) HTC One M8
4. Sweepstakes #4 – (2) Nexus 9
5. Sweepstakes #5 – (2) HTC One M9 Ink Edition
6. Sweepstakes #6 – (2) Desire 530
7. Sweepstakes #7 – (1) HTC One A9
8. Sweepstakes #8 – (1) HTC 10

In order to take part in HTC's Sweepstakes, you need to be 18 years old or older and as is the case with most giveaways, you need be a legal resident of the US unfortunately.

As you can see, it's sort of a mixed bag – on one hand, there are some older devices like the HTC One M8 and some lower-end devices. On the other, the Sweepstakes lead up to two of HTC's most recent devices, which as you may have noted, will only have one winner per device.

Will you be entering your name? Which device would you like to win? Let us know by commenting down below!

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