Sound Search is prettier in Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Screenshot: Android Police

Google’s Sound Search widget, which has been baked into Android since 2012, has finally been given a new look for Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Sound Search no longer looks out of place on devices dominated by Material Design, and there’s now a mini version.

MRU Widget in action. Screenshots: Cloudy Day Apps

How many times have you opened up the recent apps menu to find something you were using just half an hour ago, and it’s hidden behind a long list of apps you’ve used since? With MRU Widget, that’s no longer a problem, because all of your recently-used apps are right on your home screen.

Yay!

Google Messenger, the default SMS client for Nexus users and those with pure Android operating systems, now supports animated GIFs, allowing you to send awesome images like the one above to your friends. It also just got a great new widget.

It’s been years since Google’s News & Weather app for Android received any real attention, but the search giant today rolled out a major overhaul in preparation for its upcoming Android L upgrade. It includes a new design with a Google Now-based card layout, as well as tablet support, new navigation gestures, and more.

Google Play Music for Android is getting a nice new update this week that adds a new widget for instant access to your “I’m feeling lucky” mix. This release also makes improvements to the app’s existing widget by introducing a new design and finally making it resizable.