At our ninth Made By Google occasion on August thirteenth, we introduced new AI experiences throughout Gemini and Android, together with our largest lineup of Pixel gadgets ever — together with the Pixel 9 household, our first telephones with Gemini baked in as our next-generation assistant. Plus, with Gemini Stay, now you can have free-flowing voice conversations with Gemini in your telephone.
“We imagine that AI could make day-to-day life extra productive, open up new methods to study, and create methods for folks to specific themselves,” says Platforms & Gadgets SVP Rick Osterloh. “We’re excited to carry the most effective of Google AI to extra folks and extra telephones with updates throughout Gemini, Android, and Pixel.”
On the {hardware} entrance, we launched the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Professional, Pixel 9 Professional XL, and the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. We additionally unveiled the Pixel Watch 3 — out there in two sizes — and the snug-fitting and AI-powered Pixel Buds Professional 2.
Android Studio Koala Characteristic Drop 🐨
The most recent Android Studio Koala Characteristic Drop has cutting-edge options like new gadgets in Android System streaming (together with the Pixel 9 sequence & new Samsung gadgets), Compose previews for Look widgets, USB cable velocity detection, help for Android 15 within the Android SDK Improve Assistant, UI debugging enhancements and profiler instruments to enhance app start-up time.
#WeArePlay
Within the newest #WeArePlay episode, Google Play showcases and celebrates Robson from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He co-founded Estante Mágica, which is an app that encourage children to turn into revealed authors
Robson, who grew up himself in a favela, desires to make a long-lasting influence on the training system by giving children the chance to nurture literacy and write books.
Google Maps adopts Person Initiated Knowledge Switch 🗺️
In Android 14, we launched Person Provoke Knowledge Switch that addresses gaps present in foreground companies and WorkManager for lengthy period person initiated information transfers. The brand new setUserInitiated API in JobScheduler goals to be a substitute for retries and constraints.
Actually, Google Maps tailored it, and noticed a 10%+ enchancment in obtain failure fee for offline downloads.
“We efficiently launched UIDT on Android 14 in early 2024 migrating from our foreground service implementation. After a retroactive evaluation on Android 14 vs Android 13 implementation, we now see a ten%+ enchancment in obtain failure fee of offline downloads!” — Matthew Valgenti, Software program Engineer at Google
We’re introducing a brand new sequence referred to as Highlight Week designed to assist builders study a selected matter throughout per week. The week will embody technical deep dive movies, new documentation, and developer tales.
On the primary episode of the sequence, Ash covers Android 15’s edge-to-edge, foreground companies, and passkeys.
Highlight Week additionally introduced you a complete host of Android AI information, technical deep dives and so forth. You bought to find out about generative AI, Gemini Nano, find out how to carry your personal mannequin to Android, Cloud fashions, amongst many others.
Edge-to-edge inset ideas 📏
Ash wrote an in-depth Medium weblog submit protecting inset dealing with ideas to ensure that builders to arrange for Android 15’s edge-to-edge enforcement.’
It discusses what insets are and why they’re essential to person expertise. It additionally particulars ideas for dealing with insets, for each Compose and Views. Among the ideas it mentions are to make use of materials parts, draw backgrounds edge-to-edge, and inset essential UI. It emphasizes that insets needs to be dealt with to make sure essential UI parts stay accessible.
Edge-to-edgeTesting 📏
Given Android 15’s enforcement of edge-to-edge, testing is now extra essential than ever for builders. Meghan covers the subject with a weblog submit that gives data on automated testing methods. Among the essential factors are that edge-to-edge UI will probably be enforced beginning in Android 15 and that Compose Previews can assist obtain a seamless edge-to-edge format. Compose Preview has plenty of new options for testing edge-to-edge, together with enhancements to showSystemUI, the power to check particular gadgets, and help for several types of cutouts.
Talkback adopts Gemini Nano 🦜
In one other Highlight Week episode, Terence showcased Talkback, Android’s display screen reader within the Accessibility suite.
The talkback staff lately up to date their characteristic that describe photographs when builders don’t embody descriptive alt textual content to make use of Gemini Nano with multimodality vs s earlier small ML mannequin referred to as Garcon.
Gemini Nano has given Talkback capabilities past primary picture descriptions. For instance, when Garcon is introduced with a panorama of the Sydney, Australia shoreline at night time, it would learn: “Full moon over the ocean.” Gemini Nano with multimodality can paint a richer image, with an outline like: “A panoramic view of Sydney Opera Home and the Sydney Harbour Bridge from the north shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.”
Sort protected navigation for Compose 🧭
Jetpack Navigation 2.8.0 is the newest steady model to be launched in September. Don wrote a complete article protecting kind protected navigation launched on this model and find out how to use it. The article covers how navigation now means that you can outline your locations utilizing serializable sorts and profit from compile-time security. It’s less complicated and safer to outline your navigation locations and arguments. The article additionally offers some tips about testing navigation use instances.
Compose TV steady launch 📺
Compose TV can also be now steady with its 1.0.0 launch in August. The modifications going from alpha to steady launch embody the renaming of some APIs resembling from TvLazyColumn to LazyColumn, some API modifications, and the elimination of different APIs that have been redundant or had higher alternate options.
Paul wrote a information to assist builders migrate from alpha to steady easily.
One Credential Supervisor to rule all of them 💍
Out with the outdated: Android used to depend on issues like “Sensible Lock” and “Google Signal-In” to assist customers signal into apps. These at the moment are being changed.
In with the brand new: Credential Supervisor is the brand new, unified method to deal with sign-ins on Android. It helps the newest expertise like passkeys (a safer various to passwords), together with the acquainted “Check in with Google” and conventional passwords.
Why the change? Credential Supervisor goals to make signing into apps simpler and safer for customers. It additionally simplifies issues for builders, giving them one system to work with.
Diego Zavala and Jason Lucibello wrote the announcement on Android Developer Weblog that additionally offers sources for builders for migration.
The article additionally highlights how corporations like X (previously Twitter) and Pinterest have already made the swap to Credential Supervisor with optimistic outcomes.
Adaptive layouts constructing made simple 📂
Again at I/O 2024 in Might, we introduced the beta launch of Compose Adaptive APIs to assist builders construct adaptive layouts extra simply and effectively. Its steady model has now been launched with Materials steerage for manufacturing use.
Alex wrote a weblog to cowl the announcement, and to debate the assorted APIs and their use instances. In brief, now you can create layouts that adapt seamlessly to totally different display screen sizes and gadget postures with out customized breakpoint handlers.
Desktop windowing goodness 🖥️
Francesco and Fahd introduced the preview for desktop windowing on Android pill. The characteristic will enable apps to run in resizable home windows similar to you’d do on desktops.
Name to motion for builders: The article urges builders to optimize their apps for this new windowing atmosphere.
The episode 209 of Android Builders Backstage options Doris Liu from the Jetpack Compose staff discussing Compose’s animation APIs. They delve into the layered construction of those APIs, highlighting the advantages over conventional View system animation approaches.
Take heed to it in podcast or youtube format.
The summer season version of #TheAndroidShow recaps all of the {hardware} and software program bulletins made on the newest Made By Google occasion
Rebecca and Simona share with you ideas find out how to make pleasant UI protecting subjects like find out how to arrange edge-to-edge and inset, working with nested scrolling to create Dynamic UI, pager methods to tie into the gestures to portray with totally different gradient brushes and sophisticated graphic shaders, and far more.
Overview of the brand new options and enhancements within the newest launch of Android Studio, model 20241 by Sandhya.
Rebecca explores using shaders for enhanced graphics rendering in Android apps utilizing Jetpack Compose.
#WeArePlay tells the story of Estante Mágica, a cell app that helps kids turn into authors of their very own books. Robson, the creator of the app, shares his private journey and the inspiration behind the mission.
Ash introduces “Highlight Weeks,” a brand new sequence targeted on serving to builders deep-dive into particular Android subjects. The primary Highlight Week focuses on Android 15.
Daniel and Ash recap and develop on their Google I/O 2024 talks with a give attention to new Android 15 options and developer concerns for constructing future-proof apps.
A panel of Google Engineers solutions questions collected from social media utilizing the #AskAndroid tag and stay chat in the course of the session targeted on Android 15.
Aditya and Laura, lead Android developer and UX designer respectively at SAP share the story of how the corporate optimized their “SAP Cellular Begin” app for giant screens and foldables utilizing Jetpack Compose Adaptive layouts in 5 minutes.
Clara introduces new type-safe APIs for Jetpack Compose Navigation, beginning with model 2.8.0. Clara explains how these APIs enhance compile-time security and cut back code complexity when defining navigation locations and arguments in your Kotlin DSL
Rebecca offers a complete information to utilizing circulation layouts in Jetpack Compose for constructing versatile and responsive UIs.
We had quite a few updates to AndroidX libraries that embody the next:
Put on Compose 1.4.0 provides default rotary enter help for ScalingLazyColumn and Picker, introduces a brand new Modifier.rotaryScrollable for connecting rotary occasions, and contains entry animation for SwipeDismissableNavHost and default PositionIndicator show.
Well being Join 1.0.0-alpha01 launch permits learn and write entry to person well being and health information, with testing help by way of the jetpack library.
Compose UI 1.7.0 introduces vital enhancements like shared factor transitions for smoother animations, Lazy checklist animations for enhanced visible enchantment, and textual content formatting enhancements, together with the Compose compiler being hosted within the Kotlin repository. Extra particulars on this weblog written by Ben Trengrove.
Compose Runtime 1.7.0 enhances composition locals with computed defaults, optimizes state object accessibility and composable operate technology, and improves lambda invalidation and callback ordering.
Compose Materials 3 Adaptive 1.0.0 offers instruments and parts to construct adaptive Android UIs for various display screen sizes and gadgets.
Compose Materials 1.7.0 stabilizes BottomDrawer, ModalBottomSheet, and BackdropScaffold parts, migrates to new ripple APIs, and improves efficiency by optimizing MutableInteractionSource utilization.
Compose Basis 1.7.0 considerably boosts efficiency in key modifiers, introduces a brand new Indication API for effectivity, refines clickable parts, and provides new options for textual content, format, and animations.
Compose Animation 1.7.0 introduces new shared factor transition APIs for smoother animations, improves current APIs with options like customized content material alignment and deferred goal animation, and stabilizes a number of APIs together with AnimatedVisibilityScope and LookaheadScope.
Assortment 1.4.3 enhances efficiency, notably for ScatterMap and ScatterSet, and addresses an information corruption bug in these collections.
Digital camera 1.5.0-alpha01 introduces new APIs for twin digital camera video seize configuration and audio management in recordings, together with bug fixes for crashes and black display screen points.
Media3 1.4.1 addresses varied points, together with dealing with preload callbacks asynchronously, permitting playback even with loading failures, fixing errors in MP3 and TTML dealing with, resolving DRM points on API 31+ gadgets, and enhancing media management and session administration.
That’s it for this week with Android 15 in AOSP, the Made By Google occasion, RCS help in iOS, inspirational tales from #WeArePlay sequence, the newest #AndroidShow, Android Studio Koala, and many steady and alpha AndroidX releases.
Test again quickly on your subsequent replace from the Android developer universe! 💫