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Google Chrome is a feature-rich alternative to Safari and Microsoft Edge. Even though most features are consumer-centric, Chrome offers several built-in tools for developers to debug website code. Launch Chrome DevTools to edit a web page and to debug, test, and enhance your web application performance.
The Play Store is working to stop recommending lower-quality apps
Listings and recommendations should become more useful
While the Android Dev Summit takes a week off before diving into the subject of form factors, the Google Play team is announcing some new capabilities for app developers that will subtly impact how users experience the Play Store. Some of the changes will give more visibility and promotion to some apps while blocking some others from appearing in recommendations, and you may even see some app listings change descriptions just for you.
OnePlus's broken promises are leaving developers angry and enthusiasts upset
It's violating the GPL, silently killed its developer device seeding program, and broke arguably every promise made at its 2019 Open Ears Forum
Once upon a time, there was a scrappy little smartphone company called OnePlus. Its phones weren't the best you could get, but following the end of the Nexus program, OnePlus picked up Google's mantle, delivering a low-cost, developer-friendly device that you could root and ROM with ease. In fact, OnePlus did everything it could to help developers, advertising the ROMs they produced for phones that lost official software support while providing test devices, detailed documentation, and source code. Times were good — and they're over. Now OnePlus appears to have silently killed its developer device seeding program, releases kernel sources late and incomplete (potentially violating the GPL), and has ignored most (and arguably all) of the commitments made to the developer community at the Open Ears Forum conference in 2019.
Google I/O 2022 brought the biggest changes ever to Google Play
Developers have a lot to look forward to, especially for subscriptions.
The stream of announcements out of the Google I/O 2022 keynote have been pretty extensive, but it's not stopping there. The What’s New in Google Play session continues with even more news focusing on new tools and features for developers aimed at enabling them to make more informed decisions, better support their users, and ultimately improve their business.
Google wants you to have your app and uninstall it too with a new 'archiving' feature
Coming later this year
Google's changing apps on Android in a way that might save you some space rather than continue to whittle it away, as most app updates do. By tweaking how App Bundles work, which already cut down on storage space themselves, you'll soon be able to "archive" apps as needed, saving your user data but cutting down the space they occupy when you no longer need them. And if you decide you want it back, the app can be easily restored.
Latest patent lawsuit to target Google takes aim at Android's power management code
Is there pocket change stuck in this Lint?
We're used to seeing patent lawsuits filed by small holding firms against tech giants go through Texas's federal courts. Whether they end up being rightful claims to royalties or a fruitless attempt at trolling, we don't often recognize the names of the plaintiffs. Not so with this new case against Google coming out of Purdue University.
Google has announced it won't be replacing cookies with FLoC, the web browser tracking protocol it created to help deliver users personalized ad content — and had been maligned by privacy advocates — after all. Instead, the company will attempt to fulfill the same mission without as much intrusion with a new API dubbed Topics.
Google's latest Play policy changes could bring some new emoji to your favorite apps
They also tackle regional enforcement issues and social interactions for kids apps
App publishers and consumers will need to be aware of some new Play Store policies coming into effect over the next several months. It'll keep devs on their toes for new emoji, keep kids safe while interacting with others, and provide some granularity on where certain apps can be seen.
Google throws devs a bone and lowers the Play Store's cut of subscription fees across the board
Commissions stand at 15% for all subscriptions
Tensions between app developers and the platforms they serve have never been at a higher pitch with the ongoing disputes Epic Games has with Apple and Google. But these explosive distractions and the government legislation being signed into law in their wake have motivated the sleeping giants into catering for the publishing masses.
Google reveals new Play Store data safety disclosure, nudges developers to start submitting applications
The widget will go live in February
Late last year, Apple introduced a new policy in the App Store that requires developers to disclose the types of data their apps collect and how they use it. Google followed suit and announced a similar plan back in May, aiming to bring more transparency to apps on the Play Store. Now Google is sharing how the data safety widget will be displayed in the Play Store and encouraging developers to get a head start on their disclosure forms.
The new PinePhone Pro is a Linux phone for people who love Android
THIS will be the year of the Linux phone
Pine64, the hardcore nerds behind Linux-powered hardware including the PinePhone from 2019 which we have reviewed, is opening pre-orders for its new $399 PinePhone Pro.
Your old Android phone is getting better about keeping you safe from barely-used apps
'Those permissions granted to you? Yeah, we're gonna need them back...'
Google is alerting app developers to some big coding changes ahead of the planned expansion of Android's permission auto-reset policy. This means more users will have permissions they've granted to apps automatically revoked starting in December. Here's what you need to know as a consumer.
Epic Games may be on the hook for a whopping $3.6 million if it loses appeal against Apple
A narrative shift may toss out rules that would cost Epic the money
Last week's ruling in Epic Games v. Apple which basically allowed app developers to direct customers away from the App Store payment platform for in-app transactions was praised and panned across the spectrum. But in the view of Epic, it did not go far enough in stopping what it alleges to be Apple's harmful practices on its iOS app distribution monopoly. So it went on Sunday as the gaming giant filed an appeal.
Judge rules iPhone devs can route in-app transactions away from App Store, but Apple declares a win
Epic Games, the company that launched the lawsuit, will appeal
Apple probably knew what was coming down the pike when it decided last week to allow app developers to communicate to customers ways to conduct in-app transactions that circumvent the App Store and its 30% commission fee. But it looks like the skids are coming on anyway as the most prominent lawsuit over the iPhone maker's alleged monopoly on iOS app sales takes a final, major turn.
Play Store ratings will soon reflect the experience of users more like you — yes, you
The incumbent Viewers Like You contingent will also be pleased with this
After plenty of feedback from app developers and their users alike, the Google Play Store will soon begin letting everyone filter reviews and ratings based on where users are. Publishers will also be able to better track ratings by device type.
Google will start enforcing its new anti-spam Play Store policies in September
Your Play Store search results should start to look a whole lot cleaner
Read update
As a blogger focused on Android, I see a lot of spammy app names in the Play Store. Apps with extraneous descriptors trying to pop up in more searches, apps that include the name of other, more popular apps, or even (shudder) emoji in the names. Someone at Google is as tired of all that as I am, because there's a new set of guidelines for developers publishing apps in the Play Store.
Google's UI tool Jetpack Compose reaches stable build after two years of development
Android development is better than ever
Since its introduction during I/O 2019, Jetpack Compose was obviously destined to become the prescribed method of Android UI development. After more than two years in public development, it has hit the milestone many developers have been waiting for: an official 1.0 release. Alongside a stable release of Android Studio Arctic Fox, Jetpack Compose is ready for use in production code.
Apple forced Google to re-think widgets for Android 12
A revamped Widgets API will hopefully encourage developers to up their game
When Apple announced that it was bringing widgets to iOS, it was hard not to be a little bit jealous as an Android user. Yes, we've had widgets since the beginning, but they've been so badly neglected for so long that most of them look awful — even Google's own — and there's no consistency in the way work. iPhone widgets are much more rigid and they look a lot better for it. Thankfully, Google is finally giving widgets the attention they've long needed.
Facebook bullies third-party apps Swipe and Simple Social into oblivion
Cease and desist letters fly, developer personal accounts have been deleted, and apps are disappearing from the Play Store
Read update
Facebook's Android apps are rarely the best way to actually use Facebook on smartphones. That's why various third-party options have sprung up over the years, giving users better interfaces, smaller and faster apps, and just generally improving the experience. But it looks like Facebook is tired of being shown up: two popular "wrappers" for the site, Swipe and Simple Social, have disappeared from the Play Store.
Google I/O 2021 is officially next month — could the Pixel 5a and new Pixel Buds be in store?
The event was cancelled due to the pandemic last year
Google I/O is one of the high points of any Android fan's tech calendar. Last year the developer conference was scrubbed out of said schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with too little warning to even organize an online replacement. This year it still isn't safe enough for an in-person conference, but Google is prepared enough for a virtual event.