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What is GitHub: Everything a beginner developer needs to know
Learn all about the coding playground where everyone's invited
As a software developer, you've undoubtedly come across GitHub—perhaps you've used it in the past or currently rely on it for your work. If you're new to the development world, chances are you've been advised that GitHub is a vital tool to have in your arsenal - and rightfully so due to all it has to offer. For those who haven't yet explored GitHub, it can seem daunting at first, but fear not! Once you familiarize yourself with its features, using it will be a breeze, making it one of Android's best apps.
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.
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.
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.
The first Android 12 beta just launched yesterday, and it brought a whole slew of design and animation changes with it. But Google is also working on reducing CPU and GPU usage and cleaning up transitions between apps and notifications. As part of that effort, the company is making audio transitions less jarring when you switch from app to app.
Google is making a change to Android Auto apps that should have been there in the first place
Google is unifying Auto and Automotive app development
Google is moving to unify app development for Android Auto and Android Automotive. It feels long overdue, as there's no good reason to have two different routes for creating apps for what is essentially the same form factor.
Google really wants developers to adopt its new Material UI
Google isn't making devs wait to start working on the new stuff
Android development may have started as a grab bag of poorly integrated libraries with no documentation and running it all in a bad IDE, but things have really turned around over the years. Android Studio makes it easier to build working apps with fewer mistakes; Kotlin makes for more readable straightforward code; and the combination of Jetpack and Jetpack Compose provides a clear direction for faster development. Today's announcement really focuses on Jetpack Compose, but as you would expect from each Google I/O, new versions of each are coming out and they've got something new for everybody.
Google could actually make augmented reality useful, for better or worse
Nightmare scenario: Google could make fixing your relatives' computer possible over the phone
Google can already consider ARCore a success, with the app hitting one billion installs on the Play Store in December 2020. The company has also shared that about 850 million devices with an ARCore certification are currently active, so it's no wonder Google is invested in improving the experience that gives us AR animals as well as TikTok and Duo filters. Following the I/O keynote, the company is launching ARCore 1.24, which introduces a so-called Raw Depth API and the Recording and Playback API.
Flutter's popularity has been exploding recently, and it's not hard to see why. The cross-platform framework made huge strides with the release of v2.0 a couple months ago when it gained official support for every major OS available, received substantial tooling enhancements, and made inroads toward protecting against instability with the addition of sound null safety. Now Google is taking an opportunity at I/O 2021 to announce Flutter 2.2.
Steam for Chromebooks could be getting closer to release based on new changes
A new "game mode" hints at larger changes
We exclusively reported that Google is working on bringing official Steam support to Chromebooks back in 2020. Parallel to developing a new Linux container better suited for games, the company is now additionally experimenting with a new "Game Mode" that could bring some further performance to the upcoming Linux container.
The independent Chrome browser on Chrome OS is getting closer to launch
Making development easier for the company
On Chrome OS, the browser and the operating system are deeply intertwined. Google can't update one component without the other, making development a hassle. The company is looking to change that by introducing a decoupled version of Chrome (dubbed "Lacros"), which could simplify processes for developers and might even extend Chromebooks' lives. New evidence suggests that Google is inching closer to publicly testing Lacros.
Flutter 2 is coming with support for Windows and macOS, foldables, and a ton more
Write once, run everywhere
The great unicorn of software development is to have one language and framework that enables devs to code an app once and run it on any operating system and any type of device. Flutter has been aiming to do this since its inception, and today it gets quite a bit closer to that goal with the announcement of Flutter 2. The latest major update brings major enhancements for mobile platforms, adds support to desktop, and massively extends its capabilities on the web — among other things.
Read update
Google released the first developer preview of Android 12 yesterday, but the virtual Android environment on Chrome OS is still stuck on Android 9. Google has long been working on updating it to Android 11, though it looks like it's in the process of abandoning this endeavor. Instead, we found evidence that Google might be skipping ahead to version 12 right away.
Create your own fantastical creatures with Google's ML-based Chimera Painter
The tool is geared at game developers, but it's a fun experience for anyone
Creating creatures and characters for games takes up hours upon hours for designers, which is particularly a problem when you need thousands of individual models. That's where Google's Research and Stadia teams come in. Together, they've created an ML-based tool that could one day help designers make monsters for their games — and you can use that tool right now on the web.
Google Play app approvals are suffering severe delays, jeopardizing security and customer retention
Some devs are waiting a month or more
Around this time last year, Google began imposing a more strenuous review process on new apps and updates submitted to the Play Store. For many developers, this was only a minor inconvenience that slowed down publishing by a few hours or days. However, in the months since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a growing number of people have detailed delays of several weeks for new apps and even simple bug fixes.
Firebase Summit announcement highlights local emulator UI enhancements and redesigned performance monitor
Also adding new APIs and improving BigQuery integration
Like all conferences this year, Firebase Summit 2020 is kicking off today with an entirely virtual experience. There are technical sessions and demos, codelabs, live Q&A events, and of course, a keynote. If you rely on Firebase, you'll probably be happy to hear about some of the new tools and improvements that will make your development time a bit more efficient.
Google Play Console introduces new publishing controls and a more intuitive overview
This might help developers work around the unpredictable approval process
The Google Play Console hasn't always been the most robust tool for publishing apps, but it's getting better and solving some of the problems developers have experienced over the years. The latest update brings two long-awaited enhancements that should make the publishing experience easier and a bit more intuitive.
Android TV is getting Instant Apps, Gboard updates, and PIN-based purchases
There's an obvious focus on convenience and simplicity
Android TV doesn't always feel like it's getting much attention, but the user base has grown substantially in recent history. According to Google, the number of active devices has grown by 80% in the last year, owed largely to adoption by seven out of the top ten smart TV manufacturers and set-top boxes from 160 TV service providers. With so many new users and a continually growing assortment of apps, Google is highlighting changes to the platform that will improve the experience for users and developers.
Microsoft is bringing Android OS development for the Surface Duo in-house
The second model is also in early development
The dual-screen Surface Duo is slated to be Microsoft's first Android device, but most of the work involved in porting Android was done by a contracted team of developers. Microsoft seems sure of the Duo's success (whenever it is released), as the company has now acquired the external development team, and development on a Surface Duo 2 has begun.
Android 11 will let devs block network access in parts of their apps for better security
This could help prevent accidental data leaks
With every big new OS version there are countless under-the-hood upgrades that will go unnoticed by regular users but could have a positive impact on their experience. Android 11 will be no different, and we've spotted one such small but potentially important new feature in Google's developer documentation for the upcoming release. Starting in Android 11, apps will be able to grant per-process network access.