If you're a developer of Android apps, there's a good chance you use Google's purpose-built Android Studio environment. The last update to version 3.2 came with one headline feature — App Bundles — plus a few incremental improvements, and now 3.3 has arrived.
Read MoreGoogle announces Flutter 1.0, the first stable release of its cross-platform mobile development toolkit
Yesterday, at a dev-focused event at the Science Museum in London, UK, Google announced the 1.0 release of its cross-platform portable UI toolkit. Flutter has been in development since in 2015 with several betas being going out in the last year and a preview release this summer. It will allow developers to build apps that seamlessly work on both Android and iOS without maintaining separate codebases.
Read More[Update: XZ2 Compact too] Sony has added the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3 to its Open Devices program
For developers wishing to tinker with Sony phones, the Open Devices program is a welcome official point of entry. The Japanese company adds most of its high-profile Android handsets to the list of supported devices after a little while, and the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3 are the latest to join the ranks.
Read MoreGoogle could give more devices an early taste of Android Q with earlier GSI (Generic System Image) releases
Project Treble seems to be making a dent in the fight against Android's fragmentation problem, and one of the keys to its success relies on something called a GSI (Generic System Image) which is basically a super-stock, AOSP-based image of the Android framework, and a required part of testing Treble compliance. According to a talk at the Android Dev Summit last week, Google may give more devices an advance taste of later Android versions via an earlier GSI release schedule.
Read MoreGoogle admits too much white in apps is bad for battery life
During the Android Dev Summit 2018 that was just held in Mountain View, Google admitted something we all basically knew anyway: it may have been wrong to use so much much white in its apps as it drains smartphone batteries faster than duller, darker colors. Thankfully, dark modes can alleviate the problem and lead to better battery life, and Google wants more devs to add one to their apps.
Read MoreAPEX furthers the Android ROM modularization started by Treble
Google's Project Treble was created to help fight Android's dirty f-word (fragmentation), by making the update process easier and faster for OEMs. Separating vendor-specific code like SoC drivers out from Android itself was meant to help when it came to OS updates and the work required to push them out. Now Google is working on increasing just how modular Android can be with something called APEX.
Read MoreGoogle Playtime 2018 event focuses on building better apps in smaller bundles
Google's yearly invitation-only event for app and game developers took place today in Berlin and San Francisco today, and the key message was about reducing the size of app bundles. This new way of dynamically delivering Android apps was introduced this summer and support was added to Android Studio 3.2. Here are the main takeaways from Playtime 2018.
Read MoreThe Best Of AP
Google Play developers can now apply for early access to pre-registration
It's been more than three years since Google rolled out its first pre-registration apps and games on the Play Store. In the time since, the program has expanded a little, but has remained exclusive to select developers. If you were a small team with limited resources and releases, odds are you couldn't even find where to get started with the process of joining in. This meant that the only apps/games available for pre-registration for us users have always been some big-name titles, and a limited selection at that. But things are changing now.
Read MoreGoogle to more closely monitor SMS and phone permissions of apps on Play Store
The Play Store may be packed with content, but there are some pretty strict rules in place when it comes to the things apps distributed by Google can do, and once in a while those rules are refreshed or tweaked. Starting this month, Google has refined its Developer Program Policies to include limits to call log and SMS permission access, explicit prohibitions against surveillance and "commercial spyware apps," and new Android Contacts API restrictions.
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17 new and notable Android apps and live wallpapers from the last two weeks including Playground: Childish Gambino, MyScript Calculator 2, and Pokémon TCG Card Dex (2/2/19 - 2/16/19)
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Facebook may soon let users block comments containing chosen words and phrases from their timelines
Online harassment has been an issue for about as long as online communication has existed. Facebook is known for taking measures to combat abuse and bullying on its platform, and it seems the social network is working on another feature to that end. You may soon be able to block comments containing specified words, phrases, or emoji from appearing on your timeline.
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