Android

We reported earlier today that support for Smart Lock Passwords, a new cross-platform password manager tool for Android and Chrome/OS, was already beginning to hit major apps including Netflix. Now it seems that the greater rollout is pushing on quickly, with the web interface now live and reports spreading that Smart Lock Passwords is showing up in the Settings app of Android 5.1 Lollipop devices for some owners.

By visiting passwords.google.com you can toggle Smart Lock for Passwords on and off depending on whether or not you want to save app and website passwords to your Google account. The benefit of using Smart Lock for Passwords, especially if you’re a Google loyalist, is that it’s a simple, clean way to save login credentials for all the apps and websites you visit using Chrome and Android and log in automatically. I also imagine it’s a scary addition for apps like 1Password which, while now have many other features to differentiate themselves, initially built their businesses off saving login credentials in one place. Saving login credentials and not other things like credit card details and drivers license info is probably enough for the average person, too.

As mentioned above there have also been reports of Smart Lock Passwords hitting the Settings area of some Android phones running newer versions of Android 5.0 and Google Play Services. This would lead us to believe that it’s either a server-side change or Google had hidden Smart Lock Passwords in a recent version of Play Services, but it’s probably the former. Here is what that looks like courtesy of AndroidPolice:

Be sure to watch out for the change and let us know if Smart Lock Passwords hits your device.

Google’s quietly announced ‘Hands Free’ app is Android Pay without taking out your phone

Tom Maxwell May 29 2015 - 11:04 am PT

The newly-announced Android Pay is pretty cool – it allows you to pay at retail stores and inside mobile apps without having to take out your wallet or punch a bunch of card details into your glass-screened phone. But the logical conclusion to reducing the friction of paying for things is not tapping my phone against an NFC reader, but rather just not having to take out my phone at all! Well, without the same fanfare that was given to Android Pay, Google said they’ll have a solution for just that.

Google has partnered with Udacity to offer a nanodegree in Android development (Update: live June 3 Q&A)

Tom Maxwell May 29 2015 - 10:14 am PT

Update: Google is holding an “Ask the Experts” session today, June 3rd, at 2PM PDT where Sebastian Thrun, Peter Lubbers, and Jocelyn Becker from Udacity and Google will be answering user-submitted questions about the Android Nanodegree program. The Q&A session will be live-streamed on YouTube and there’s also a form where you can submit any questions you may have.

Yesterday Google’s Sundar Pichai said on stage at the company’s I/O conference that 8 out of every 10 phones that shipped worldwide last year were running Android, and that 600 million new smartphone users came online over the past year. That’s a lot of devices running the company’s smartphone OS, and they really want developers to realize the potential of their apps reaching that many people. So much so that they spent over $4 million developing an extensive Android development course in partnership with Udacity.

Google highlights best-in-class app designs with Material Design Showcase & Awards

Zac Hall May 29 2015 - 9:40 am PT

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtu7ZOQScrI]

As part of Google I/O week, the company is highlighting a number of Play Store apps that use Material Design in different ways. To do this, Google is launching the Material Design Showcase on the Play Store and issuing Material Design Awards to select apps for the first time.
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Thanks to USB Type-C support in Android M, you’ll soon be able to send power in both directions

Tom Maxwell May 29 2015 - 9:06 am PT

Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke’s presentation on Android M yesterday saw quite a few huge new additions coming to the OS from granular app permissions to improved battery standby management and, of course, Android Pay (check out our roundup). But one thing that might have got lost in the noise for some of you was Google’s newfound embrace of the USB Type-C standard and what it will actually do for you in practice.

USB Type-C is both flippable and bi-directional. That first attribute means that you won’t have to fiddle in the dark with plugging the USB cable connector into your phone the right-side up, because there isn’t a right-side up with Type-C.

More interesting, though, is the bi-directional ability of USB Type-C and Android M’s new interface support for it. What this means in theory is that, while this wouldn’t be practical, you could connect your Android phone to your laptop and charge your laptop with your phone instead of the other way around. You can also send files in either direction as was obviously possible before, but the new interface you see above for managing all these abilities in one place looks quite convenient.

Finally as you might be able to make out from the image above, Google is ready to welcome in more musicians with the warm embrace of MIDI support. This is big because while because 5.0 Lollipop brought support for some audio devices like USB microphones and amplifiers, it left out a lot of musical instruments that use the MIDI standard to send data back and forth between other devices. Maybe this will encourage more musicians and music app developers to consider Android again.

Netflix Android app adds support for Google’s new Smart Lock password manager

Jordan Kahn May 29 2015 - 8:22 am PT

Yesterday, as part of the company’s Google I/O dev conference keynote presentation, Google took the wraps off Smart Lock, a new password manager that makes logging into apps in Chrome or on Android much more painless. Now, some of the first apps to support the new feature are being updated starting with Netflix.
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This is what text selection actions look like in Android M

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 10:05 pm PT

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There was a lot to digest in today’s Google I/O keynote but one small, interesting new behavior change of note going into Android M is a new text selection floating toolbar, as you can see in the GIF above.

Whereas in the past primary actions of Cut, Copy, Paste, as well as other app-specific actions related to selecting text would probably be saved for a contextual action bar (an example of which is below), developers who want to keep their apps up-to-date with platform changes will now utilize this new toolbar which appears just above the text selection area. As you can see above, pressing the More icon will reveal a secondary menu where developers can add their own extra actions; the company in its design documents provides the example of Share, Search, and Translate actions appearing within the secondary menu in Gmail.

Another interesting system behavior change in Android M is a battery management tool called “Doze,” which we detailed in our Android M roundup, that disables most background activities when the OS detects that the device has gone unused for an extended period of time. The company says this has resulted in upwards of 2x longer standby time for Android devices running M versus those running Lollipop.

1Password demos Android M fingerprint login integration

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 8:35 pm PT

https://vine.co/v/ebTvvF7577K

Earlier today, Google unveiled its highly anticipated Android M update. One of the highlight features of Android M is the support for standardized fingerprint recognition, which Google says developers will be able to take advantage of via new APIs in the operating system.
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Google details changes in Play Services 7.5 including Smart Lock for Passwords, App Invites, more

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 4:53 pm PT

Originally revealed at Google I/O 2015 earlier today, Google Play Services 7.5 adds a handful of new capabilities for developers to take advantage of. In an effort to further break down what’s new in Play Services 7.5, Google has published a blog post detailing all of the new features. First off, Play Services 7.5 adds Smart Lock for Passwords. This feature builds on the Chrome Password Manager and adds a new API and UI for Android users that saves credentials for later use on other Android devices and browsers.

Android M allows Android TV developers to create channels of continuous content, users to format USB drives as internal

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 4:21 pm PT

We’ve already done a roundup of the core changes coming in the next big release of Android, simply called “M,” so you should check that out. But we haven’t yet covered what additions and changes Android M brings to Google’s Internet TV platform, Android TV.

Dodocase announces two new $25 Google Cardboard VR viewers

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 3:09 pm PT

: P2 Viewer

: G2 Viewer

Dodocase has long been a supporter of Google’s Cardboard initiative, and at I/O this morning a variety of new features were announced concerning the VR platform. Dodocase has now revealed two new virtual reality viewer designs this evening following Google’s announcements earlier. Dodocase is now offering the G2 Viewer and the P2 Viewer for $24.95 each.

Google Play Store getting custom landing pages, smarter search, and A/B testing

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 2:49 pm PT

Besides improvements in surfacing family-friendly content, Google’s Play Store is getting a couple updates that developers in particular should be happy about, which we learned about today at the company’s I/O conference.

Android Wear gains support for the Google Maps API

Chance Miller May 28 2015 - 2:41 pm PT

Hidden among the other news announced at Google I/O today, Google has also added the ability for developers to use the Google Maps API directly on Android Wear. The feature, which comes as part of Play Services 7.5, aims to offer users a wearable-designed Google Maps experience and was detailed in a blog post.

Spotify unveils its app for Android Wear

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 2:04 pm PT

Spotify users, rejoice. Starting with a gradual rollout next month, the popular music streaming app will be available on Android Wear watches.

According to the company’s blog post, you’ll be able to navigate through and select something to play from all the music you’ve saved to Your Music as well as find new stuff in Browse. We don’t have much information on the Wear app yet as it hasn’t been released and the image above is the only one Spotify provided, but we’ll post more as soon as we get it.

As a big Spotify fan and power user I’m curious to see what the Browse section will look like on such a small screen, as Browse on smartphones contains sections for mood-based playlists, new releases, top charts, and more. Are you excited to get Spotify on your Wear watch?

Google gives its Developers website a Material Design overhaul

Stephen Hall May 28 2015 - 1:49 pm PT

Almost a year after Google took the wraps off of Material Design at I/O 2014, the Mountain View company has today updated its Developers website with a visual overhaul to bring its appearance in line with that of Android Lollipop. This isn’t the first of Google’s properties to get the new design (as we saw Google Play Music get a redesign in May), but it’s yet another one of Google’s properties that is falling in line with the new look.
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Google Play Store gaining new features for discovering family-friendly apps, videos, & books

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 12:29 pm PT

Google gave some stage time today at the I/O conference to a few family-focused changes coming to the Google Play Store. Families can now find age appropriate digital content from apps to game to books to movies and TV shows by tapping a new “Family” button.

This will take you to a section for each media type that allows you to browse for content by age and interest. When you browse the Play Store after tapping the Family button, you’re presented with more than just a curated section of content as other elements of the digital store change as well.
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Google Cardboard VR viewer updated for bigger phones, now supports iOS

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 11:55 am PT

Google revealed today at the I/O conference that its Cardboard viewer for creating virtual reality experiences easily from Android apps will now support the iPhone for the first time.

The added support for the iPhone comes as Google has added support for iOS to its Cardboard SDK for developers. This means that iPhone apps can now include virtual reality experiences when paired with the Cardboard viewer.

In addition to adding support for iOS, Google is releasing an updated version of its Cardboard view that supports larger phones with up to 6-inch displays. The new version also features an improved input button and can be assembled in just three steps rather than twelve.

Google Cardboard for iPhone is available on the App Store. Cardboard Viewer is available to buy from $19.99 through Google, although the company also offers instructions for building your own viewer.

Google Maps to add offline search/navigation, Places API for iOS now available to all

Jordan Kahn May 28 2015 - 11:37 am PT

As part of its Google I/O developer conference today, Google is offering some updates on its Google Places API for iOS as well as future updates arriving for its Maps app.
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Test Android apps on the top 20 Android devices via the cloud

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 11:29 am PT

Google knows that most developers building mobile apps only have one or two devices in their possession to actually perform real-world tests of their apps on, which is why at Google I/O today it announced the launch of the Cloud Test Lab platform to automate the testing of mobile apps.

All developers need to do is upload their Android application to Cloud Test Lab and Google will run tests against it across the top 20 Android devices from around the world. When Google is finished running the tests, developers will receive a free report with screen videos of the app running on these devices as well as crash logs.

Cloud Test Lab will be coming to the Google Developer Console “soon.”

Google’s ‘Inbox’ email app now open to all, updated w/ new features

Jordan Kahn May 28 2015 - 11:06 am PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCo3zZ0P4vU]

After first launching its new Inbox app as an alternative email experience to its main Gmail service last year, Google today announced that Inbox is now open to all sans the original invite system while it also introduces a number of new features for the service.

As for features, Google highlighted a new “Trip Bundles” feature that keeps emails related to travel in one place, and improved controls for things like Undo Send, Signatures, and Swipe to Delete:
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Google introduces Photos app with unlimited photo and video syncing on Android, iOS, and the web

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 10:56 am PT

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Google has taken the wraps off its new Google Photos product at its I/O conference today. Google says Photos is a private single home for your personal photo and video collection that you can access from any device. Photos boasts the ability to automatically organize your photos for you as well as built-in sharing capabilities.
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Google announces Android ‘M’ with a focus on ‘quality end to end,’ developer preview coming soon (Update: dev preview live now)

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 10:44 am PT

Update: Developers can find the preview images of Android M for Nexus 5 (GSM/LTE), Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus Player on the Preview SDK page. Google has said updates to the preview version will roll out regularly and that they’ll come down over-the-air, so you won’t have to flash your phone again each time it’s updated.

Google has announced the next major iteration of Android, called Android “M,” which Android VP of Engineering Dave Burke emphasized has a “focus on quality end to end.” Here are the six core changes coming to Android with this release.

Google unveils Project Brillo, its stripped down version of Android for connected devices

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 10:33 am PT

Google’s Sundar Pichai unveiled Project Brillo today, which it describes as the underlying operating system for the Internet of Things. Brillo was built by the Nest, Android, and Chrome OS teams is built on a stripped down version of Android.
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Android 5.1 is rolling out to 2014 Moto X Pure Edition owners in the US

Tom Maxwell May 28 2015 - 8:24 am PT