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Google releases Extension SDK for bringing new features to older Android versions
The Extensions SDK is what makes features like Photo Picker possible on older Android versions.
Project Mainline is a way for Google to deliver updates to some critical system components through the Google Play Services framework and the Google Play Store. Each Mainline module is delivered as either an APK file, an APEX file, or an APK-in-APEX. When a Mainline module is being updated, the user sees a "Google Play System Update" (GPSU) notification on their device. Effectively, to deliver updates to critical components, Google has bypassed the need to wait for an OEM to roll out an update, choosing to do the task itself. The company has now released the first public version of the Extension SDK, and it's delivered to devices via a system module.
Apps shared via Google Files Go, SHAREIt, and Xender will be verified by Google Play
An application's authenticity (is it from Google Play Store?) will be verified by the metadata built into P2P sharing applications like Files Go.
Google has worked on a way to keep those users secure who love side-loading applications. Back in June, they started to automatically add security metadata to any app uploaded to the Google Play Store so that they can be verified as originating from Google Play when shared elsewhere. This helps users by having their side-loaded apps receive updates from Google Play as if they installed it from the Play Store, and helps developers by better tracking these users for support. But this security measure had one big catch: It only worked when the device was online and in contact with the Google Play Store. Since Google implemented the feature to help users in countries with limited data plans and connectivity, this needed to be fixed.
How to Locally Capture a System Trace on Android Pie
systrace is a powerful tool that collects timing information from processes running on Android. Here's how to capture a system trace on Android Pie.
Tracing is an invaluable tool that enables developers to understand the impact that various changes have on a system and can provide clues to identify the root cause of problems.
Developers are facing huge drop in new installs after Play Store algorithm changes
Developers of Android apps and games are reporting huge drops in new installs after Google quietly tweaks the Play Store's search and discovery algorithm.
Some Android app and game developers are panicking because their daily installation rates have plummeted in the past week. These developers have noticed new downloads slow down by up to 90%. The affected developers quickly realized they were not alone in these changes to their day-to-day app installation rate with multiple threads on Reddit, a post on the Unity forums, and even a Gamasutra community blog post popping up to help spread the word that something was amiss. Clearly, something is wrong here, and some indie developers are concerned that their livelihood may be at stake. So what's going on?