The Nearby Connections API was designed by Google for Android devices and basically other things that are in physical proximity to the user, provided that it was able to share info and data wirelessly. At last year’s I/O Developers Conference, Google announced that it was going to rehash the API, and now that time has arrived. Say hello to “Nearby Connections 2.0”.
The Nearby Connections 2.0 API is optimized to do one thing that the version before was not able to do – and that is to work fully offline. The API is now able to give you and your apps higher bandwith operations, lower latency, and encrypted connections, all while not connected to any data or internet connection. The API will make use of WiFi, Bluetooth LE, and Classic Bluetooth for its main connections.
There are a lot of possible applications for the API. Google says, “Imagine walking into a hotel room and having the temperature set just right, your favorite sub-genre of progressive-math-rock playing in the background, and the TV urging you to continue binging on your saved guilty-pleasures watchlist.” Or, “What if your phone’s contact book could expand to merge with your spouse’s when you’re together, so you’re never again put in the excruciatingly compromising position of having to ask for your mother-in-law’s phone number?” These are just some of the real-world applications of the API.
The limit is really what the app developers can come up with. The API is now available on all devices running Google Play Services 11.0 and up, so app developers can now utilize the API for their apps.
SOURCE: Android
