The recent rollout of Google Play Services 8.1 has given app developers an outline on how to get their apps ready for Android Marshmallow and making full use of the new features from the rollout. Google Play Services 8.1 has a number of new stuff with it, and while you may not recognize them as of yet, they may come visually integrated into your favorite apps pretty soon.
To speak the truth, these new features will not be immediately available for end users, but they’re more for developers to integrate them into their apps so users can reap the benefits. These new features include new Android Marshmallow Permissions – which will enable users to manage permissions for apps at a new level. The new services also include new App Invites, where users can invite their Google contacts via email or SMS to try an app out, giving more opportunities for audience growth.
There are also new additions like the Nearby Status Listener, where an app can receive information based on active Nearby data. Another interesting new feature is the Ambient Mode Maps, where maps are rendered low-color and simplified. This will reduces power consumption because of fewer pixel usage, but users retain functionality of camera and zoom. For more details, you can check out the video below.
The SDK for Google Play Services 8.1 is now available for developers. They can download this via the Android SDK Manager, so they can start integrating the new features to their apps.
SOURCE: Google
