Android Developers Blog: android developers

Congratulations to the winners of the Google Play Indie Games Contest 2017 in Europe

13 February 2018

Posted by Adriana Puchianu, Developer Marketing Google Play We have just wrapped up the second edition of the Google Play Indie Games Contest in Europe! The iconic Saatchi Gallery in London welcomed 20 developers, from 12 countries, who showcased their games to the audience of gamers, industry experts, and journalists. The finalists' games were on show to the public, who spent three hours trying out their games and voting for their favourites, alongside the Google Play team. The top 10 finalists were then selected, and went on to pitch their games, and compete for the big prizes in front of our jury.

Please join us in congratulating the winners! They will be bringing home a well-deserved diploma, along with a prize package that will help them reach more gamers worldwide; including premium placement on the Google Play Store, marketing campaigns of up to 100,000 EUR and influencer campaigns of up to 50,000 EUR, the latest Google hardware, tickets to Google I/O, and much more. It's really inspiring to see the excitement around this second edition, and great to see the new wave of indie games coming from Europe. We are already looking forward to playing the games that will be developed in 2018! Check out the main winners and the other finalists on the Google Play Store! Winner

Bury me, my love Playdius France A reality-inspired interactive fiction designed for mobile phones. It tells the story of Nour, a Syrian woman trying to reach Europe in hope of a better life. Runners up

Old Man's Journey Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH Austria A story game about life's precious moments, broken dreams, and changed plans.

Yellow Bart Bonte Belgium A puzzle game for you! A love letter to a marvelous colour and to the little wonder called touchscreens. Warning: very yellow! The other games that have made it into top 10 are:

Captain Tom Galactic Traveler Picodongames France An open world platformer and space exploration game. Embark on an exploratory mission, discover planets, collect oxygen, play with gravity.

I Love Hue Zut! United Kingdom A minimalist, ambient puzzle game influenced by mindfulness apps and abstract art. Players arrange shuffled mosaics of coloured tiles into perfectly ordered palettes.

Jodeo Gamebra.in Turkey Jodeo is a 2D jelly critter. There's something it's curious about: what if 3D objects and 2D physics are in the same game? How can 2D objects interact with 3D objects?

Kami 2 State of Play United Kingdom The calming yet addictive puzzle game is back! With over 100 handcrafted puzzles, it takes you on a mind-twisting journey that combines logic and problem-solving.

Kenshō FIFTYTWO Russia A tile sliding puzzle with a wonderful soundtrack. Mysterious things happen in a ruined room. Doors inside that room lead to different worlds and beautiful landscapes.

No More Buttons Tommy Søreide Kjær Norway A hand-drawn platformer where the buttons are part of the environment.

The Big Journey Catfishbox Ukraine Designed for kids and adults alike, this a beautiful, casual adventure. Tilt to roll around and explore a beautiful world with Mr. Whiskers.

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Discover tools for Android data migration and improve your app retention

12 February 2018

Posted by Sean McQuillan (@objcode) and Prateek Tandon (@ptandon05) What happens to app usage and accessibility when people get new phones? The feedback we've had is that people want apps to work straight out of the box, just like on their old phones. Developers of successful apps might also be used to thinking about user activation in a model borrowed straight from web. On the web, people register new accounts, activate by finding great features, then become retained when they experience value, and come back repeatedly to use your web page. The story is much the same on mobile. People register to create new accounts, activate by using your great features, then become retained when they find value and repeatedly launch your app. However, there's one big difference. Android apps typically store more information compared to your average web session. You usually never have to re-enter your password for an Android app for years, post account creation, that is until the moment you get a new phone. Getting a new phone can be a rare event for many people - some going years between upgrading devices. However, overall a large proportion of those who use your app will get a new phone every year. We have several tools to help you keep people logged in, engaged, and happy when they use your app on a new phone. Back up your app data Auto Backup for apps should be configured for every application. This feature does exactly what it says - automatically backs up your app data. So when people get a new phone, their app data is automatically restored before your app launches. To configure Auto Backup for your app you need to setup include/exclude rules: AndroidManifest.xml <application ... android:fullBackupContent="@xml/autobackup"> xml/autobackup.xml <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <full-backup-content> <include domain="sharedpref" path="."/> <exclude domain="sharedpref" path="device.xml"/> </full-backup-content> When configuring include/exclude rules it's important to avoid storing sensitive user data in Auto Backup, although it's a great place to store user specific settings and other app content! To implement tracking for Auto Backup register a BackupAgent and listen for onQuotaExceeded(long, long) callback. If your app exceeds the 25MB backup limit, this callback will be your notification of failure. In a well configured app this will never happen, so you can track it as a crash report. Learn more about Auto Backup for apps. Optimize log-in When we talk to people about the experiences they want on their new phones they're very clear; they want your app to remember who they are, and they don't want to re-enter a password. There are several ways you can accomplish this as a developer:

Use Google Sign-In to make login frictionless. People can sign in with their Gmail account, or any email address. Most importantly, they don't need to remember a password. On top of improving registration and activation, enabling Google Sign-In will also help with retention as it allows those getting new phones to reactivate with a single button, or even automatically. Even better, you can use Google Sign-In for the same login experience for your iOS, Web, and Android applications. This seamless experience is also available if your app uses Firebase Auth to handle Google Sign-In.

Make things simpler by using Google Smart Lock and Autofill. These two features work hand in hand to help people safely access their passwords. Autofill was introduced in Android O, and will offer to save your app user's passwords to the Smart Lock datastore, or their preferred password manager, automatically when they log in. To prepare your app, setup Autofill hints, and exclude fields that should not be filled by the Autofill framework.

<TextView

android:id="@+id/username" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:autofillHints="username" />

Integrate the Smart Lock for Passwords API to safely store passwords. It's backwards compatible to API 9 and works great on devices with older versions of Android that don't work with Autofill. Similar to Autofill, Smart Lock API will offer a dialog to save people's passwords after they log in. But even better - it enables programmatic retrieval for automatic return to user sign-in, even across new devices and in Chrome. To support this Smart Lock functionality you will need to include some code in your app; check out the Codelab to learn how to integrate Smart Lock for Passwords to your app. Also, be sure to link your app and website, for a smooth experience across Chrome and Android with Autofill and Smart Lock.Consider using the Account Transfer API so your app can transfer credentials from an old phone to a new one. It does this using an encrypted bluetooth/cable, and you can transfer data from phones running API 14 or higher. Account transfer happens when your app user is setting up their new phone for the first time, though your app doesn't need to be installed from the Google Play Store. When your app re-installs from Google Play, the credentials will be available to your app on first launch. Watch more best practices to get started with the Account Transfer API, and read the API guide for Account Transfer. Codelabs If you haven't already, try the Auto Backup for Android Codelab, and SmartLock Codelab. Improving retention on Android for many people will involve trying to overcome the friction of device switches. With a rich toolbox at your disposal to transfer settings with Auto Backup, and to improve the login experience with Google Sign-In, Smart Lock for Passwords, Autofill, and Account Transfer API, you have the opportunity to deliver a great user story: your app works on people's new phones, just like it did on their old phones.

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Join us for Google Developer Day at GDC 2018

26 January 2018

Posted by Kacey Fahey, Developer Marketing, Google Play We're hosting another Google Developer Day at this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC) on Monday, March 19th.

Join us for a full day, where we'll kick things off with a keynote to share our latest news for game developers, followed by three sessions focused on innovation & new platforms, pre-launch best practices, and strategies to improve performance post-launch. Each session will include mini-talks from different Google teams and developer partners sharing new tools, learnings and more. We'll also have a booth in Moscone South, Wednesday (March 21) through Friday (March 23), offering three days of additional talks from many Google teams and a chance for you to ask the experts any of your questions. Stop by to hear talks, meet experts, and try out exciting demos. These events are part of the official Game Developers Conference and require a pass to attend. Learn more about Google's activities throughout the week on our event site where you can sign up to stay informed. For those who can't make it in person, join the live stream starting at 10am PST on Monday, March 19th.

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Meet the finalists of the Google Play Indie Games Contest in Europe

15 January 2018

Posted by Adriana Puchianu, Developer Marketing Google Play Back in October we launched the 2nd edition of the Google Play Indie Games Contest in Europe, with the aim to identify, showcase and reward indie gaming talent from more than 30 countries. We were amazed by the innovation and creativity that indie developers from the region have to offer. Selecting just 20 finalists has once again been a huge challenge. We had a lot of fun playing the games that will go on to showcase at the Saatchi Gallery on February 13th in London. Without further ado, we are happy to announce the Top 20 finalists of this year's edition. Congratulations to the finalists and thanks to everyone else who has entered the contest.

A Planet of Mine
Tuesday Quest
France

Bridge Constructor Portal
ClockStone Softwareentwicklung GmbH
Austria

Bury me, my Love
Playdius
France

Captain Tom Galactic Traveler
Picodongames
France

Core
FURYJAM
Russia

Flat Pack
Nitrome
United Kingdom

Fern Flower
Macaque
Poland

I Love Hue
Zut!
United Kingdom

Jodeo
Gamebra.in
Turkey

Kami 2
State of Play
United Kingdom

Kenshō
FIFTYTWO
Russia

No More Buttons
Tommy Søreide Kjær
Norway

Old Man's Journey
Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH
Austria

Radium 2 | Ra²
Developster
Germany

The Big Journey
Catfishbox
Ukraine

The House of Da Vinci
Blue Brain Games, s.r.o.
Slovakia

The Office Quest
11Sheep
Israel

Unbalance
TVEE
Turkey

Undervault
Andriy Bychkovskyi
Ukraine

yellow
Bart Bonte
Belgium

Check out the prizes All the 20 finalists are getting:

A paid trip to London to showcase their game at the Final held at Saatchi Gallery

Inclusion of their game on a promotional billboard in London for 1 month

Inclusion of their game in a dedicated Indie Games Contest collection on the Indie Corner for one month in more than 40 countries across EMEA

Two (2) tickets to attend a 2018 Playtime event, an invitation-only event for top apps and games developers on Google Play

One (1) Pixel 2 device

They will also have the chance to win more prizes at the final event. Join the Google Play team and the finalists at the final event: Anyone can now register to attend the final showcase event for free at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 13 February 2018. Come and play some great games and have fun with indie developers, industry experts, and the Google Play team. How useful did you find this blogpost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Android Excellence: Congratulations to the newly added apps and games

11 January 2018

Posted by Kacey Fahey, Developer Marketing, Google PlayKicking off the new year, we're excited to welcome our latest group of Android Excellence apps and games. These awardees represent some of the best experiences and top performing apps and games on the Play Store and can be found with other great selections on the Editors' Choice page.

If you're looking for some new apps, below are a few highlights.

EyeEm: A great photo editor app with a full suite of filters and tools to make your pictures shine. Learn style tips from their community and even sell your images through the EyeEm marketplace.

Musixmatch: Check out Musixmatch's updated app while learning the lyrics to all your favorite songs. The app is compatible with many of the top music streaming services and you can even follow along with your Android Wear device or on the big screen with Chromecast support.

ViewRanger: Plan your next hiking adventure by discovering new routes and trail guides with ViewRanger. Check out the Skyline feature using your phone's camera to identify over 9 million sites across the world through augmented reality.

Here are a few of our favorite new games joining the collection.

Fire Emblem Heroes: Nintendo's popular strategy-RPG franchise is now reimagined for mobile. Fight battles, develop your heroes' skills, and try various gameplay modes for hours of exciting gameplay.

Lumino City: Explore the charming papercraft style world in this award-winning puzzle adventure game. The beautiful scenery is all handcrafted.

Old Man's Journey: Gorgeous scenery, an immersive soundtrack, and deep emotion help you uncover the old man's life stories while you solve puzzles and shape the landscape to determine his future.

Congratulations to the newly added Android Excellence apps and games.

New Android Excellence apps

New Android Excellence games

Blink Health

EyeEm

Mobills: Budget Planner

Musixmatch

Stocard

Bit Heroes

Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow

Idle Heroes

Last Day on Earth: Survival

The Walking Dead No Man's Land

War Wings

Explore other great apps and games in the Editors' Choice section on Google Play and discover best practices to help you build quality apps and games for people to love.

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A look back at the most read Google Play posts on Medium in 2017

28 December 2017

Posted by Sergejs Cuhrajs, Community Manager, Google Play

Earlier this year we launched the Google Play Apps & Games publication on Medium to help developers discover best practices and insights to grow successful apps and games businesses on Google Play. As we draw closer to the end of the year we thought it's a good time to revisit some of our most popular posts according to you – our readers. It's clear that many of you are excited by the potential of new technology, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), and how it could enhance user interaction with your apps and games. You're also concerned with everyday issues including how to keep your APK size manageable, how to acquire new users, and how to monetize games without pushing away your players. So without further adieu, here's the list of the top 10:

Applying human-centered design to emerging technologies
(by By Peter Hyer, Fabian Herrmann, and Kristin Kelly, 7 min read)
VR, AR, and digital assistant present exciting opportunities for the future, but how can we ensure we're designing for what people really want?

Shrinking APKs, growing installs
(by Sam Tolomei, 6 min read)
Smaller APK sizes correlate with higher install conversion rate on Google Play - we share tips for keeping your apps lean.

Who plays mobile games?
(by Allen Bevans, UX Researcher at Google, 6 min read)
Four actionable insights for game developers based on our research into different player segments.

Why the first ten minutes are crucial if you want to keep players coming back
(by Adam Carpenter, 7 min read)
How to analyze your retention data so you can keep players coming back again and again.

Design your app for decision-making
(by Jeni Fisher, 10 min read)
Useful tips and strategies for encouraging desired user behavior in your apps. Also check out follow-up posts on boosting motivation through app rewards, and common pitfalls of persuasive app design.

Predicting your app's monetization future
(by Ignacio Monereo, 10 min read)
Learn about predictive analytics and calculating your apps lifetime value (LTV) to gain practical insight into the future of your app. In the second part Ignacio shares how to calculate LTV based on five popular monetization models.

Five tips to improve your games-as-a-service monetization
(by Moonlit Beshimov, 9 min read)
5 proven strategies to improve your game revenue without driving players away.

An introduction to in-app A/B testing
(by Gavin Kinghall Were, 13 min read)
Learn how in-app A/B testing can drive insight into your app's future design and development, and maximise its performance.

Taking the guesswork out of paid user acquisition
(by David Yin, 8 min read)
A simple tool to help you estimate lifetime value (LTV) of your users and what to spend to grow your audience.

Rethinking interface assumptions in AR: selecting objects
(by Aaron Cammarata, 8 min read)
In this article for beginner AR developers we explore one of the most fundamental user interface actions: object selection.

Do you have suggestions for topics we should tackle in 2018? Let us know by tweeting with the hashtag #AskPlayDev and we'll reply from @GooglePlayDev, where we regularly share news and tips on how to be successful on Google Play.

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Improving app security and performance on Google Play for years to come

19 December 2017

Posted by Edward Cunningham, Product Manager, Android [Edit: Updated post on Dec 21 to clarify that when the 64-bit requirement is introduced in August 2019, 32-bit support is not going away. Apps that include a 32-bit library just need to have a 64-bit version too.] Google Play powers billions of app installs and updates annually. We relentlessly focus on security and performance to ensure everyone has a positive experience discovering and installing apps and games they love. Today we're giving Android developers a heads-up about three changes designed to support these goals, as well as explaining the reasons for each change, and how they will help make Android devices even more secure and performant for the long term.

In the second half of 2018, Play will require that new apps and app updates target a recent Android API level. This will be required for new apps in August 2018, and for updates to existing apps in November 2018. This is to ensure apps are built on the latest APIs optimized for security and performance.

In August 2019, Play will require that new apps and app updates with native libraries provide 64-bit versions in addition to their 32-bit versions.

Additionally, in early 2018, Play will start adding a small amount of security metadata on top of each APK to further verify app authenticity. You do not need to take any action for this change.

We deeply appreciate our developer ecosystem, and so hope this long advance notice is helpful in planning your app releases. We will continue to provide reminders and share developer resources as key dates approach to help you prepare. Target API level requirement from late 2018 API behavior changes advance the security and privacy protections of Android – helping developers secure their apps and protecting people from malware. Here are a few such changes from recent platform versions:

Implicit intents for bindService() no longer supported (Android 5.0)

Runtime permissions (Android 6.0)

User-added CAs not trusted by default for secure connections (Android 7.0)

Apps can't access user accounts without explicit user approval (Android 8.0)

Many of these changes only apply to apps that explicitly declare their support for new API behaviors, through the targetSdkVersion manifest attribute. For example, only apps with a targetSdkVersion of 23 (the API level of Android 6.0) or higher give the user full control over what private data – such as contacts or location – the app can access via runtime permissions. Similarly, recent releases include user experience improvements that prevent apps from accidentally overusing resources like battery and memory; background execution limits is a good example of this type of improvement. In order to provide users with the best Android experience possible, the Google Play Console will require that apps target a recent API level:

August 2018: New apps required to target API level 26 (Android 8.0) or higher.

November 2018: Updates to existing apps required to target API level 26 or higher.

2019 onwards: Each year the targetSdkVersion requirement will advance. Within one year following each Android dessert release, new apps and app updates will need to target the corresponding API level or higher.

Existing apps that are not receiving updates are unaffected. Developers remain free to use a minSdkVersion of their choice, so there is no change to your ability to build apps for older Android versions. We encourage developers to provide backwards compatibility as far as reasonably possible. Future Android versions will also restrict apps that don't target a recent API level and adversely impact performance or security. We want to proactively reduce fragmentation in the app ecosystem and ensure apps are secure and performant while providing developers with a long window and plenty of notice in order to plan ahead. This year we released Android Oreo, the most secure and best performing version of Android yet, and we introduced Project Treble to help the latest releases reach devices faster. Get started building apps that target Android 8.1 Oreo today. 64-bit support requirement in 2019 Platform support for 64-bit architectures was introduced in Android 5.0. Today, over 40% of Android devices coming online have 64-bit support, while still maintaining 32-bit compatibility. For apps that use native libraries, 64-bit code typically offers significantly better performance, with additional registers and new instructions. In anticipation of future Android devices that support 64-bit code only, the Play Console will require that new apps and app updates with native libraries provide 64-bit versions in addition to their 32-bit versions. This can be within a single APK or as one of the multiple APKs published. We are not removing 32-bit support. Google Play will continue to support 32-bit apps and devices. Apps that do not include native code are unaffected. This change will come into effect in August 2019. We're providing advance notice today to allow plenty of time for developers who don't yet support 64-bit to plan the transition. Stay tuned for a future post in which we'll take an in-depth look at the performance benefits of 64-bit native libraries on Android, and check out the CPUs and Architectures guide of the NDK for more info. Security metadata in early 2018 Next year we'll begin adding a small amount of security metadata on top of each APK to verify that it was officially distributed by Google Play. Often when you buy a physical product, you'll find an official label or a badge which signifies the product's authenticity. The metadata we're adding to APKs is like a Play badge of authenticity for your Android app. No action is needed by developers or users. We'll adjust Play's maximum APK size to take into account the small metadata addition, which is inserted into the APK Signing Block and does not alter the functionality of your app. In addition to enhancing the integrity of Play's mobile app ecosystem, this metadata will enable new distribution opportunities for developers in the future and help more people keep their apps up to date. Looking ahead 2017 has been a fantastic year for developers who have seen growth and success on Google Play. We've been hard at work on features (including those announced at I/O 2017 and at Playtime) to help you improve your app quality and business performance. With these features and the upcoming updates, we hope to see the Android and Play ecosystem continue to thrive in 2018 and beyond. How useful did you find this blogpost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Google Play's Indie Games Contest is back in Europe. Enter now

19 October 2017

Posted by Adriana Puchianu, Developer Marketing Google PlayFollowing last year's success, today we're announcing the second annual Google Play Indie Games Contest in Europe, expanding to more countries and bigger prizes. The contest rewards your passion, creativity and innovation, and provides support to help bring your game to more people. Prizes for the finalists and winners

A trip to London to showcase your game at the Saatchi Gallery

Paid digital marketing campaigns worth up to 100,000 EUR

Influencer campaigns worth up to 50,000 EUR

Premium placements on Google Play

Promotion on Android and Google Play marketing channels

Tickets to Google I/O 2018 and other top industry events

Latest Google hardware

Special prizes for the best Unity games

How to enter the contestIf you're based in one of the 28 eligible countries, have 30 or less full time employees, and published a new game on Google Play after 1 January 2017, you may now be eligible to enter the contest. If you're planning on publishing a new game soon, you can also enter by submitting a private beta. Check out all the details in the terms and conditions. Submissions close on 31 December 2017.

Up to 20 finalists will showcase their games at an open event at the Saatchi Gallery in London on the 13th February 2018. At the event, the top 10 will be selected by the event attendees and the Google Play team. The top 10 will then pitch to the jury of industry experts, from which the final winner and runners up will be selected. Come along to the final eventAnyone can register to attend the final showcase event at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 13 February 2018. Play some great indie games and have fun with indie developers,industry experts, and the Google Play team. Enter nowVisit the contest site to find out more and enter the Indie Games Contest now. How useful did you find this blogpost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Fight global hunger with your favorite apps and games on Google Play

16 October 2017

Editor's note: Cross-post from The Keyword. If you’re a developer interested in supporting a fundraising cause within your title or if you have a social impact app, let us know

Posted by Maxim Mai, Partner Development Manager, Google Play

On October 16, people from around the world come together for World Food Day, with the goal to promote awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and to advocate for food security and nutritious diets for all. To raise funds and awareness for this cause, Google Play has joined forces with 12 popular apps and games to create the Apps and Games Against Hunger collection available in North and Latin America. From now until October 21, 100% of revenue from designated in-app purchases made in Google Play's Apps and Games Against Hunger collection will be donated to World Food Program USA. World Food Program USA supports the mission of the UN World Food Programme, the leading agency fighting hunger, by mobilizing individuals, lawmakers and businesses in the U.S. to advance the global movement to end hunger, feeding families in need around the world.

These are the 12 global leading apps and games taking part in this special fundraising collection on Google Play: ShareTheMeal–Help children Peak–Brain Games & Training Dragon City Cooking Fever Animation Throwdown: TQFC Legendary: Game of Heroes My Cafe: Recipes & Stories - World Cooking Game TRANSFORMERS: Forged to Fight Rodeo Stampede: Sky Zoo Safari Jurassic World™: The Game MARVEL Contest of Champions Sling Kong Thank you to all our users and developers for supporting World Food Day. .blogimg img { width: 100%; margin: 0; border: 0; padding: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Android Excellence: congratulations to the new apps and games for Fall 2017

03 October 2017

Posted by Kacey Fahey, Developer Marketing, Google Play Android Excellence recognizes some of the highest quality apps and games on Google Play. With a strong focus on great design, an engaging user experience, and strong app performance, this set of apps and games show the diversity of content on Google Play. Whether you're trying to better manage personal finances with Money Lover or want to experience the thrill of stunt-racing with stunning graphics and real-time challenges in Asphalt 8, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

One new awardee is Bring!, a simple-to-use app that helps manage your grocery lists. Use the existing catalog of items or add your own product photos, then share your lists and message in-app to let others know when it's time to shop. If you're looking for a new game to play, Karma. Incarnation 1. is a "wonderfully weird, puzzle-filled indie adventure game." With beautiful hand-drawn art, you guide the story's hero through moments of humor and challenge to be reunited with his love. Congratulations to the new Android Excellence apps and games for Fall 2017.

New Android Excellence apps

New Android Excellence games

Agoda

Asphalt 8

AlarmMon

Bubble Witch 3 Saga

Bring!

Castle Creeps

CastBox

Crab War

Email by Edison

Crash of Cars

Eve

Dan the Man

Fotor

Dawn of Titans

Mint

Dream Defense

Money Lover

Iron Marines

Onefootball

Karma. Incarnation 1.

Robinhood

Postknight

Viki

Sky Force Reloaded

Zombie Age 3

Explore other great apps and games in the Editors’ Choice section on Google Play. How useful did you find this blogpost?
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Announcing the Winners from the Indie Games Festival in San Francisco

26 September 2017

Posted by Kacey Fahey, Developer Marketing, Google Play At the Google Play Indie Games Festival over the weekend, we welcomed hundreds of attendees to try out and enjoy a diverse range of amazing games from the indie community. The competition was very tough, and in the end, we recognized three winners:

Flipping Legend by Hiding Spot

Slayaway Camp by Blue Wizard Digital

Tiny Bubbles by Pine Street Codeworks (coming soon!)

We'd also like to congratulate the rest of the Top 10 developers and all of the finalists who shared their games to make for such a fun and exciting event. Check out the great collection of games on Google Play. Here are the other seven games that rounded out the Top 10:

Age of Rivals by Roboto Games

Beast Brawlers - PvP Arena by V2 Games Inc.

Covens by Raincrow Studios, LLC

Crashy Cars by pixelbizarre

Jigsaw Story by Happy Square Studio Inc

Loteria Latin Bingo by Gorilla Bean Games

Splitter Critters by RAC7

The day started with time for attendees to play the 20 finalists' games. They experienced different genres and styles of gameplay and were encouraged to talk with the developers about their work and what it's like to make mobile games for a living. The event brought together kids, adults, gaming enthusiasts and non-gamers, and was a great representation of the fun experiences mobile games create. In the afternoon, attendees voted for their favorites and the Top 10 moved on to the presentation round. These developers had three minutes to deliver their best pitch to the panel of judges. After the judges voted, results were in and the three winners and seven runners up were named. If you like indie games and want to keep up with our favorite indie picks, visit the Indie Corner on Google Play. How useful did you find this blogpost?
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Helping indie developers get discovered on Google Play

08 September 2017

Posted by Adriana Puchianu, Google Play Developer Marketing There are increasing growth opportunities for indie game developers, but being one can still feel daunting in today's crowded gaming industry. We've been working hard to help indie developers find an audience and to recognize them for their creativity and innovation. We launched the Indie Corner as a destination for exciting new games along with longstanding indie masterpieces. Since launch, more than 380 games have been featured. Earlier this year, we launched Android Excellence which showcases apps and games that deliver incredible user experiences on Android, while providing another opportunity to be discovered on Google Play. We've also held several indie games contests across the globe, giving indies the chance to showcase their games and find new audiences. In April, we selected the winner of the second Indie Games Festival in South Korea and we recently announced the top 20 finalists of this year's San Francisco event. Come and see the finalists in person on September 23rd, it's free to attend and open to the public. Soon we'll be bringing back the second Indie Games Contest in Europe too. Watch François Alliot, the developer of Reigns, an indie game showcased in Android Excellence and the winner of last year's Indie Games Contest in Europe, share how he built a successful games business in the video below. And, finally, check out our recent Q&A; with Spry Fox, makers of the popular game Alphabear, to learn more about what it’s like to be an indie game developer. How useful did you find this blogpost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Optimize your Android apps for Chromebooks

07 September 2017

Posted by Cheryl Lindo Jones, Mobile App Solutions Consultant, Google Play As more Chromebooks are enabled with Google Play, now is a great time to optimize your Android app for Chromebooks to reach a larger audience. The changes made to optimize for large screens will benefit mobile devices that are able to project to desktop monitors, like the Samsung Galaxy S8. The current list of Chromebooks that can access the Play Store continues to grow. There are several differences to consider when optimizing your Android app or game for Chromebooks:

Larger screen sizes and higher resolutions

Multi-window and resizable-window support

Different hardware input methods: keyboard, trackpad, mouse, stylus

Convertible Chromebooks enabling use in laptop and tablet modes

Chromebook users can change screen resolutions, switch between various input methods, and convert from laptop to tablet mode at any time, so Android apps and games should handle all of these situations gracefully. Discoverability on Google Play If Android apps or games require hardware not available in a Chromebook (like cellular capability or GPS), those titles will not show up on Google Play for Chromebook users, similar to Play on Android tablets. Developers should maximize discoverability on Google Play by doing the following: Set requested permissions and uses-features in the manifest to ensure compatibility with Chromebooks. Not all Chromebooks will have touchscreens, GPS, or rear-facing cameras which are typical for smartphones. Update the manifest so that sensors and hardware not commonly found on Chromebooks are not required. Example: <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen" android:required="false" /> Optimizing functionality While most apps and games already work fairly well on Chromebooks without any changes, it is still a good idea to explore how to provide an optimized, consistent experience for Chromebook users. Large screens and resizable windows Chromebook users will be more inclined to multitask, opening multiple apps and/or games at once, taking advantage of the screen size, and operating in a manner consistent with a desktop or laptop form factor. Unlike on Android phones, they can also change the screen resolution to fit more onto the screen, or enlarge the fonts, UI, and graphics, if needed. Multi-window support and fully resizable window support are key for this usage. Graphics, fonts, layout, and touch targets should be adjusted accordingly as the screen resolution and orientation changes. It is also important to note that just because an app or game window is not in focus, it does not mean that it is not visible. For example, if a video app is open in an inactive window, it should continue to play content "in the background" because it could still be visible along side another app window. To fully support multi-window usage in this case, pause video in onStop(), and resume in onStart(). Targeting Android N (API level 24 and higher) will signal to the Chrome OS window manager that compatibility restrictions should not be used. This allows for more flexibility and control on the developer's part for supporting window resizing.

The system will handle window management best if Android N is targeted, but for pre-N API support, windows can be toggled between either a default size selected at app launch, or a full-screen mode with either the window bar visible, or with window UI hidden in immersive full-screen mode. When handling different windowing modes, it is important to know that the window area for an app or game will be offset by the presence or absence of the window control bar. The app should not assume that the activity will always be at (0,0) in the window. Adjust the layout and touch targets accordingly. It is somewhat common to see apps or games become unresponsive after a window resize or orientation change because it did not gracefully handle the presence of the window control bar, or the higher resolution settings of a Chromebook screen. Orientation support Because of the laptop form-factor, Chromebook users expect landscape to be the default orientation for apps on Chromebooks. However, Android apps often assume that portrait is the default orientation to support, due to the typical way users interact with their smartphones. To offer flexibility to users, it is highly recommended to support both portrait and landscape orientations. Some Chromebooks are convertible, so users can change between laptop and tablet modes at will, switching between portrait and landscape orientation, according to what feels comfortable for a given use case. Most importantly, if possible, do not require a restart if the orientation or window size changes. If a user is in the process of filling out a form, creating or editing some content, or in the middle of a level in a game and loses progress because of an window change -- intentional or not -- it would be a poor user experience. Developers can monitor window configuration changes using onConfigurationChanged() and dynamically handle those changes by adding this line to the activity's manifest: android:configChanges="screenSize|smallestScreenSize|orientation|screenLayout". If it is absolutely necessary to require a restart upon changes to the window, at least restore state by using the onSaveInstanceState() method so that work or state is not lost. Additionally, it is important to be consistent with the app's orientation as the user is navigating through activities. Currently, the system forces Android apps to follow the orientation of the root activity to help maintain consistency. However, this may result in a situation where, perhaps an app starts out in landscape orientation, and a login screen normally laid out for portrait orientation pops up, and now does not look optimized due to an unresponsive layout. Also, it is still possible to have a case where a springboard activity starts out in an orientation that is different from the primary orientation of the app. Please keep these possible scenarios in mind when designing the layout for activities. Finally, developers should be aware of the differences in handling cameras and orientation on Chromebooks. Obviously, Android phones have front-facing and rear-facing cameras that are situated at the top of a portrait-oriented screen. The front-facing cameras on Chromebooks are situated at the top of a landscape-oriented screen. Many Chromebooks do not have rear-facing cameras. If an app requires a camera, it would be best to use android.hardware.camera.any to access the front-facing camera, if a rear-facing one is not available. Again, developers should target Android N and, if possible allow the app to be resizable so that the system can take care of properly orienting the camera previews. Supporting multiple input methods Chromebook users are used to interacting with webpages and apps using a keyboard and trackpad. Effectively supporting these two input methods for an Android app means:

Supporting hotkeys for commands that a desktop app user may be familiar with

Using arrow and tab keys and a trackpad to navigate an activity

Allowing hover and opening context menus

Supporting other trackpad gestures to enhance productivity in desktop/laptop mode

Something as simple as hitting return to send text in a messaging app, or allowing a user to navigate fields by hitting the tab key will make an app feel more efficient and cohesive on a Chromebook. While there is a compatibility mode for Chrome OS to emulate touchscreen scrolling and other touch events, it would be best to optimize an Android app by declaring <uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.type.pc" android:required="false" /> in the manifest to disable compatibility mode in order to further define custom support for keyboard and trackpad. Similarly, the system can guess at giving focus to the right views when navigating via the tab or arrow keys on a keyboard. But for best performance, specify how keyboard navigation should be handled in the activity manifest using the android:nextFocusForward attribute for tab navigation, and android:nextFocusUp, android:nextFocusDown, android:nextFocusLeft, android:nextFocusRight attributes for arrow key navigation. On a related note, some Chromebooks do not have touchscreens, therefore well-optimized Android apps on Chrome should not assume the user can perform typical swipe and multi-touch tap gestures to navigate through an app or game. If primary functionality cannot be performed using only a keyboard or trackpad, the user experience will be severely impacted on non-touchscreen Chromebooks. Try to "translate" existing touchscreen tap and swipe gestures into something that can be easily done on a trackpad or using the keyboard. Newer Chromebooks are gaining stylus support, allowing for richer interactions for sketchbook and note-taking apps, photo editors, games, and more. Developers are encouraged to use available APIs to support pressure-sensitivity, tilt, and eraser inputs. To enable users to comfortably rest their hands on the screen while writing, drawing, or playing games with the stylus, support palm rejection. The system will attempt to ignore input from a user's resting palm, but in case such erroneous touch events are registered, Android apps should gracefully handle ACTION_CANCEL events to erase the erroneous inputs. By supporting all of these additional input methods, users will be able to take full advantage of the laptop mode for Chromebooks to work more efficiently, or to be more creative. Learn more While a lot was covered in this article, we have additional resources for you to learn more about optimizing their apps and games for Chromebooks. Read our Medium post with tips to get your app running great on Chromebooks and watch our session at Google I/O 2017, Android Apps for Chromebooks and Large Screen Devices. There is also training material on the Android developers website for building apps for Chrome OS. If you have any questions, reach out to the Android developer community and post with the hashtag #AndroidAppsOnChromeOS. How useful did you find this blogpost? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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