Newsletter - November 2017

Android

• Android Studio 3.0 is now available for download.
• Announcing Architecture Components 1.0 Stable .
• Check out how developers at Basecamp, Pinterest, and Expedia are saving time and increasing productivity by writing their Android Apps using the Kotlin programming language.
• Grow your business with new Google Play Console features announced at Playtime 2017, including five new Android vitals, alpha and beta specific country testing, the new Google Play Security Reward Program, and more.
• If you’re interested in developing Android apps with ARCore , check out what we learned by testing object selection in AR .
• If you're an indie game developer, enter the Google Play Indie Games Contest in Europe by Dec 31st for a chance to win prizes that will showcase your art and help you grow your business.
• How to analyze your mobile game’s retention data : Why the first ten minutes are crucial if you want to keep players coming back.

Firebase

• Hundreds of developers attended Firebase Dev Summit last month in Amsterdam. Check out what’s new in Firebase, including Predictions , Crashlytics , A/B testing , and more.
• Kudos! Doodle used Crashlytics and Remote Config to increase engagement by 42%, and games developer Halfbrick used Predictions to boost 7-day retention by 20%.

Web

• ICYMI, Lighthouse 2.5 was recently released!
• It’s been two years since publishers and platforms came together to launch the open source Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project . See how websites have been taking full advantage of all of AMP's capabilities .

Misc

• TensorFlow release 1.4 is now public.
• “What’s new” and “What’s trending” sections, as well as intent-based subcategories have been added to the Google Assistant app directory on mobile, making it easier for users to find your apps.
• Launchpad is coming to Africa to support local tech startups! Apply to join the first accelerator class by December 11, 9am PST. Launchpad Africa will kick-off as a three-month accelerator that provides African startups with over $3 million in equity-free support, working space, travel and PR backing, and access to expert advisers from Google, Africa, and around the world.
• The first Launchpad Studio startup track focused on applying ML to Healthcare and Biotech has been announced. If you’re solving big problems for the world with ML in any industry, consider applying too!
• Bring dynamic spatial sound into your virtual reality, augmented reality, gaming, and video experiences with Resonance Audio , a new multi-platform spatial audio SDK that delivers high fidelity at scale.