Newsletter - September 2020

Android / Google Play

• Android 11 is here. New capabilities focus on a people-centric approach to communication, enabling users to quickly get to and manage smart devices, and privacy to control how data on devices is shared. 
• Now in open beta : Android GPU Inspector. Understand bottlenecks, use insights to optimize the graphical performance of your game, and more. 
• Announcing Jetpack DataStore, now in alpha. Built on Kotlin coroutines and Flow, this new and improved data storage solution aims to replace SharedPreferences. 
• Learn from Google Play trends and insights for mobile gaming. Understand how the lockdown has changed players’ behaviors and why games can unite people when connections and community spirit are of critical importance.
• Master pricing and monetization strategies with the Games Business Fundamentals courses. Gain insights from the Play Academy path, which streamlines game design and business growth.
• Learn about the new Google Play Console before the old version is discontinued starting November 2, 2020.
• Get answers to FAQs about the newly launched In-App Review API.
• Understand how Indonesian eCommerce app Tokopedia improved installs by 15% simply switching to the Android App Bundles.
  

Firebase / Google Cloud

• Get insights on how Cloud Spanner’s Oldest Active Queries complements other introspection tools and helps users troubleshoot system performance issues while they are ongoing. Learn more from documentation. 
  
• Watch Virtual API Jam Week from September 29 - October 1 to jumpstart your API program with this three-day, hands-on workshop. Get an overview of API management best practices, watch demos, and walk through basic and advanced labs that will help you better design, secure, publish, and analyze APIs.
  
• Join the October 15 certification webinar to learn how Google Cloud's Professional Data Engineer certification can elevate your career and increase your business impact. 
  
• Register by November 15 to prepare for the Google Cloud certification most suited to your role with six weeks of learning paths to help you pass certifications like the Professional Collaboration Engineer and more. 
  
• Tune into the on-demand Associate Cloud Engineer certification prep webinar to learn tips and tricks for taking Google Cloud’s Associate Cloud Engineer exam. 
  
• Watch the on-demand Cloud OnBoard series to learn more about architecting with Google Kubernetes Engine and hybrid architecture with Anthos.
• Solve the latest monthly data puzzle on BigQuery for a chance to win $500 in Cloud credits.

Google Maps Platform

• Start your build with 100+ samples of common implementations with the Maps JavaScript API. The code samples in documentation now have TypeScript as a language option, buttons for launching in JSFiddle or Cloud Shell, and links to GitHub.
  
• See new user interactions with the new map layer Local Context beta. Local Context now has mechanisms to refresh the search for nearby places based on popular requests among beta customers. Learn more from product manager Ivan Passos.
  
• Read about support for Kotlin developers with new libraries, code snippets, and samples. Check out a new version of the Places SDK for Android (v2.4.0) that enables you to use property syntax while using classes in the SDK.
• Announcing version 4.0 of the Maps and Places SDKs for iOS. This improves Swift language support and supports devices running iOS 10 and above.

Web

• New security protection for Google accounts will be released January 4, 2021. Read through for guidance on how to manage changes, as all embedded frameworks and insecure browsers will be blocked to protect users from man-in-the-middle attacks.
  
• Subscribe to the web.dev newsletter to stay up to date on web development best practices.
• Learn more about the SameSite cookies update.

Developer Community

• Join DevFest 2020, a weekend of global, community-led, virtual sessions from Google Developers products and Communities leaders. Watch the keynote, learn from technical talks, and meet fellow local developers online. Read more.
• Get inspired by Google for Startups' women's entrepreneurship programs in the United States and Canada in an effort to support businesses and help economic growth. 
• Tune  into the TFUG India Summit to learn from TensorFlow experts and see what peers are making with the technology. Tracks include web, mobile, production, and research.
  
• Watch Women’s Online Safety Hackathon , a Women Techmakers series focused on stories and building safety for women online. 
• Discover insights each week with new talks and workshops from the Google Developer Groups series, MENA Digital Days. Topics focus on the latest technology, leadership, and programs.

BIPOC Partner Highlights

• Get inspired by SomoAfrica.org , a non-profit that empowers enterprise entrepreneurs through training, funding, and mentorship to support social change in low income urban communities in Africa. 
  
• Tune into the recap from the Developer Student Clubs 2020 Solution Challenge Demo Day project winners who are using Google technologies around the globe to solve local problems in their communities.
  
• Watch and learn about the Simhae project hailing from South Korea. Using Flutter and Google Cloud technologies, it introduces basic information and activities to self-help gatherings run by suicide prevention centers.
  
• Check out Emergency Response Assistance, an Android-based application and project from Ghana that helps health authorities post the latest first aid to educate the public and lets victims quickly report emergency cases. 
• Meet  the Tulibot project from Indonesia. Using the Google Speech API as an integrated assistive technology, Tulibot improves communication for the hard of hearing through Smart Glasses and Smart Gloves devices.

Open Source and Misc

• Learn about the new release supporting iOS 14 and Xcode 12 with Flutter, or skip ahead to the documentation . 
• Understand why Google Pay chose Flutter to drive its global product development in India.
  
• Submit your application for the 2020 Material Design Awards by October 16. This year is focused on products that enlist Material Theming, Dark Theme, or Material Motion. Winners will be announced in December. 
  
• Check out the Material Design blog: Google’s open source design system has a new home for news, updates, research, and more. 
• Read up on the new Google Nest Device Access Console and the program that lets individuals and qualified partners securely access and control Nest products with their apps and solutions.
  
• Build targeted custom experiences and integrations with the G Suite developer platform. 
  
• Learn about the Instant Motion Tracking solution with MediaPipe. The solution seamlessly places virtual content on static or motion surfaces in the real world to create immersive AR experiences. 
  
• Announcing Angular’s newly released roadmap. See what’s coming soon to your favorite web framework and make sure to bookmark the page since new projects will be added quarterly.
  
• Read about the latest updates to build products with Coral intelligence and unique experimentation with implementations of on-device machine learning.
  
• Visit ChromeOS.dev, an online destination for the latest open source ChromeOS developer news, product updates, technical documentation, thought-provoking insights, and inspiring success stories.
• See the latest from Go.1.15, including new performance improvements. Register for Go Day November 5 on Google Open Source Live for insights on the ecosystem and installation tips.