Newsletter - November 2020

Android / Google Play

• Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is migrating to Bazel. There is no immediate impact to the Android Platform build workflow or the existing supported tools in 2020 or 2021. Read more. 
  
• Announcing deadlines for the annual target API level update and Android App Bundle requirement for new apps, starting in August 2021. 
• Read about mobile gaming recommendations, benchmarks, and best practices for the 4x strategy genre.
• Learn how CD Projekt Red reduced update sizes by 90% and increased update rates by 10% using Play Asset Delivery in their mini-game, GWENT.
• Tune into new episodes of the Apps, Games, & Insights podcast, covering green games ( EP 10 ), and 4x strategy ( EP 11 ).    
  

Firebase / Google Cloud

• Watch the Firebase Summit keynote, sessions, and more on-demand.
  
• Prepare for the Google Cloud certification most suited to your role by December 31 with six weeks of learning paths.
• Sign up to get free, hands-on experience with Google Cloud’s new Document AI and learn how to extract structured data from PDFs to incorporate it into analytics and business workflows. 
• Solve the latest monthly data puzzle on BigQuery for a chance to win $500 in Cloud credits.

Google Maps Platform

• Check out some of the newest games built with Gaming Services on the Cloud blog and see more examples of what’s possible in this showcase video on YouTube .
  
• Have a map in your Android app? If you’re targeting Android 11 and use the map toolbar, add the Maps package “com.google.android.apps.maps” due to privacy enhancements requiring package visibility management.
• JavaScript Promises support is in beta: Many asynchronous methods in the Maps JavaScript API will soon return Promises. Hit ‘contact’ for support and include “beta” in your request.

Web

• Announcing Google Search will start folding in page experience signals to ranking starting in May, 2021. 
  
• See the new, transparent privacy practices and updates for Chrome Extensions.
• Learn more about the SameSite cookies update.
• Subscribe to the web.dev newsletter to stay up to date on web development best practices.

Developer Community

• Tune in on-demand to watch the inaugural Google for Startups Accelerator Canada - Demo Day 2020 and hear from the Canadian Founder cohort. Meet the startups now. 
  
• Read about Merve Isler, a Women Techmakers ambassador from Turkey who organized a virtual Women’s Online Safety Hackathon this past August. Learn more about her experience and how to contribute to the cause. 
• Apply now to the Google for Startups Accelerator 2021: Voice AI program to be part of the first cohort.

BIPOC Partner Highlights

• Register for Resilience 2020, a virtual event for designers and community leaders December 8-10. Join to learn about design for social good and celebrate the impact of Bridgegood.org for future student creatives.
  
• Learn about Google Developer Groups organizer Irem Komurcu's work on TensorFlow and AI/ML, and her advice for the community.
• Listen to the Developer Student Club Spain podcast to hear how DSC members are collaborating on mentorship programs for augmented and virtual reality, 3D scanning, and programming projects like museum digitization.
• Tune   into Founded , a podcast series that amplifies women tech founders who are tackling some of the most pressing issues today, like improving diagnosis with AI and using tech to make educational tools inclusive.

Open Source and Misc

• Now available: Angular 11 was released on November 11. Check out the blog to learn more about the latest features.  
  
• Build fast, beautiful user experiences for iOS 14 and Android 11 from one codebase. Flutter 1.22 comes with i18n and l10n support, Google Maps and WebView plugins ready for production, a new App Size tool, and more.
• See all the benefits of Google Pay for your business. Digital payments have accelerated more than traditional card and cash transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sign up for the Business Console to learn more.
• Watch the recaps from Machine Learning Summits to see how to prepare, build, and predict data.