Google Play services platform launches with new Android tools
Google is coming clean on a promise of Google Play developer services and tools promised at Google I/O earlier this year with the full launch of Google Play services v1.0.
Designed for developers who want to integrate Google services into their Android apps, the platform is comprised of two parts: a services component that runs on the device and a thin client library that developers package with their apps.
Delivered as an APK through the Google Play Store, the services component communicates with the Google product the developer wants to use and requests credentials from the client library.
The client library includes Google+ sign-in and +1 APIs as well as new OAuth 2.0 functionality.
Tim Bray on the Google Android team explained in a blog post on Wednesday that OAuth 2.0 authorization is particularly important because it offers both scalability and stronger security without tacking on more passwords.
These services will cover devices running Android 2.2 (Froyo) and later so long as they are running the latest version of the Google Play store. Devices older than Android 2.2 as well as devices without the Google Play Store app will not be supported.
Developers might have to be patient though as Google advises not to post any apps built using these new services to Google Play until the roll out is complete. Google warns that could take up to a week.
The latest version of the Android SDK is ready to download now. Further details about downloading and configuring the Google Play services SDK is also available from both the Google Developers site and the Android Developers blog.
Diagram via Google Developers