Google Completes Play Services 3.2 Rollout
Google just finished rolling out its Google Play Services 3.2 update, affecting anyone who uses a device running Android 2.2 Froyo or later.
You may recognize the container in your app drawer, the green Google icon with the cog on top, where within you can adjust settings pertaining to location, Play Games, Android Device Manager and more.
According to a blog post on the Android Developer Blog, the update also contains some important behind the scenes additions, such as hardware-based GPS geofencing on devices that support it. When paired with a location-based app, this allows apps to use far less battery when engaging the GPS, while maintaining a precise lock on a user’s position. Also included is the new Fused Location Provider, which also significantly boosts battery life when location is needed.
Google+ sign-in has been fleshed out to include something called simplified sharing control, which cuts the steps needed for a developer to share to Google+.
Photo Sphere now has a compass mode in the Play Services update that allows users to explore these images by moving their phone or tablet and the InstantBuy implantation has been improved with goodies to include increased efficiency, improved latency, a cleaner UI and more. Bottom line here, while some of these items are aimed more towards the developers — the end users should be happy to learn that Google is working to improve the battery life of your devices.
While these features may not matter to the average Android user, one universal benefit should be improved battery life across all devices.
To learn more about Google Play services and the APIs available to you through it, visit the Google Services area of the Android Developers site.
[Via]
