Posted past times Dave Smith, Developer Advocate for IoT
Earlier this twelvemonth at CES, nosotros showcased consumer products powered past times Android Things from partners similar Lenovo, LG, JBL, iHome, together with Sony. We are excited to run into Android Things enable the wider developer ecosystem equally well. Today nosotros are announcing the concluding preview unloosen of Android Things, Developer Preview 8, before the upcoming stable release.
Feature consummate SDK
Developer Preview 8 represents the concluding API surface exposed inwards the Android Things back upwards library for the upcoming stable release. There volition endure no to a greater extent than breaking API changes before the stable v1.0 unloosen of the SDK. For details on all the API changes included inwards DP8, run into the release notes. Refer to the updated SDK reference to review the classes together with methods inwards the concluding SDK.
This unloosen likewise brings novel features inwards the Android Things developer console to brand edifice together with managing production devices easier. Here are approximately notable updates:
Production-focused console enhancements
With an midpoint towards edifice together with transportation production devices amongst the upcoming LTS release, nosotros accept made several updates to the Android Things developer console:
- Enhanced OTA: Unpublish the electrical current OTA laid upwards when issues are discovered inwards the field.
- Visual storage layout: Configure the device storage allocated to apps together with information for each build, together with larn an overview of how much storage your apps require.
- Font/locale controls: Configure the laid of supported fonts together with locales packaged into each build.
- Group sharing: Product sharing has been extended to include back upwards for Google Groups.
App library
The novel app library enables yous to grapple APKs to a greater extent than easily without the shout out for to bundle them together inwards a dissever zipped bundle. Track private versions, review permissions, together with portion your apps amongst other console users. See the app library documentation for to a greater extent than details.
Permissions
On mobile devices, apps request permissions at runtime together with the cease user grants them. In before previews, Android Things granted these same permissions automatically to apps on device boot. Beginning inwards DP8, these permissions are granted using a novel interface inwards the developer console, giving developers to a greater extent than command of the permissions used past times the apps on their device.
This modify does non bear on development, equally Android Studio grants all permissions past times default. Developers using the command describe of piece of occupation tin flame append the -g flag to the adb install command to larn the same behavior. To exam how apps on your device take away amongst for sure permissions revoked, role the pm command:
$ adb crunch pm [grant|revoke] <permission-name> ...
App launch behavior
Embedded devices shout out for to launch their primary application automatically later the device boots, together with relaunch it if the app terminates unexpectedly. In before previews, the principal app on the device could brain for a custom IOT_LAUNCHER intent to enable this behavior. Beginning inwards DP8, this category is replaced past times the touchstone CATEGORY_HOME intent.
<activity android:name=".HomeActivity"> ... <!-- Launch activity automatically on boot, relaunch on termination. --> <intent-filter> <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN"/> <category android:name="android.intent.category.HOME"/> <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT"/> </intent-filter> </activity>
Apps that incorporate an IOT_LAUNCHER intent filter volition no longer endure triggered on boot. Update your apps to role CATEGORY_HOME instead.
Feedback
Thanks to all of yous inwards the developer community for sharing your feedback amongst us throughout developer preview. Join Google's IoT Developers Community on Google+ to allow us know what you're edifice amongst Android Things together with how nosotros tin flame amend the platform inwards time to come releases to tending yous laid upwards connected devices at scale!
