Google updates Play Services developer toolkit with faster sign-in and a new location API

Google today announced the release of version 8.3 of the Google Play Services software development kit (SDK) for building Android apps. Among other things, this update will allow developers to make it easier for end users to sign in to apps.

“Previously, users would have to touch a sign in button, and then follow several steps (i.e. selecting account, giving permission to access profile information, and possibly needing to create a Google+ account). With Google Play services 8.3, only one tap is needed for basic profile access,” developer advocate Laurence Moroney wrote in a blog post on the news.

The new Google SignInButton function provides a pair of buttons that are not only faster but also clearly branded with Google’s new logo.

Version 8.3 of Play Services follows version 8.1, which came out in September.

In addition to the smoother sign-in tools in Play Services 8.3, there’s also a new Fused Location Provider application programming interface (API) that takes into consideration data from GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell towers in order to figure out where a phone (and thus a person) is located.

And the DataApi for wearables now allows developers to mark certain bits of information as urgent, to trigger immediate syncing between, say, a smartwatch and a phone.

Google is also simplifying its App Invites tool, which allows device owners to invite friends to use apps. “Now, you can use the AppInvite.AppInviteApi.getInvitation() method,” Moroney wrote. “This will set up a ResultCallback that you can use to launch your deep link activity, drastically simplifying your code.”

To find out more about what’s new in Play Services 8.3, check out the release notes.

You can get the new version using the Android SDK Manager that comes with Google’s Android Studio integrated development environment (IDE).