Android developer news and features round-up (July 2019)

Hello and welcome to the latest Android development round-up! We’re recapping on July which has been an interesting month in a couple of ways. We’re edging ever closer to Android Q’s final form, and we got some new features to play around with. Meanwhile, there’s plenty here for those interested in the business-side of Android dev. Here at Android Authority, we’ve been helping people navigate the gig economy online, while Google has provided a bunch of useful new metrics for devs.

Features and news from Android Authority

Android Q (Updated to Beta 5): Everything developers need to know – We’ve updated out guide to Android Q for developers to reflect the minor changes that beta 5 has brought.

Getting started with the Facebook for Android SDK – This one from Jessica Thornsby explains how to integrate Facebook into your app by using the provided SDK. It’s a great tool for not only increasing engagement, but also discoverability!

Top freelance sites for finding paid work online – If you’re an app developer, then you should read this post! An accessible guide to the likes of UpWork and Freelancer, so you can find paying clients for your hard work.

How to use LinkedIn and land your dream job! – Another tool that is highly relevant to Android devs trying to find work online.

How to enable developer options on your Android device – It’s a tip that most devs will be familiar with, but a useful recap for those who aren’t!

News and updates from Android Developers blog

Android Q Beta 5 update – The big news this month is Beta 5, which Google launched on 10th July. It is now “very close” to the system behaviors we can expect to see in the final version. The changes are slowing down now, but 5 gives us some updates to gestural navigation (such as a new swipe gesture and “peek” behavior).

Capturing Audio in Android Q – Another new feature is the ability to capture audio from different applications in Android Q. This is accessed through AudioPlaybackCapture API and provides such opportunities as game streaming.

Make stronger decisions with new Google Play Console data – Google has unleashed some notable changes to the Google Play Console, including additional data that devs can use to increase performance and reach. New metrics include the likes of returning users and devices, as well as install methods and more.

Kotlin named Breakout Project of the Year at OSCON – Google has been showing a lot of love to Kotlin in recent months, and so it should come as no surprise that it was more than happy to share this news. If you’re not familiar with Kotlin yet, all the signs are saying that it’s probably time to get acquainted.

Android Dev Summit 2019 Registration is Open – As it sounds! Get your applications in quick if you want to be involved.

What’s new for text in Android Q – Android Q will be bringing some new fonts, as well as changes in the way that text is displayed, and typefaces are created. You can now use multiple custom fonts in a single TextView. Get the full scoop at the link!

Features and news from around the web

Preparing your app for Android Q – Another guide to getting ready for the big change!

Firebase Functions: Send Email using Google OAuth2 – Let’s face it, everyone uses Gmail. If you want to encourage people to use email via your app, then Gmail integration is key.

5 Important Lessons from FaceApp – FaceApp is enjoying its time in the spotlight for the second time thanks to its impressive image manipulation. We can learn a lot of business lessons from its meteoric rise – both good and bad!

That’s all the Android Developer news for this month! Check back again next month for more on everything from the world of Android dev.