Utilities for C/C++ Android Developers: fplutil 1.0

By Stewart Miles, Fun Propulsion Labs at Google*



Today we're announcing the 1.0 release of fplutil, a set of small libraries and tools by Fun Propulsion Labs at Google (the FPL in fplutil) that is useful when developing C/C++ applications for Android.



fplutil introduces the following:



  • build_all_android.py, an all-in-one build script that allows you to build (with the Android NDK), install and run native (C/C++) Android apps from the command line. This is ideal for build automation, but is also useful in a developer’s compile/run loop.

  • buildutil performs the configuration, build and archive steps of Android and Linux C/C++ applications using a suite of Python modules. This suite of modules can automate builds in a continuous integration environment. This framework uses legacy tools in the Android Development Toolkit.

  • libfplutil enables C/C++ developers to write traditional applications (like Hello World) using "main()" and "printf()" on Android.

  • android_ndk_perf.py is a desktop tool that enables native (C/C++) developers to measure the CPU utilization of their applications on Android, guiding their optimization efforts. An example report is shown below:




android_ndk_perf.py example HTML report




You can download the latest open source release from our github page. We invite you to contribute to the project and join our discussion list!



*Fun Propulsion Labs is a team within Google that's dedicated to advancing gaming on Android and other platforms.



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Improved Game Testing with Google Play Games Management API

By Ben Frenkel, Google Play Games team





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We’re always looking to help developers improve the gaming experience for their users on Google Play. So today, we've expanded our existing suite of Management APIs to let you fully control all resources in your Google Play Games-enabled game during development and testing, with better support for alpha and beta groups.

Let’s take a quick dive into the expanded offering.


  • Reset a single tester’s state for any resource (e.g., achievements, leaderboards), or do it for all resources at once. For example, you can now completely reset a given tester’s data if they’ve ended up in a bad state due to an experimental build. You can do this for individual instances or all instances of achievements, events, quests, or leaderboards scores.


  • Reset the state of a single draft resource for all testers, or do it for all draft resources at once. You can now reset all draft leaderboards in your game before publishing with a single API call. This ensures the members of your alpha or beta communities don’t have an unfair advantage on release day. You can do this for individual instances or all instances of achievements, events, quests, or leaderboards scores.


  • Clear global match state for all real time or turn based matches composed solely of testers. You can now reset all turn-based matches on release day. This will ensure that all matches from that point on are on the release version of the game. This is available for both real-time or turn-based games.



These updates make it far less complex and error prone to manage data during testing, saving you time and improving the rate at which you can make and test changes to your games.



Play Games Management API background



The Management API is a set of tools that enable developers to do things like manage tester data and clean up bogus leaderboard score submissions. Developers can also use the API to control and manipulate resources (e.g., achievements, events, multiplayer match data).

Getting started



You can get started with the latest version of the Management API right now. Review the updated API reference documentation, start with an example management interface, or download the sample client libraries to get on your way.







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A classic watch with Android Wear: LG G Watch R

With Android Wear you can choose the watch that best fits your personal style, then add your favorite apps to customize even further. This ability to make your watch your own is made possible by an amazing community of manufacturers and developers. And today we’re welcoming another exciting addition to the family: the LG G Watch R.


With a matte black stainless steel bezel, a leather strap, and a fully circular screen that’s the first of its kind, the LG G Watch R combines the timeless design of a traditional watch with the sensor-rich experience of Android Wear. It also includes a range of watch face styles that display beautifully on its P-OLED screen.

The LG G Watch R is available to buy now for $299 from Google Play and AT&T.

Posted by Jeff Chang, Senior Product Manager, Android Wear

Introducing a New Guide, “The Secrets to App Success on Google Play”

By Dom Elliott, Google Play team



With more than 50 billion apps and games downloaded in total, Google Play is helping developers and content creators around the world build successful businesses. In fact, we paid out more than $5 billion over the last year to developers for creating incredible apps that are changing the way people communicate, live, work, and play.



Developing an app or game and distributing it on Google Play is a good start, but it’s only the first step to building a sustainable business. That’s why we’ve written “The Secrets to App Success on Google Play,” a detailed playbook on the best practices and tools you can use to maximize the reach, retention, and revenue of your new app.





The guide is separated into the following sections:




  • Publishing on Google Play — using the Google Play Developer Console to distribute your app to over 1 billion Android users worldwide.

  • Quality — The fundamentals of building a great app and an insight into the Google Play guidelines and policies.

  • Discoverability & reach — Maximizing your app's discoverability and reaching the widest audience possible.

  • Engagement & retention — Converting installations into active users and improving user retention.

  • Monetization — Monetization strategies to generate ongoing, growing revenue streams.

  • Measurement with Google Analytics — Understanding your users and improving your app experience, conversions, and marketing.

  • Going global — Launching your app in local markets around the world.



Download the guide now in English (PDF, 11MB) or get it on Google Play. We’ll release the guide in more languages in the coming months. If you’re in the US or the UK, we also have a limited number of printed copies that we are offering to send for free. Request a printed copy here.



Once you’ve checked out the guide, we’d love to hear your feedback so we can continue to improve, let us know what you think.



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Going Global: Space Ape Games Finds Success in Japan

By Leticia Lago, Google Play team




There are many ways to find success for a game on the international stage: it’s not a simple formula, it’s a combination of things, ranging from localizing effectively to choosing the right price. London-based Space Ape Games brought together a range of resources and tactics to take Samurai Siege into Japan, growing that market to contribute up to 15% of the game’s average $55,000 daily earnings.



John Earner, Simon Hade, and Toby Moore founded Space Ape Games in 2012 with just 12 people. Their goal, to create amazing multiplayer mobile games. Samurai Siege is their first game and they found that Android players have great retention and monetize well. “Our experience has been great with Google Play. We have found that it is half of our audience and half of our business,” says John.



Check out the video below to hear more about how Space Ape expanded to Japan.









Resources to help you grow globally



You can grow your games business worldwide too, and maximize your distribution potential with Google Play. Be sure to check out these resources:




  • Reaching players in new territories panel [VIDEO] — Hear first hand experiences from game developers who have successfully taken games to international markets. Antonin Lhuillier (Gameloft), Anatoly Ropotov (Game Insight), Saad Choudri (Miniclip), Eyal Rabinovich (Playscape), and Joe Raeburn (Space Ape Games) share their tips for localization, culturalization, and more.


  • Go Global session [VIDEO] — Hyunse Chang, from the Google Play Apps and Games team in Korea, shares key insights into APAC markets and trends among successful apps and games in the region. Leverage these pro tips and best practices to expand your reach to a wider audience.


  • Localization checklist — This document identifies the essential aspects of localization, to help you get your app ready for a successful worldwide launch on Google Play.











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The NBA, live on Android TV

2014 is shaping up to be an awesome year for professional basketball. Cleveland gets The Homecoming. Charlotte welcomes back the Hornets. And San Antonio tries to repeat as it goes for its sixth Championship. With the season only a few days old, you can now watch live NBA games on Nexus Player.


Our friends at the National Basketball Association have just released the NBA Game Time app on Google Play. In the United States, you can now follow your favorite teams and catch every pick, roll, dunk and long-range three, live with an NBA League Pass. While you’re at it, grab the Android apps for your other devices so you can cheer on your team from your couch, on your tablet in bed, and on your phone under your desk at work.

MLB.TV is also now available for Android TV on Google Play. With an MLB.TV Premium subscription, you can catch up on full-game archives and recaps from every 2014 regular-season and postseason game. And on April 6, you can watch Opening Day and follow the 2015 MLB season live (subject to blackout restrictions).


NBA Game Time and MLB.TV are now live in Google Play. Get them for Nexus Player and stay tuned as we continue to build out our live sports offering on Android TV.

Posted by Serge Kassardjian, Android Media Partnerships Lead

Designing the perfect Lollipop.

If you’re like me, you jump between a number of different devices throughout the day—reading a magazine on your tablet, checking the time on your watch, chatting with your friend on the phone, even plotting your route in the car. More and more, our screens work together, each helping make your life a little bit easier. But if design is the way they communicate with us, it often feels like each one is speaking a different language. That’s why we unveiled material design earlier this year: one consistent design language flexible enough to span devices across mobile, desktop, and beyond. Design is a major focus for Lollipop—the latest version of Android—which begins to roll out today.

Material design: tactile surfaces, bold graphic design, fluid motion 
When you think about mobile, an important aspect is the feel of the devices in your hand. Because of this, touch is one of the primary elements of material design, which is inspired by real life materials like paper and ink.

With material design we also based our work on the foundations of good graphic design, using strong colors and bold typography to create clear hierarchy and focus attention on content.



Motion brings the material and the graphic together, explaining how the system works, and adding moments of delight that move you through the system, easily and fluidly.



Extending material design throughout the apps you love 
A number of apps that you know and love have been working hard to build material design into their framework. It is important that every app be able to take on its own unique personality and experience while fitting in the larger system. A few of our favorites are launching updates shortly:    

The Wall Street Journal, Tumblr and BuzzFeed with material design.


Bringing the design conversation to you 
While we first introduced material design this summer, today’s updates are just the beginning of delivering a modern design language for the next wave of devices in your life. It’s a conversation we’d like to keep going. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be gathering some of the best design thinkers from around the industry at FORM, a cultural event for wide-angle design conversation. And we’ll be continuing the conversation with you online, on Google+ and Twitter and at google.com/design. We look forward to working with you to help push the limits on what’s possible through design.

Posted by Nicholas Jitkoff, Designer
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