Trick or treat! Google has given developers quite a treat today with the release of the new Google 4.0 SDK, which includes the Google Mobile Ads SDK, improvements to Google Wallet Instant Buy APIs, geofencing and Google+. The SDK also includes an Android 4.4 KitKat emulator that developers can utilize to begin optimizing their apps for Google’s newest version of the Android OS, which will be rolling out to most Nexus devices in the coming days.
Google has decided to drop Froyo support in the new SDK, with 97% of devices now running Gingerbread or newer versions of Android.
The Google Mobile ads SDK will allow developers to provide improvements to their users when using AdMob, and will push bugfixes to users automatically. Google+ sign-in has been updated with a simplified sign-in consent dialog, and Google Wallet Instant Buy APIs are now accessible for testing within a sandbox. The update also includes new Wallet Objects, which allows loyalty points to be easily awarded for Instant Buy purchases.
If you’d like more information on the updated Google Play services and APIs, check out the Android Developers site.
[Via: Google Developers Blog]