Posted by Bhavik Singh, Product Manager
Last month at Google I/O 2016 we announced the new Google Awareness APIs,
enabling your apps to intelligently react to user context using snapshots and
fences with minimal impact on system resources.
Today we’re proud to announce that the Google Awareness API is available to all
developers through Google Play services.
Using 7 different types of context—including location, weather, user activity,
and nearby beacons—your app can better understand your users’ current
situations, and use this information to provide optimized and customized
experiences.
The Awareness API offers two ways to take advantage of context signals within
your app:
- The Snapshot API lets your app easily request information
about the user's current context. For example, "give me the user's current
location and the current weather conditions". - The Fence API lets your app react to changes in user’s
context - and when it matches a certain set of conditions. For example, "tell me
whenever the user is walking and their headphones are plugged in". Similar to
the Geofencing API, once an awareness fence is registered, it can send callbacks
to your app even when it's not running.
As a single, simplified surface, the Awareness APIs combine optimally processed
context signals in new ways that were not previously possible, providing more
accurate and insightful context cues, while also managing system resources to
save battery and minimize bandwidth.
We’ve worked closely with some of our partners, who have already found amazing
ways to integrate context awareness into their apps:
an online residential real estate site, uses our Fence API to suggest
open houses. When the weather is perfect and the user is walking around near a
house they are interested in, Trulia sends a notification reminding them to stop
by. This sort of tailored notification can help users engage with open houses at
the perfect time for them.
Music, on the other hand, uses our Snapshot API and Fence API to suggest the
perfect music to match your mood. Whether you’re just finishing up a run and
beginning to stretch, setting off on a long car ride, or just getting to the
gym, their assistant can understand your context and suggest the right playlist
for you.
With our initial set of signals and our awesome partners, we’re just getting
started with the Awareness APIs. Join us on a journey to build tailored
experiences within your apps, by getting started with the
documentation, and learn more by watching our Google I/O session