Last week’s Google I/O 2015 event saw a slew of announcements, most notably the announcement of Android M. A number of new features were also in the upcoming 7.5 version of Google Play Services. The version brings along quite a few interesting features and optimizations to the entire Android ecosystem. The integration of Google Smart Lock with Android apps is a cool new addition to this version. Chrome allows you to save your Open ID and password based credentials using the Chrome Password Manager. You can now retrieve the stored credentials using the newly added Credential API in your Android Apps. The credentials can be retrieved as part of the login process on Apps running on any device.
The API automatically provides the necessary UI to prompt users to fetch and store the credentials for the purpose of future authentication. To store the credentials, you can use the Credential API’s Auth.CredentialsApi.save() method and to retrieve the stored credentials, you can use the Auth.CredentialsApi.request() method. Other than sign-in you can also use the API to rapid on-board the user by partially filling the sign-up form for the app.
Another interesting addition was the release of App Invites (beta). The feature allows you to share your App with people you know. You can create actionable invite cards and send them via email, enabling you to market your app better. The invitations can be sent via SMS as well, providing a wider outreach. You can also personalize the access to Apps such as adding discount codes for certain invitees. You can send an invitation by creating an Intent using the AppInviteInvitation.IntentBuilder class. The Intent contains a title, the message, and a deep link data.
If the App is already installed on the user’s device, the user can follow the invitation workflow generated by the deep link data. If the app is not installed, then they can choose to do so from the Play Store. The service is also available on iOS.
