Top 3 Updates for Building Excellent Apps at Google I/O ‘24

Posted by Tram Bui, Developer Programs Engineer, Developer Relations

Google I/O 2024 was filled with the latest Android updates, equipping you with the knowledge and tools you need to build exceptional apps that delight users and stand out from the crowd.

Here are our top three announcements for building excellent apps from Google I/O 2024:

#1: Enhancing User Experience with Android 15

Android 15 introduces a suite of enhancements aimed at elevating the user experience:

• Glance and Widgets: Creating visually appealing widgets is now easier than ever with the new canonical layouts available on GitHub. Accompanied by updated design guidelines in Glance 1.1, now in release candidate. You can effortlessly build stunning widgets.

• Edge-to-Edge Display: Take advantage of the default edge-to-edge experience offered by Android 15. Design interfaces that seamlessly extend to the edges of the screen, optimizing screen real estate and creating an immersive visual experience for users.

• Predictive Back: Predictive back can enhance navigation fluidity and intuitiveness. The system animations are no longer behind a Developer Option, which means users will be able to see helpful preview animations. Predictive back support is available for both Compose and Views.

#2: Stylus Support on Large Screens

Android's enhanced stylus support brings exciting capabilities:

• Stylus Handwriting: Android now supports handwriting input in text fields for both Views and Compose. Users can seamlessly input text using their stylus without having to switch input methods, which can offer a more natural and intuitive writing experience.

• Reduced Stylus Latency: To enhance the responsiveness of stylus interactions, Android introduces two new APIs designed to lower stylus latency. Android developers have seen great success with our low latency libraries, with Infinite Painter achieving a 5x reduction in latency from from 60-90 ms down to 8-16 ms.

#3: Wear OS 5: Watch Face Format, Conservation, and Performance

In the realm of Wear OS, we are focused on power conservation and performance enhancements:

• Enhanced Watch Face Format: We've introduced improvements to the Watch Face Format, making it easier for developers to customize and optimize watch faces. These enhancements can enable the creation of more responsive, visually appealing watch faces that delight users.

• Power Conservation: Wear OS 5 prioritizes power efficiency and battery conservation. Now available in developer preview along with a new emulator, you can leverage these improvements to create Wear OS apps that deliver exceptional battery life without compromising functionality.

There you have it— the top updates from Google I/O 2024 to help you build excellent apps. Excited to explore more? Check out the full playlist for deeper insights into these announcements and other exciting updates unveiled at Google I/O.