Awareness API is available through Google Play services

Jun 28, 2016 12:58 GMT  ·  By

During last month's Google I/O, the company showcased some rather interesting new APIs, including Android Nearby and Google Awareness. The latter allows developers to use data from a device's context, state, and location. Google's new Awareness API has just been made available to developers.

Google's Awareness API allows applications to reach to user context using snapshots that Google says have minimal impact on system resources. On Android Developers blog, the Mountain View-based giant details that the Awareness API uses 7 different types of context, including location, weather, user activity and more.

The applications that incorporate Awareness API will be able to better understand the user's current situation with the help of nearby beacons. Apps use the information to provide users with optimized and customized experiences.

Awareness API includes Snapshot API, which enables the application to request details on the user's current context, like current location and weather conditions. The Fence API allows the app to react to any changes in the user's context menu, but it's conditioned to a set of factors.

Google worked with partners to integrate Awareness API in apps

Google has been working with some partners on integrating the Awareness API in their applications. One of them is SuperPlayer Music Playlists, which uses both the Snapshot and the Fence API to provide users with music that matches their mood, based on their surroundings, like the gym, road trip, or when running.

Another app is Trulia, a real estate application that provides users with suggestions of nearby houses that they might be interested in.

Awareness API seems like an exciting and useful new addition to Google Play services, but it does imply some security and privacy matters, especially since it makes use of notifications and it records the user's location and other sensitive data.

Still, Google's new Awareness API is available on Google Play services 9.2, which has already started rolling out to developers.

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SuperPlayer Music app includes Awareness APIGoogle worked with Trulia to include Awareness API inside the app
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