October 2018 Summaries

Sean Medlin's inspiring journey from overcoming personal hardships to achieving his career aspirations highlights the transformative power of educational opportunities like the Grow with Google Developer Scholarship. Despite losing his sister to cancer and facing an interrupted education that left him with only a GED, Sean's unwavering passion for computers drove him to join the U.S. Air Force to fund his education. Over eight years, he earned a Bachelor of Computer Science degree while on active duty, graduating with high honors. His pursuit of further knowledge led him to online platforms like Udacity, where he excelled in the Android Basics Nanodegree program through a Google Scholarship. This achievement not only boosted his confidence in technical interviews but also positioned him as a key member of an Air Force mobile app development team. With dreams of becoming a software developer in Silicon Valley, Sean's story exemplifies resilience, dedication, and the impact of accessible learning initiatives.

Google announced a series of new policies aimed at enhancing user trust and data security within its API ecosystem, particularly focusing on Gmail APIs, which will take effect on January 15, 2019. These updates include stricter access controls, ensuring third-party apps use data solely for user-facing features and not for unauthorized purposes like targeted advertising or market research. Additionally, third-party apps must meet minimum security standards, such as penetration testing and secure data handling, to prevent data breaches. Developers are encouraged to migrate to Gmail Add-ons for better security and the opportunity to list their apps in the G Suite Marketplace. Existing applications have until the end of 2019 to comply with the new security assessments, and apps accessing restricted scopes must undergo an application review starting January 15, 2019, to avoid having their access revoked.

Google is introducing a significant update to its API infrastructure that will give users more granular control over the data they share with third-party apps. This change will involve displaying each permission request in its own dialog, allowing users to grant or deny permissions individually, rather than bundling them together. As a result, app developers are advised to review Google's API Services User Data Policy, check for existing permissions before API calls, and only request permissions when necessary, providing clear justifications to users to build trust. The rollout of these changes will begin with new clients and extend to existing clients by early 2019, aiming to enhance transparency and trust within Google's app ecosystem.

In 2018, the global DevFest initiative aimed to connect 100,000 developers across 500 events in over 80 countries, fostering learning and collaboration within the Google Developer Groups (GDGs) community. Notable events included DevFest Nairobi, which became Kenya's largest developer festival with over 1,200 participants from 26 African countries and a significant female presence, and DevFest Tokyo, which engaged over 1,000 developers through sessions and codelabs in partnership with various tech communities. The DevFest events encourage developers to share their experiences using #DevFestStories and #DevFest18 on social media, with the potential for stories to be featured on the Google Developers blog. GDGs provide platforms for developers interested in Google products to engage in diverse technical activities, from small meetups to large-scale hackathons, promoting continuous learning and innovation.

Building effective transactional experiences for the Google Assistant involves several best practices to enhance user engagement and streamline the purchasing process. To minimize abandonment rates, implementing Google Sign-In can simplify account linking by reducing the need for users to manually enter credentials. Merchants can also improve user convenience by enabling reordering based on past purchases, which requires linking accounts to access order history. Utilizing Google Pay can further ease the checkout process by leveraging users' existing payment details, eliminating the need for additional steps. Additionally, supporting voice-only transactions on Google Home in multiple countries offers a hands-free experience, promoting ease of use and potentially increasing conversion rates. These strategies collectively highlight the importance of personalization, simplification, and accessibility in creating seamless transactional interactions for Google Assistant users.

Google has introduced new features to enhance the Google Assistant experience, enabling developers to offer digital goods and subscriptions through Actions, thus expanding monetization opportunities. This update allows users to make seamless purchases across devices like smart speakers, phones, and Smart Displays, initially available in the U.S. Developers can manage digital transactions via the Play Console and are encouraged to integrate Google Sign-In for better user personalization and simplified account linking, reducing login friction and improving conversion rates. Additionally, a mobile makeover provides a more visually engaging experience by combining voice and touch, allowing developers to create rich multimodal interactions. This redesign helps developers express their brand through enhanced visuals, offering a new opportunity to enrich user engagement on Assistant-enabled devices. Developers are encouraged to explore these new capabilities through available documentation and community resources.

Google Registry has launched .page, a new top-level domain (TLD) designed to offer individuals and businesses a platform to establish a secure online presence. This initiative allows for diverse uses such as blogs, business websites, or personal projects, and emphasizes security by requiring an SSL certificate for all .page websites. Prominent examples of .page domains include Ellen.Page, showcasing LGBTQ culture, and Navlekha.Page, aiding Indian publishers in going online. The .page TLD, alongside the previously launched .app, aims to promote an HTTPS-everywhere future. Currently available through an Early Access Program for an additional fee, .page domains will be open for standard registration starting October 9.