Google released a new version of Play Services Wednesday as a way to better connect to wearable devices.
The updated version, called Google Play Services 5.0, is designed to make it easier for apps to communicate with wearables that run on the search giant's mobile operating system Android Wear, according to CNET. Smartwatches currently can only connect to the Internet by working with a smartphone, but now smartphones and tablets will be able to better sync apps and data with wearables.
Play Services 5.0 was introduced at Google's I/O developers conference last week, at which the company revealed its plans to make the Android software platform work not just with smartphones and tablets, but with watches, televisions, car dashboards and home appliances as well. The plan would help Google collect more valuable user data.
APIs are included in the new Play Services to make connecting to apps running on Android-based wearables easier, providing storage that is synchronized automatically, PCWorld reported.
New features in Play Services targeted towards game developers include "Saved Games," which lets players save their progress in a cloud so they can use it on different devices, such as tablets, Android phones, web browsers, and iOS devices. Developers will also be able to tag saved games with a screen snapshot that shows where the player left off. Google said developers will also be able to send game activity data to the new Quest Service whenever a player "successfully wins a level, kills an alien, or saves a rare black sheep." Players can then use the data for different purposes, such as creating new challenges in the game.
Google Play Services 5.0 also comes with Google Wallet, which can store items like loyalty cards and offers in the cloud, PhoneDog reported. Users can save offers in Wallet with the "Save to Wallet" button.
Another feature called Analytics can provide users with more information about their business, such as how far consumers get through the purchase process and where they left off.
