Skip to main content

Android 12 makes waiting a thing of the past with 'Play as You Download'

Google is taking mobile gaming seriously with Android 12.

What you need to know

  • Google announced several updates for developers and gamers that aim to improve the mobile gaming experience on Android smartphones.
  • "Play As You Download" will be introduced in Android 12 as a way for gamers to jump into new games while they're downloading.
  • The new Android Game Development kit will allow developers to better optimize their games for the player's needs.

Google is introducing several new changes to the gaming experience on the best Android phones, which will allow mobile gamers to jump into new games faster and better optimize performance. These new changes will be available for devices running Android 12 when the update launches later this year.

The biggest addition to the Android gaming experience is "Play as You Download," which will let players experience new games as they're still downloading. The feature is similar to many PS5 games that offer the same quick play access, downloading the most important assets to get the player into the game while everything else continues to download in the background.

Android already offers Instant Apps, which lets users use apps or play games without requiring installation, but that feature is targeted towards smaller apps. "Play as You Download" is for larger games, and the feature will help reduce waiting time for players, especially while many of the best Android games can clock in at 400MB or more.

Android 12 Play As You Download

Players will also be able to enhance their gaming experience with a new Game dashboard coming to Android 12. It will provide users with quick access to useful functions during gameplay like screen recording and screenshots. This feature is already found on many Android phones but will now be built into Android 12, meaning we could see the Game dashboard arrive on Pixel smartphones.

Developers can also take advantage of new Game Mode APIs that will help optimize apps for the player's needs. This means the game can run more efficiently when the phone is in battery save mode, for example, while getting a boost in resolution and frame rate when playing in performance mode. This can be particularly useful for players on long commutes who want to conserve battery life without disrupting the game.

Google is launching the Android Games Development kit to provide developers with the tools they need to build and deploy their games better.

Play Asset Delivery will help to further compress download sizes with better texture compression, app campaigns can help developers build excitement for upcoming releases and encourage pre-registration, and the new Play Integrity API will allow developers to address various forms of abuse such as cheating.

Google's new push for Android gaming was hinted at in earlier builds of Android 12, and the latest announcements solidify the company's push for a better gaming experience on its devices. Google recently launched Stadia on Chromecast with Google TV and Unity announced support for Chrome OS in its Android development environment to better optimize games on the best Chromebooks.

Developers interested in these new tools are encouraged to check out the Android Games Development kit and express interest in the Play as You Download beta.

The early-adopter

Google Pixel 5

$650 at Best Buy

Get Android 12 first

The Google Pixel 5 is one of the best value flagship smartphones. It has exceptional cameras, fast updates and is usually the first to gain the latest features arriving on Android. If you're an early adopter, this phone will be the best choice to try Android 12 before most people.



Source: androidcentral

Popular posts from this blog

The hidden cost of food delivery

Noah Lichtenstein Contributor Share on Twitter Noah Lichtenstein is the founder and managing partner of Crossover , a diversified private technology fund backed by institutional investors, technology execs and professional athletes and entertainers. More posts by this contributor What Studying Students Teaches Us About Great Apps I’ll admit it: When it comes to food, I’m lazy. There are dozens of great dining options within a few blocks of my home, yet I still end up ordering food through delivery apps four or five times per week. With the growing coronavirus pandemic closing restaurants and consumers self-isolating, it is likely we will see a spike in food delivery much like the 20% jump China reported during the peak of its crisis. With the food delivery sector rocketing toward a projected $365 billion by the end of the decade, I’m clearly not the only one turning to delivery apps even before the pandemic hit. Thanks to technology (and VC funding) we can get a ri

Cyber Monday Canada: Last-minute deals for everyone on your list

Best Cyber Monday Canada deals: Smart Home Audio Phones, Tablets & Accessories Wearables Laptops & PC Components Amazon products Gaming Televisions Cameras Lifestyle & Kitchen Toys & Kids Cyber Monday Canada is here, and retailers are rolling out the red carpet for customers who want to shop for everything from tech to kitchenware to games and everything in between. Unlike years past, Cyber Monday Canada deals look a bit different than normal. Instead of retailers trying to pack their stores with as many shoppers as possible, we're seeing tons of online deals that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your home. We've rounded up our favorites below, so feel free to browse through the best of what Canada Cyber Monday has to offer! This list is being updated with new Cyber Monday deals all the time, so check back often. Spotlight deals It's a Switch Nintendo Switch Fortnite Edition bundle $399.95 at Amazon It's a Switch.

Slack’s new integration deal with AWS could also be about tweaking Microsoft

Slack and Amazon announced a big integration late yesterday afternoon. As part of the deal, Slack will use Amazon Chime for its call feature, while reiterating its commitment to use AWS as its preferred cloud provider to run its infrastructure. At the same time, AWS has agreed to use Slack for internal communications. Make no mistake, this is a big deal as the SaaS communications tool increases its ties with AWS, but this agreement could also be about slighting Microsoft and its rival Teams product by making a deal with a cloud rival. In the past Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield has had choice words for Microsoft saying the Redmond technology giant sees his company as an “existential threat.” Whether that’s true or not — Teams is but one piece of a huge technology company — it’s impossible not to look at the deal in this context. Aligning more deeply with AWS sends a message to Microsoft, whose Azure infrastructure services compete with AWS. Butterfield didn’t say that of course

iPhone 13 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: 50+ Differences Compared

The iPhone 15 Pro brings over 50 new features and improvements to Apple's high-end smartphones compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, which was released two years prior. This buyer's guide breaks down every major difference you should be aware of between the two generations and helps you to decide whether it's worth upgrading. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro debuted in 2021, introducing a brighter display with ProMotion technology for refresh rates up to 120Hz, the A15 Bionic chip, a telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, Macro photography and photographic styles, Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field, ProRes video recording, a 1TB storage option, and five hours of additional battery life. The ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro was discontinued upon the announcement of the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, but it is still possible to get hold of it second-hand. Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you and serves as a way to c