It seems to be the trend that some of the best software updates for Android tend to be part of either app updates or updates to the Google Play services framework, compared to the full system update for Android. Well, from today onward, Google has begun to introduce Google Play Services version 4.1, where those who apply this particular update would be able to enjoy the wonders of turn-based multiplayer support when it comes to games, among others.
With turn-based multiplayer, this would mean that game developers are now able to make use of Google Play services in order to deliver asynchronous multiplayer in games. In a nutshell, this would make Google function as the middleman when it comes to transferring turn data between players. This particular service will also add support for multiplayer games of anywhere between 2 to 8 players. Turn data will also be sent to Google and automatically routed to other players. Apart from that, there is also a developer preview of a new Google Drive API which is currently in the pipeline, where this particular API will enable any app to read and write Google Drive files, not to mention offer offline editing capabilities to boot. Do expect to see more advertising support in the Play services update as well, where DoubleClick for Publishers, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and Search Ads for Mobile Apps are now part of the family.
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