PreEmptive had the opportunity to send a couple of representatives to Google IO this year. IO 2019 didn’t tell us what dessert starts with a Q, but it did showcase some great tools and frameworks as well as provide insight into the direction of Android:
Firebase and Jetpack speed up development and allow better compatibility with older platforms. Google reinforced its commitment to Kotlin, stating that most of its samples and frameworks will be available first in Kotlin and later in standard Java. R8 is now the default for minification. Android will do more on-device processing to ensure better privacy.
At PreEmptive, we have similar goals:
The highlight of the trip was the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Google employees. We discussed what we had done to incorporate R8 with DashO’s Gradle Plugin for Android (available with the DashO 10 Beta) and found we were on the same page regarding R8’s direction. We actually had a chance encounter with a developer who needed a specific piece of advice, which we had already listed on The Unofficial R8 Documentation.
Overall, it was a great experience. There was a lot of information to cover in such a limited time. As in prior years, sessions were recorded and are available on YouTube. We recommend the following sessions as they provide a general overview of Android developments: