Google has just announced version 2.0 of Nearby Connections, which it boasts is capable of working completely offline. More specifically Google has announced the 2.0 version of the Nearby Connections API which is now going to be available on any Android device so long as it’s running with at least version 11.0 of Google Play Services. Worth noting is that this new API version is only really going to be useful for developers on the face of things, but as with all changes to APIs or apps that are geared towards developers eventually the changes will be felt by the end user if developers take advantage of the API and its new changes.
Included in the update is not just the ability for the API to be utilized for offline use, but Google is also boasting the ability for it to work with operations that need or would at least be improved with a higher bandwidth connection for peer to peer communication between devices. Google makes a couple of examples of how the new API might be useful, including communicating with the owner of a private parking space to come to a deal to perhaps use that space while it isn’t in use by the owner, as well as having previously booked hotel rooms configure the temperature to your preferred settings as soon as you arrive at the room, though these are just a couple of the examples of what could be a vast set of possibilities.
To help foster some of these new changes Google has worked with a handful of different companies that are starting development on features which will make use of the new API. For instance it partnered up with The Weather Channel to get an on demand mesh network up and running which would be able to better alert people about urgent weather warnings. Another partner, Gameinsight, is working to make it easier to find other players of certain games, while its own Android TV division is working on an app for controlling certain things remotely, like simplifying the setup process for Android TV units and for enabling experiences that can be viewed on a second screen, like the display of a smartphone. As stated, at the forefront this isn’t something which be immediately useful to end users, but it will open up the possibilities for developers to enhance location-based features that are already in their apps or provide them with tools to incorporate new ones, which will make their way to users at some point.