Google announced on Thursday the launch of Google Play Services 7.8, which includes new APIs to aid in the development of mobile apps.
The latest version of Google Play Services features "Mobile Vision," which includes facial recognition technology that detects and tracks faces in image or friends in real time.
What sets the feature apart from other facial recognition technologies used in apps is that the Faces API can also detect faces from different angles, which then retrieves the different landmarks in the face, like the location of the person's eyes and mouth. The API can detect whether particular facial characteristics are present using classifications, such as if eyes are open or closed or how much the person is smiling.
Mobile Vision also features a Barcode API that scans multiple barcodes in real time, no matter what their orientation.
Google also introduced the new Nearby Messages, a cross-platform API that enables both Android and iOS devices to serve as a beacon to detect and communicate with nearby devices based on proximity — a feature that can be used for multiplayer gaming. Nearby Messages uses Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ultrasound to allow users to find and share messages with other devices on a local network.
The release of Google Play Services 7.8 also features improvements to Google Cloud Messaging. In preparation for the Android M release, Google also added high and normal priority to Google Cloud Messaging, enabling users to send messages that need immediate attention, like an incoming voice call alert, at a higher priority than others.
The new APIs are available now by downloading the Google Play Services SDK from the Android SDK Manager.
