Android Pie- Opportunities & Challenges for App Developers

Have you tasted Naught & Oreo? Well now it is the time for some Pie, From Pie we mean to say “Android Pie”-Google’s 9th sweet treat. Almost, after more than a year of development & months of testing by early adopters, Google has unveiled its latest release of Android to the world in the form of Android 9 Pie. With the bag full of enchanting features and primary, focus on simplicity & intelligence, Google has introduced a new system of navigation in their latest release Android 9 Pie. This new sweet treat of Android OS brings both new opportunities & new challenges for Android app developers.

Let’s gaze into the newest changes and restrictions that restrict android app developers to make it happen in Android Pie together.

Security-Based Restrictions:

To enhance security & privacy of users, Android Pie introduces several restrictions such as limited access from sensors, restricting data retrieved from location-based scans, added permission rules related to phone calls, secret keys & Wi-Fi scans.

These changes affect all the apps running on Android Pie and throw challenges towards app developers in various areas.

Developers are facing some restrictions before launching an app to Android Pie.

Limited Access To Sensor Background:

Android Pie has restricted the ability for background apps to access user input and sensor data. With the release of Android Pie, developers have been restricted to access the data of apps, which are running in the background from now onwards. The Android Pie system applies the following restriction to your app.

Before the launch of Android Pie, developers were able to access the microphone or camera but after the launch of Android Pie, they are restricted to access those.

Sensors that use the continuous reporting mode, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, don’t receive events.

Sensors that use the on-change or one-shot reporting modes don’t receive events.

Now if your app requires detecting sensors events on devices running Android Pie, you need to use foreground service.

Restricted Access to Call Logs:

Before the launch of Android Pie, app developers were able to access the call logs, read call logs or write call logs but from now, onwards it will require permission from Call log permission group to perform these tasks.

In previous Android versions, app developers were allowed to access these sensitive data by taking permission from Phone permission group only.

But, from now onwards, being an app developer, if your app requires access to call logs or need to process outgoing calls, you must request for the permission from Call Log Permission Group.

Restricted Access To Phone Numbers:

With the launch of Android Pie, a developer cannot read phone numbers or phone state without first acquiring the Read Call Log permission. Hence, Android Pie is restricting developers to easily access the phone numbers and that will make the android app developer restricted to get permission from the authority.

Restricted Access To Wi-Fi Location & Connection:

After the launch of Android Pie, it has become even stricter to perform Wi-Fi scanning in the app. Now, developers have to perform some more efforts to avail the permission of Wi-Fi scanning.

Restricted To Auto Access The Secret Keys:

New Android P provides the ability to import encrypted keys securely onto Keystore using key format. The content of keys never appears as plaintext in the host memory of the device as keymaster takes care of decrypting the keys in the Keystore.

Unified Biometric Authentication Dialog

When your application is using Fingerprint Manager, you do not have to create authentication dialog on your own anymore. Instead, switch to Biometric Prompt. It relies on the system to display the authentication dialog; it also adapts its behavior depending on which type of biometric authentication the user has chosen.

“No matter how much bigger is the problem, a perfect blend of deep understanding and accurate execution turns every challenge into new opportunities.”       

Conclusion:

Android Pie has given so many benefits to the user along with some restrictions & challenges to the Android app developers. Where people are using Android Pie in their Android Smartphones, they do not even realize how much restrictions and challenges are there to build apps for Android Pie.

At, RipenApps, we have a team of savvy Android Tech Ninjas, who possess deep learning of Android’s tech suite and have also possess that aptitude that can not only face but can cherish to crush the challenges in a way to Android app development for Pie Version.
Write to us at [email protected].

 

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