Google Plus API Updated For Android

Google has updated its API for the Google+ app for Android, after adding a number of key new features.

The update is intended to help workers use it in the workplace, and gives users the ability to create and manage multiple accounts for their personal and work lives.

API Update

Also being added is a feature that lets Google+ users make restricted posts using their Android devices that can only be received by designated recipients.

The new workplace features were unveiled in an 14 August post by Joel Kalmanowicz, product manager for the Google Apps Team, on the Google Enterprise Blog. The new features are aimed at Google Apps for Business, Government or Education customers, wrote Kalmanowicz, and will be rolling out in the next few days for Android users.

Also being introduced is a Google+ Domains API, which allows Apps customers to integrate Google+ into their existing tools and processes, and allows enterprise software vendors to access Google+ from their applications, wrote Kalmanowicz. The Google+ Domains API was previewed at the May 2013 Google I/O developers conference and is now available to all Google Apps customers.

For users, the new capabilities will make it easier to use Google+ in the workplace, according to Google.

“First, the Google+ app on Android now supports multiple accounts, so you can log in to both a personal and a work account, and easily switch between them as you can in other apps such as Gmail,” wrote Kalmanowicz. “Next, you can now create restricted posts from the Google+ app on Android. Restricted posts can’t be shared outside your organisation, so your private conversations are only visible to your co-workers.”

In addition, Google has added domain labels in both the mobile app and on the Web so that users can easily recognise Google+ profiles of other people within their organisations so that they can connect more quickly. The small profile labels indicate a Google Apps user’s domain, which are confidential and visible only to other users in your Google+ domain, according to Kalmanowicz.

Developers can learn more about the Google+ Domains API on the Google Apps Developer Blog and read the documentation on the Google+ developers site, wrote Kalmanowicz. Mobile users who want to begin to use the new features should download the latest Google+ app from the Google Play Store.

Constant Updates

Google has been constantly tweaking its Google+ offerings as it continues to try to grow its user base and make it a must-visit destination for enterprise users and consumers who are already deeply entrenched in more mature social networks, including Facebook.

In July, Google launched a new set of Google+ plug-ins that make it easier for Website owners to “connect” with their customers on Google+ by providing a simple one-click means so that  visitors can track sites.

In March, Google released reworked versions of its Google+ apps for Android and iPhone users, adding several improved features for photos, posts, user profiles and user communities. Highlighting the iPhone app improvements were photo-enhancement features from Snapseed, which allow users to perform basic edits such as rotating and cropping images, as well as using photo filters on their images before sharing them with others.