Google Launches Android Studio 2.0: First Major Update Featuring Many Improvements

Android Studio logoThe search giant Google has launched Android Studio integrated development environment (IDE) version 2.0 for developers to create apps. Android Studio that is based on IntelliJ was first launched in 2013, and it already include many features. The new version is offering more.

The version of Android Studio that is initially launched as an early preview in the Canary channel, is the first major update to the company's IDE since the original.

Similar to previous releases, it comes with code editor, code analysis tools, emulators for all of Google’s Android platforms, and others as standards. But in version 2.0, Google's Group Product Manager for Android Studio Stephanie Cuthbertson said that it's aiming for speed.

"For the IDE to be delightful, it doesn't just have to be stable - but amazingly stabled."

With the update, Android app's development speed can be accelerated massively. According to Cuthbertson, the full build is 2x to 2.5 times faster than previous releases.

Among the new features and updates, while speed is a priority, Google is also introducing a new feature which is making the highlight. It is called "Instant Run". With this feature, developers can write codes and see what changes by reloading. This emulates devices faster than ever before as the process will only take a couple of seconds before the developer see the changes.

The feature is only available for Android Ice Cream Sandwich and above.

Version 2.0 also features the ability to test different connectivity states for networking and GPS. And a new GPU Profiler that according to Google, allows developers to "record entire sessions and walk through the GL Framebuffer and Textures as your app is running OpenGL ES Code."

Android Studio version 2.0

Android compromises an ecosystem that is the largest among all mobile platform. With its size, it's almost impossible for most app developers to test their apps on the multitude of devices Android has to offer.

Developers could even find difficulties in targeting the most popular devices in their early development phase.

Google has a service called Test Lab where developers have the option to test their apps. Just like some others, most the testings occur within the emulators. Since Google's isn't the fastest and the easiest to use, version 2.0 of Android Studio introduces a new emulators that mimics modern hardware conditions. This enables it to run faster than any physical devices.

The interface is also re-designed to meet all the standards of Google Play service, easing user-experience. One of the most important feature of the emulator is now developers are able to resize the testing window to meet various screen sizes.

Android Studio 2Android Studio 2Android Studio 2

Google started its life as a search engine. As its Search service is getting much of the world's popularity, it's aiming to get even more of the web's contents. As the trend shifted to mobile, Google is focusing on mobile app indexing to bring contents out of them to its search engine.

The team behind Android Studio is working closely with the team behind Search to enable this feature is new apps created. The emulator for example, can generate deep links for Search automatically.