Google Play services 4.1 begins rolling out with turn-based multiplayer support and more
As has been established, the best software updates for Android tend to be part of either app updates or updates to the Google Play services framework rather than in the full Android system updates. Today, Google is starting the rollout of Google Play services version 4.1, which adds turn-based multiplayer support for games and more.
Turn-based multiplayer means that game developers can now use Google Play services to offer asynchronous multiplayer in games. Basically, this makes Google servers the middleman for transferring turn data between players. The service will add support for multiplayer games of 2-8 players. Turn data is sent to Google and automatically routed to other players.
Another big addition is a developer preview of a new Google Drive API that is in the works. The API will allow any app to read and write Google Drive files and even offer offline editing capabilities. As you would expect, there is also more advertising support in the Play services update, adding support for DoubleClick for Publishers, DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and Search Ads for Mobile Apps.
Lastly, Google+ sharing from third-party apps has been improved, but it is unclear what that means exactly.
The update is rolling out to Android devices now, but the benefits of the update will have to wait until developers put the new features into effect.
source: Android Developers Blog
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