Announcing Android Google Mobile Ads SDK version 24.0.0

Version 24.0.0 of the Android Google Mobile Ads SDK is now available. To take advantage of the latest features and performance improvements, we highly recommend you configure your app to upgrade as soon as possible. Major changes to the SDK are as follows:

Minimum Android API level

Starting with version 24.0.0, the Google Mobile Ads SDK requires all apps to be on a minimum Android API level of 23. To adjust the API level, change the value of minSdk in your app-level build.gradle file to 23 or higher.

Optimized initialization and ad loading

By default, The OPTIMIZE_INITIALIZATION and OPTIMIZE_AD_LOADING flags are now generally available and set to true. These flags help reduce ANRs. You can further prevent ANRs by initializing the Google Mobile Ads SDK on a background thread. For more information, see Optimize initialization and ad loading.

Removed ad services config in AndroidManifest.xml

To prevent merge conflicts for apps that configure API-specific Ad Services, we've removed the android.adservices.AD_SERVICES_CONFIG property tag from the SDK’s manifest file. This change provides greater flexibility for developers who need to customize their Ad Services configurations.

SDK deprecation and sunset timelines activated

With this Android major version 24 launch and the iOS major version 12 launch last month, new deprecation and sunset dates for older releases are as follows:

  • Android Google Mobile Ads SDK versions 22.0.0 - 22.6.0 are officially deprecated, and will sunset in June 2026.
  • Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x will sunset on June 30, 2025.
    • While there are currently no plans to disable ad serving on Android versions 21.x.x and iOS versions 9.x.x, we strongly recommend updating to the latest SDK version to avoid future impactions.

For a complete list of changes in v24.0.0 and detailed migration steps, check the release notes and SDK migration guide. If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us through Mobile Ads SDK Support.

 - Eric Leichtenschlag, Mobile Ads Developer Relations

Google Vids is expanding its AI voiceovers with new options

What’s changing

Since bringing Google Vids—our AI-powered video creation app for work—to general availability last year, users have engaged with Gemini features in Vids like AI voiceovers. Today, we’re excited to announce that users can now choose from a wider range of AI voices for their videos with the introduction of new options: 
  • Narrator (Default) - Smooth, medium pitch 
  • Educator - Friendly, higher pitch 
  • Teacher - Clear, low pitch 
  • Persuader - Engaging, low pitch 
  • Explainer - Lively, low pitch 
  • Coach - Lively, higher pitch 
  • Motivator - Energetic, medium pitch
These high-quality voices offer more natural and expressive voiceovers that dynamically adjust pitch and tone to match your script, whether you wrote it yourself or used the Gemini-powered 'Help me create' to generate your script. 


new ai voiceover options in vids


Who’s impacted 

End users 


Why you’d use it 

Using AI voiceovers makes it easier to get started creating or updating video content in just a few clicks. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Vids in your organization.
  • End users: 
    • Visit the Help Center to learn more about creating scripts & voiceovers in Google Vids. 
    • You can use Vids on your computer with the two most recent versions of these browsers: 
    • You can access our always-on resources in the Google Workspace Learning Center to learn what you can do with Google Vids. 
    • Vids is available in the user's local language, but some AI features (including AI voiceovers) are currently only available in English. 
    • Note: View and collaborate access is available to anyone with a Google Workspace account, while create and copy access is available for select editions of Google Workspace customers. 

Rollout pace 

Availability 

Available for Google Workspace: 
  • Business Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Education Plus* 
  • Customers with the Gemini Education* or Gemini Education Premium* add-on 
  • Customers with the Gemini Business* or Gemini Enterprise* add-on 
 *As of January 15, 2025, we’re no longer offering the Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise add-ons for sale. Please refer to this announcement for more details. 

*Please refer to the following Workspace Updates Blog to learn more about Vids availability for Google Workspace for Education customers. 

Resources 



Chrome Dev for Android Update

Hi everyone! We've just released Chrome Dev 135 (135.0.7037.2) for Android. It's now available on Google Play.

You can see a partial list of the changes in the Git log. For details on new features, check out the Chromium blog, and for details on web platform updates, check here.

If you find a new issue, please let us know by filing a bug.

Chrome Release Team
Google Chrome

Upcoming changes to CustomerService in Google Ads API

We are introducing several changes to the CustomerService.CreateCustomerClient method to align the Google Ads API with how Google Ads UI handles new account creation functionality. These changes will take effect on March 17, 2025.

New error codes for policy enforcement
In order to limit abuse, the Google Ads API introduced two new error codes in the version v19 of the API for the purpose of policy enforcement.
  1. Google Ads manager accounts that do not have a certain threshold of spending or a certain number of active child accounts without policy issues (for example, not suspended or closed for policy violations) will be ineligible to create child accounts under them. Developers will receive a CustomerError.CREATION_DENIED_INELIGIBLE_MCC error code in the upcoming version v19 of the Google Ads API. To fix the issue, link a Google Ads account that is compliant with the Google policies and meets the threshold spending levels under your manager account.
  2. Google Ads manager accounts that have been flagged for policy violations related to account creation will no longer be able to create child accounts under them. Developers will receive a CustomerError.CREATION_DENIED_FOR_POLICY_VIOLATION error code in the upcoming version v19 of the Google Ads API.
In both these cases, existing API versions (v18 and older) will throw a ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT error instead.

Quota limits for account creation
The Google Ads API will enforce limits on creation of new Google Ads accounts. Developers will receive a QuotaError.RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED error once the limits are reached. The retry_delay field of the quota_error_details contains additional details on how long you should wait before retrying the API call. We do not expect most developers to be affected by these limits.

What do I need to do?
If your application uses the Google Ads API to create new Google Ads accounts, you should review your code to ensure that your application correctly handles these new error codes.

If you have any questions or need help, check out the Google Ads API support page for options.Reach out to the Google Ads product support team for any questions related to account policies.
 - , Google Ads API Team

New Google Drive Inventory Reporting enhancements provide even richer insights into file permissions

What's changing

In October 2024, we introduced Google Drive Inventory Reporting, which provides admins with key metadata about the files in their Drive corpus via a BigQuery report. These reports provide admins valuable insights into how data is classified, accessed, and used, which can help identify security risks, ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, and much more. 

Beginning today, we're pleased to announce that we've enhanced Drive Inventory Reporting to include more detailed permission information for files and folders in My Drive. This means you can now access the following schema fields concerning permission details for both shared drive and My Drive files:

  • Inherited: A boolean indicating whether the permission is inherited. 
  • Permission Type: The permission type for the user. 
  • Role: The primary role for the user. 
This update builds on recent upgrades to the access experience in Drive, providing a more comprehensive and unified view of permissions across your entire Drive environment. 


Getting started 

  • Admins: Visit the Help Center to learn more about Drive inventory reporting.
  • End users: There is no end user impact or action required. 

Rollout pace

Availability 

Available* for Google Workspace: 
  • Enterprise Standard and Plus 
  • Education Standard and Plus 
  • Enterprise Essentials Plus 
  • Cloud Identity Premium 
*Note that this availability refers to the ability to generate a report. All end users will be included in the report and are not limited to any specific Google Workspace edition. 

Resources 

Meet the Mentoring organizations of GSoC 2025!

We are thrilled to share that we have selected 185 open source projects for the 21st year of Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

Get to know more about each organization via their individual GSoC program page. There you will find the best way to engage with each community, view project ideas, and read their contributor guidance for applying to their organization.


Applications for the GSoC Contributors are open March 24 - April 8, 2025

The 2025 GSoC program is open to students and to beginners in open source software development. If you are eager to enhance your chances of becoming a GSoC contributor this year, we highly recommend following these steps:

  • Get inspired by watching the 'Introduction to GSoC' video for a quick overview and the Community Talks to learn more about past projects that contributors completed.
  • Review the Contributor Guide and Advice for Applying to GSoC.
  • Review the list of accepted organizations.
    • We recommend finding two to three Orgs that interest you and reading through their project ideas. Use the filters on the site to help you narrow down based on the programming languages you are familiar with or categories that interest you.
  • Once you find an idea that excites you, reach out to the organization right away via their preferred communication methods. Communicating early and often will increase your chances of being accepted.
    • Introduce yourself to the mentors and community and ask questions to determine if this project idea is a good fit for your skill set and interests.
    • Use the information you received to write up your proposal.

Join us in our upcoming Info session!


Finally, you can find more information about the program on our website which includes the full 2025 timeline. You’ll also find the FAQ, Program Rules and some videos with more details about GSoC for both contributors and mentors.

Welcome aboard 2025 Mentoring Organizations! We are looking forward to an amazing year!

By Stephanie Taylor, Mary Radomile & Lucila Ortíz – GSoC Program Admins

Meet the Android Studio Team: A Conversation with Android Developer UX Manager, Dan Dole

Posted by Ashley Tschudin – Social Media Specialist, MTP at Google

Welcome to "Meet the Android Studio Team"! In this blog series, we introduce you to the passionate people who create the Android development tools you use every day. Get to know the engineers, designers, product managers, and more who work hard to craft the best possible experience for Android developers, and explore their unique perspectives.

Dan Dole: Building Android Studio for You

Meet Dan Dole, a UX Manager for Android Developer UX, who offers a unique perspective on the Android development journey. He highlights the passion and talent within the Android Developer team, emphasizing the importance of elegant solutions and efficient experiences for developers.

Dan also delves into the exciting potential of AI and machine learning to transform Android development, foreseeing a future where AI accelerates learning, refines code, and empowers developers to focus on innovation.

Through his insights, Dan underscores the collaborative spirit and unwavering commitment to developer success that defines the Android Developer Experience.

Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a part of the Android Studio team? What sparked your interest in Android development?

My journey with Android Development and the Android Studio team started with a conversation with a former colleague and the product lead for Android Developer. She was a leader I respected as someone who was passionate about developers, and believed that UX was a critical component of product development. After meeting with her and understanding the direction of Android, I was convinced that Android could be not just an outstanding mobile platform but a platform that spanned devices, and this was an organization that was focused on enabling developers to bring their talents and creativity to billions of users. Each year, I see us advancing in that direction and feel more confident in my choice to be part of the Android Developer team.

This question can’t be answered without mentioning that the people working on Android Developer tools and APIs are some of the most passionate and talented people I have ever worked with.

What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced in your career as a developer, and how have those experiences shaped your approach to your job?

I am a UX professional in a highly technical environment. This has been the case for about two decades. One of the challenges I have faced is articulating the value of elegant solutions for developers.

This is partially because developers are very capable and resourceful. Clearly, they are tolerant and they will overcome issues that average users won’t. Prior to joining Android Developer Experience, I would have to create processes and negotiate quality bars to drive quality and build efficient experiences.

This challenge gave me skill in release management and how to understand some complexities unique to this space, but it also gave me tools to help explain that developers may be able to manage complexity better than most. Developers appreciate refinement, productivity, and quality, as much as they appreciate flexibility and capability.

How has the integration of AI and machine learning impacted Android developer capabilities, and how do you see it evolving in the future?

We are in the very early stages of AI and its ability to impact developers. As we learn how to be transparent and give developers control over how an AI can benefit them, we are seeing an immediate impact on accelerating learning and refining code.

I expect AI to remove the “chores” that developers have to do, creating more space for them to be productive. I also expect AI to evolve from generating artifacts to generating actions. Making AI features more proactive and allowing developers to more quickly adjust to users' needs.

How does the Android Studio team ensure that products or features meet the ever-changing needs of developers?

I lead our Android Developer research and design team. We spent countless hours listening to developers, evaluating feedback, and understanding technology investments. We approach these conversations and instruments by evaluating what we have already delivered, looking and listening to the challenges developers face, and designing and evaluating new approaches.

The Android Developer team (ENG, Product, UX and Test) are motivated by supporting developers, so all developer feedback is received with gratitude and influences all our investments.

What advice would you give to aspiring Android developers who are just starting their journey?

Android is a vibrant and welcoming community, so my advice would be to engage the community. It is where we learn, inspire and grow together. I have heard many Android developers talk about the pride they have working on this platform and the conviction they have in it being the best platform to work on. I feel like this is unique to Android, the platform isn’t a means to an end, it’s an identity and value system. Android is a community of amazing people, get involved.

Make Gemini in Android Studio Your Coding Companion

Embrace Dan's vision for the future of Android development and explore the latest AI advancements in Android Studio. Features like AI-powered code generation and refactoring tools empower you to develop higher-quality apps with greater efficiency.

Stay tuned!

Want to meet more of the Android Studio team? Stay tuned for future installments of this series, where we'll introduce you to new faces and share their unique insights.

Find Dan Dole on LinkedIn.

Expanding SIP Link for Google Voice to new countries

What’s changing 

In October 2022, we announced the ability for Google Voice Standard and Premier customers to connect a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk with Voice. SIP Link allows phone numbers (PSTN services) from local carriers to be used for Google Voice through a secure set of certified Session Border Controllers (SBCs), such as Audiocodes, Cisco, Oracle, and Ribbon. For more information, check out our original launch announcement.

Beginning today, we’re launching Voice to the following countries by expanding SIP Link availability: 


APAC
  • Australia
  • Hong Kong
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Malaysia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
EMEA
  • Finland
  • Norway
  • Romania
  • South Africa
LATAM
  • Peru
Customers in these countries will need to purchase the new SIP Link Standard or SIP Link Premier licenses to set up SIP Link, which they can do via their Google Workspace sales representative or through the Google Workspace Partner network. 


Getting started 


Rollout pace

Availability 

  • Available to Google SIP Link Standard and Premier customers
    • Note: Customers in countries above will need to purchase SIP Link Standard or SIP Link Premier licenses to set up SIP Link. 

Resources 

Integrating HubSpot with Google Chat

What’s changing

Many utilize HubSpot, an AI-powered customer platform, to perform marketing, sales, customer service, content management, operations, and commerce tasks. Today, we’re excited to introduce an integration with HubSpot that enables users to see notifications and updates from Hubspot directly in Chat. 

With this integration, users can: 
  • Receive HubSpot notifications in Chat for things like new leads, deal status updates, or changes in contact records. 
  • Improve customer response times by connecting their HubSpot inbox to spaces in Chat. 
  • More efficiently collaborate on support tickets, expedite ticket resolution, and boost customer satisfaction by connecting their help desk workspace to Chat spaces. 
  • Configure and send custom notifications to specific users and Chat spaces through HubSpot workflows, which ensures the right people are informed about any significant event. 
  • Summarize HubSpot records using Breeze Copilot directly from the notifications in Chat. 
Integrating HubSpot with Google Chat



Who’s impacted 

Admins and end users 


Why you’d use it 

This update enhances communication, productivity and efficiency for HubSpot customers that use Chat as their primary collaboration tool. 


Getting started 

Rollout pace

Availability 

  • Available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual Subscribers, and users with personal Google accounts 

Resources 

Beta Channel Update for ChromeOS / ChromeOS Flex

The Beta channel is being updated to OS version 16181.24.0 (Browser version 134.0.6998.31) for most ChromeOS devices.

If you find new issues, please let us know one of the following ways:
  1. File a bug

  2. Visit our ChromeOS communities

    1. General: Chromebook Help Community

    2. Beta Specific: ChromeOS Beta Help Community

  3. Report an issue or send feedback on Chrome

  4. Interested in switching channels? Find out how.

Luis Menezes

Google ChromeOS