Droid Maxx 2 will be Verizon's Moto X Play, Google confirms

Verizon still hasn't refreshed its Droid-branded line of exclusive Android devices this year, but that's bound to happen in the next few weeks. Back in August many leaks and rumors claimed that the carrier's upcoming Droid Maxx 2 would be nothing more than a rebranded Moto X Play. In fact, some leaked live images of the Droid Maxx 2 pretty much confirmed that beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, in case you somehow still weren't sure of this, Google can help. See, someone at the search giant managed to inadvertently confirm the fact that the Droid Maxx 2 is just a Moto X Play by another name.

What you see above is a screenshot of the Google support page listing which Android devices are optimized for using the Cast Screen feature with the Chromecast. The second row spells things out, black on white, as it says "Droid Maxx 2 (Verizon) or Moto X Play (Rest of World)". One and the same device, then.

The mishap has since been corrected by Google and any mention of the Droid Maxx 2 is now gone from that support page, but it's pretty clear that someone at the company simply forgot that this handset isn't official just yet. Hopefully that will change soon.

Via

Google Targets Intent With Email, YouTube And Search Matching And Universal App Campaigns

As Ad Week rolls into New York, the tech giants are rolling out their ad product news. Today Google announced moves further into Facebook-style targeting territory, with a new product called Customer Match that will let advertisers upload lists of emails and match them to signed-in Google users on Gmail, Search and YouTube. Google is also upping its game in app promotions.

Meanwhile, Facebook has announced a new service that itself is competitive with yet another platform: Twitter, and specifically in the area of nabbing more TV ad dollars. The social network will be working with Nielsen on a new metric and ad buying option to let advertisers more closely link their TV ad spend with Facebook video spend.

Google’s Customer Match — which will be getting rolled out in the next few weeks — will let advertisers build campaigns based around email address lists that they upload and match against Google’s own database of signed-in users across some of its biggest properties — including Gmail, YouTube and Search.

In an example given by  Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP of Ads and Commerce at Google, a travel brand can upload the names of people in its rewards program, who will then be served ads from that travel brand the next time they are searching a relevant term. Similarly those ads (or others like them) can then follow a user when she or he visits YouTube or checking email on Gmail.

On top of this, Google will also be giving advertisers the ability to use that same data to find similar audiences — that is, signed-in users who may not be on your own lists but match profiles of those who are and are therefore more likely to be interested in your products.

If you think all of this sounds familiar, it’s because it is: Facebook has been letting advertisers run similar styles of campaigns based around customer databases for years already. Why has Google been so slow to come around to this? Regulatory scrutiny seems to be one key reason highlighted by Digiday, which had reported that targeting plans were in the works before Google made the news official: the search giant has been happy to let others take the lead on this kind of ad tech first because then Google appears as the competitor when it enters the market.

There could be other reasons, too: You could also argue that Google has been so successful with its core search products that the idea of adding new features may have been put on the backburner. Similarly, it may only be now that advertisers are showing so much interest in targeting and ad tech in general that Google has felt the push to roll out similar products itself.

The push from the wider market, and competition from Facebook, it could be argued, may also be behind the new Android app promotion tools that Google is also unveiling.

This is not the first time that Google has leveraged its larger networks in areas like search to promote apps: Google unveiled some initiatives in this space back in Mayduring its big I/O developer conference. Now we have a more complete picture in the form of Universal App Campaigns.

Essentially, what this is is a new type of AdWords product focused specifically on targeting app users across different Google platforms such as Search, Google Play, YouTube, and the Google Display Network, which Google says covers some 2 million websites. Some of this is similar to the intent that Google is trying to capture with Customer Match: a search for adventure gaming apps will yield an ad for, say, an adverture game. What’s less clear is if that intent then follows you to other platforms, or whether Google creates separate intent-based ads in, say, YouTube based on what you are watching.

As with other app-install networks, Google says a developer sets a cost-per-install in order to set up a campaign across different platforms.

Facebook’s video ambitions

If Google is wading deeper into Facebook’s territory with app install ads and email-based advertising databases, Facebook is also dipping its toes elsewhere, too.

Earlier today, Facebook, which says it now works with 2.5 million advertisers (up from 2 million in February), announced that it would work with Nielsen to develop and introduce a new metric that it calls the “total rating point” (TRP) to measure how Facebook video ads perform alongside corresponding TV ad campaigns. “Marketers can plan a campaign across TV and Facebook with a total TRP target in mind, and they can buy a share of those TRPs directly with Facebook,” Facebook notes in a blog post about the new product.

As with Nielsen’s early moves to work more closely with Twitter to measure and match up Twitter users with TV consumers, the idea here is to create a stronger link between the old platform and the new in order to encourage more advertising on the latter platform. Video is huge on Facebook, and the social network killing from video ads in its news feed (which are increasingly also going mobile). Making more products to align those even more closely, and with TV advertisers’ budgets, makes a lot of sense.

Other new Facebook products today include brand awareness optimization bidding; polling services coming to mobile; and — in one more push to enhance and expand video inventory — adding videos to the carousel format Facebook introduced earlier this year.

Google brings Android One to Europe

Google has begun expanding its Android One program to Europe, starting with the Aquaris A4.5. The super-affordable handset, which is manufactured by Spanish company BQ, is now on sale in Spain and Portugal for the first time.

Android One, which was launched last September, is designed to provide emerging markets with affordable yet capable Android devices that deliver a decent smartphone experience. That’s one of the reasons why all Android One handsets run stock Android and are updated by Google.

Until now, Android One devices have mostly been available only to those in the East, but Google has made the decision to expand its program to the West. Those living in Spain or Portugal who are interested in an Android One device can now purchase the Aquaris A4.5.

The Aquaris A4.5 is priced at €169.90 in Spain and €179.90 in Portugal (approx. $206), and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. It also boasts a microSD card slot, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 4.5-inch display.

Google is also throwing in a free three-month subscription to Google Play Music, and a generous five-year guarantee.

Google Is Unveiling ‘New Treats’

Good things are coming this month, and I don’t just mean our Disrupt San Francisco event next week. Google just pulled the trigger on invites to a press event later this month which could see it unveil its next Nexus device, among other things.

The company is inviting media to “a morning conversation about some new treats from Google” on September 29th.

Google Is Unveiling ‘New Treats’

Google isn’t always predictable, as its recent decision to split its divisions under ‘Alphabet’ showed, but speculation surrounding new Google hardware has been palpable. CNET earlier this month said a Nexus launch was planned for the 29th, and there’s been speculation that Google has tapped both LG and Huawei to build different sized phones under its Nexus brand. Additionally, the company announced the name of its next version of Android…Marshmallow.

The Nexus brand has proved popular in the past because it runs with a pure form of Android and is optimized for Google’s mobile software, while devices are also usually fairly inexpensive, but Google doesn’t manufacture the phones itself.

LG previously created the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 phones, but Huawei — a growing force in the global smartphone race — hasn’t ever worked on the project. It’s speculated that LG is working on a regular sized smartphone, with Huawei contracted to develop a larger handset.

If true, that would be an interesting development that fits with trends in the market. Both Samsung — Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus — and Apple — iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus — have released ‘little’ and ‘large’ devices to suit different tastes, and it seems like a strategy that others are embracing too.

That might not be all, however, since Google has been linked with a new version of Chromecast, its media streaming dongle. 9to5Google this week reported that Chromecast 2.0 will land later this month with a number of improvements such as faster WiFi connectivity, faster playing, multi-room support and improved audio feedback.

It’s worth noting that this will be the first major event with Sundar Pichai as the CEO of Google. Make no mistake, the invite comes from that entity and not Alphabet for a reason. It’s important for Pichai to step in and discuss how all of the units at the company, including Android, are being developed together, in a streamlined way. In the past, it was very clear which teams at Google worked on what, from a design and a functionality standpoint. Under Pichai’s watch, that’s changing.

It’s Now Officially Sundar Pichai’s Show At Google

Welp, journalists got some inbox candy on a Friday from Google. An invite to an event on September 29th. What will the event be about? Is it hardware? Has to be hardware! Is it software? Has to be software! Is it…yes. It has to be that, too.

My point is that it doesn’t even matter what they launch: Google has had hundreds of product launches, and it will have hundreds more.

Whether Sundar Pichai turns up for the event will be the most important thing about September 29th. It marks the first major event since he became the CEO of Google. In fact, it’s only been about a month since that happened. The truth is, though, Pichai has been working his way up to this point for a long long time.

It’s Now Officially Sundar Pichai’s Show At Google

It’s his show, now.

We don’t know if Pichai is even going to participate in the event at the end of the month, but if you are listening Google (are you there?), I think it’s extremely important for that to happen for a number of reasons.

Strength

Google is its “own thing” now under Alphabet. If Google is announcing products of any sort at the end of the month, Pichai better be there to show the strength of this new entity.

It’ll be very important to see Pichai interact with his colleagues as the head honcho, it’ll be important to hear his words in the context of guiding the entire company for the next ten plus years.

Lack Of Larry Page Is A Plus

For a plethora of reasons, not that we know any of them in particular, Larry Page isn’t the most social CEO in tech. In fact, every single time I see Mark Zuckerberg chatting with some folks in a public setting, I feel like Google’s lack of similar interactions hurt them. Even when Eric Schmidt was CEO, he was still a businessman. Pichai is the anti-Page/Schmidt in this sense. Pichai is the product and a people person.

While we all know that Page is one of, if not the, masterminds of Google’s best years, the fact that he chose Pichai to take the helm at Google spoke volumes. He passed the baton.

Internal happiness

This is Google’s chance to show the company, and the other units under Alphabet, that all is well, everything is under control, and Pichai is the CEO for the reason. Pichai basically auditioned for this exact moment at I/O last year, where Google co-founders Page and Brin were nowhere to be found.

But hey, maybe Pichai doesn’t show up at all. Maybe he gives the stage to whomever is launching what. However, everything we’ve seen about the modest and savvy showman, tells us that he’ll seize this opportunity in his new role. There’s a lot of folks who wouldn’t mind seeing him there keeping everything moving along all Googley-like. Whatever it is they’re talking about that day.

Google delays the Project Ara until 2016

Google delayed the launch of the Project Ara modular smartphone until next year. The Android handset with swappable hardware components was initially expected to launch this year in Puerto Rico.

As it turns out, the prototyping phase of the ambitious project has taken longer than initially expected. Google is apparently looking for new locations in the United States to launch the device, thus meaning that Puerto Rico might not be getting the device after all.

Source

Google Nexus 6 battery swells and explodes

The battery on the Nexus 6 has been one of the sore points of the phone. It would have been one thing if it was just a case of poor battery life but the phone also has technical issues with the battery, where it has been found in several cases to swell, causing the rear cover to pop open.

In case of this particular user, however, it didn't just swell. The battery on her Nexus 6 actually exploded, although thankfully, there was no fire. This happened while the phone was lying unused, and not being charged. Not that that should cause the battery to explode, either.

You probably don't hear too much about the Nexus 6 battery issues because the phone itself isn't terribly popular. However, this is not some minor issue that one can ignore and battery issues need to be taken seriously. Hopefully, Motorola will act on it and find some concrete solution.

Source

Google Now gets 70 more cards from your favorite Android apps

Google has already expanded the reach of its Now service by a considerable margin, and it’s getting even larger in scope thanks to a new update on Tuesday. Moving forward, Android users will begin seeing up to 70 new Google Now cards, which is in addition to the 40 or so the search giant added earlier this year.

Some big names have been added to the list, too, including Spotify, ABC News, Feedly, Eat24, Jawbone, OpenTable, and more. All of the new additions, of course, are meant to make Google Now a much more convenient experience, giving you the information you need before you ask for it. With something like Spotify, Google Now will recommend a specific playlist you might like; ABC News will show you breaking news, and the Eat24 card will remind you that an order is on the way.

You’ll need the latest version of the Google app to start seeing the new cards, so be sure to install the update. If you want to see a more robust list of partners that will show up in Google’s service, you can head here.

Google Works To Improve Spam Detection Systems On Google Maps After Obscene Edits

Google says it’s working to improve its spam-detection systems in its Google Maps platform after yet another prank allowed a user to upload an inappropriate image to Google Maps. This most recent image, which showed the Google Android mascot urinating on the Apple logo in the style of those unfortunate Calvin and Hobbes bootleg decals, was apparently uploaded by a Map Maker user “nitricboy” yesterday, according to his user profile page on Map Maker.

The user, apparently, enjoyed sneaking in bad edits to Google Maps – he also was able to get a Skype logo through, as well as a happy face, as contributors on Hacker News have since pointed out.

Map Maker, for those unfamiliar, is a years-old online tool that allows users worldwide the ability to upload new data to Google’s online mapping service – particularly in less-developed regions where detailed local maps had yet to become available. The idea is that users would be able to add details to maps that Google didn’t already have – like new roads or points of interest.

In the case of the recent “hack,” the user submitted the image as a “park,” for example, located on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, a Pakistani city 10 miles southwest of Islamabad.

The Map Maker platform, like many that rely on the power of crowdsourcing, lets anyone submit and edit. These edits are then approved by a community moderation process. However, it appears that it’s fairly simple for users to create additional accounts in order to “approve” their obscene edits. Or, in other cases, users approve the edits because they’re in on the joke or just want to be.

That’s led to some problems for Google Maps in recent days, it seems.

In addition to Map Maker, users have found other ways to hack their pranks onto Google Maps.

For instance, earlier this month, someone uploaded a new business listing located in the White House dubbed as “Edwards Snow Den.” (Get it?). That particular joke originated as a verified business listing on Google. The prankster realized that you could change the name and location of a business listing after its creation, and adjusted it to read “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”

The extensibility of Google Maps’ platform has been a longtime advantage for the company, whose maps are believed by many to be the best on the market. And Google notes today that contributed content from its user community as well as their edits are generally accurate and have positive and beneficial impact on their local community and businesses.

That being said, the company admits it needs to find ways to improve how it detects, prevents and handles bad edits. “Handling spam is a complex issue and we’re continuously working on ways to improve our systems, including new ways of preventing, detecting and taking down incorrect edits,” a spokesperson said regarding the new hack, which has now been broadly covered by major news outlets, some of whom even speculated it was a Google “Easter Egg.”

“We’re sorry for this inappropriate user-created content; we’re working to remove it quickly,” the Google spokesperson added.

 

 

Currently, the company relies on a combination of systems to detect and prevent map spam, including community flagging. (That’s where other users can flag content as being inappropriate or inaccurate.) But this is only one of many tools used to stop spam.

However, when bad edits fall through the cracks and actually make it onto the maps, Google then uses its understanding of what happened in order to integrate new reinforcements into its system.

But it’s unclear specifically what action Google will take to lock down Maps in the face of future pranksters. Especially because it seems like other users with a good history of edits helped “approve” these changes, which would have made the edit difficult for bots to catch. After all, the power of good content comes from the strength of the online community – and that will require more effort than an algorithm tweak to fix.

Microsoft And Google Battle Once Again For Title Of Second Most Valuable Tech Company

They’re back at it.

After reporting earnings yesterday, Google and Microsoft are once again locked in their long-running battle for second. Apple, the most valuable technology company, is also the most valuable company in the world, with Google and Microsoft rounding off the top three.

Google, up 3.56 percent as of the time of writing, is currently worth $385.59 billion. Microsoft, up 9.47 percent, is worth a similar $389.24 billion. Earlier, the companies managed a $388 billion moment of parity. Their shares are still gyrating, so we could see the companies pass the baton back and forth before the day’s regular hours come to a close.

There is rich history of watching Apple, Microsoft and Google fight for the top three. Let’s rewind:

TechCrunch, May 26, 2010: “Boom, Indeed: Apple Passes Microsoft In Market Cap.”

Worth just over $227 billion apiece, Apple passed Microsoft’s value in 2010. Apple has since more than tripled in value. Microsoft is up a more modest 71 percent.

TechCrunch, February 14, 2011: “Apple Now The Most Valuable Tech Company By $100 Billion; Google Closing In On Microsoft.”

Apple was now worth $330 billion and Microsoft $228 billion. Put another way, Apple’s value grew by $100 billion, or just under a third in less than a year. Microsoft was all but unch.

TechCrunch, October 17, 2014: “Google And Microsoft Battle For Market Cap Supremacy.“

In the latter half of 2014, both Google and Microsoft managed to be worth $351 billion and $352 billion respectively.

Then, Microsoft had a bit of a rough patch, and for some time was worth a margin less. Following the most recent set of earnings reports, Google didn’t pick up as much new oxygen as Microsoft, and now they are once again trading places.

Neither company is anywhere close to challenging Apple’s market cap, making it a race for silver for now.

Source

Google tipped to introduce wireless service tomorrow

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Google will introduce wireless service in the United States tomorrow. The service is said to be available only for users of Motorola Nexus 6 devices.

In line with past reports, Google’s wireless service will utilize the infrastructure of Sprint and T-Mobile in the United States like other mobile virtual network operators do. Users will switch between the two networks depending on the strength of the available signal.

In its debut as a wireless carrier, Google will reportedly allow users to pay only for the data they use. Wi-Fi calls are said to be supported, thus giving the potential of seriously low bills.

Source | Via

Google’s “Mobile-Friendly” Update

Google announced earlier this year that it was making a change to its search algorithms which would begin to factor in a website’s “mobile-friendliness” as a ranking signal – meaning that those sites which weren’t optimized for smartphones’ smaller screens would see their ranks downgraded as a result. Today, Google is flipping the proverbial switch and is rolling out its mobile-friendly update – something that could potentially affect over 40 percent of Fortune 500 websites, according to recent tests.

As Google explains today, in order for a site to be considered mobile-friendly, its text has to be readable without tapping and zooming, its tap targets need to be spaced out appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling. In other words, the site simply needs to be easily usable from a mobile device.

The company also clarifies that the changes will only affect a site’s search ranking on mobile devices – and it only applies to individual pages, not entire websites. It also only impacts searches done on smartphones, not tablets.

It’s surprising how common it still is to come across websites from top brands which haven’t been properly optimized for the smartphone or other smaller screens. Apparently, they do need the threat of a downgrade from Google in order to make any changes.

According to an earlier report on TechCrunch, a 2013 study said that two-thirds of the Fortune 100 were not ready for mobile search. And after running some tests this year, it appears that progress has been slow – as noted above, just over half (52 percent) of the Fortune 500 operated mobile-friendly websites ahead of Google’s update.

But the shift to mobile cannot be ignored any longer by these big brands – or anyone else. According to eMarketer, the number of smartphone users worldwide will surpass 2 billion in 2016, and will come close to hitting that mark this year. In 2015, the firm said there will be over 1.91 billion smartphone users across the globe. And by 2018, over one-third of consumers worldwide will use smartphones.

That rapid shift to mobile has impacted all businesses, Google included. The company’s bottom line is affected by how many mobile users turn to its search engine to explore the web, allowing it to serve ads against searchers’ intent. But on mobile, users have often found better ways of interacting with the content and online properties they frequent – by way of native mobile applications built especially with a mobile device’s small form factor in mind and able to take advantage of mobile OS features like push notifications, for example, to retain users’ engagement.

Meanwhile, popular mobile properties like Facebook have been cutting into Google’s ad business. eMarketer noted that Google owned half of the mobile ad market in 2013, but that would decline to 46.8 percent in 2014. Meanwhile, Facebook’s share of the market grew from 5.4 percent of global ad spending in 2012 to 21.7 percent in 2014, the firm said.

Google’s decision to force website owners to make their sites work better on mobile devices, then, isn’t just about making web searchers happier; it’s about making sure that Google can retain its position as a useful service in the age of mobile.

The advantages to making a site mobile-friendly aren’t just good for Google and consumers – they’re good for site owners, too. For sites that are mobile-optimized, search sends a number of visitors to smartphone sites and contributes to a significant portion of a website’s revenue. According to a study of 100 top mobile properties by Branding Brand, search accounted for nearly half of all smartphone traffic (43 percent) in Q1 2015, up 5 percent from the prior quarter. In addition, organic search produced 25 percent of all revenue on smartphone-optimized sites.

And mobile traffic continues to grow – smartphone visits grew 35 percent year-over-year as of Q1, the study noted. Apple devices accounted for 59 percent of all smartphone visits in the quarter, during which time 28 percent of all online revenue was generated by mobile devices.

Google says the rollout of the new algorithm begins today, and webmasters can test their sites using various tools, including the Mobile-Friendly Test or the Mobile Usability report in Webmaster Tools, for example. If a site is determined to not be mobile-friendly, Google warns that “there may be a significant decrease in mobile traffic from Google Search.” But once the changes are made, Google will automatically re-process the site’s pages.

According to a helpful FAQ on SearchEngineLand, Google’s crawling can take anywhere from a few hours to over 72 hours – but site owners can expedite the process by usingFetch as Google with Submit to Index. Then pages can be treated as mobile-friendly in ranking, Google says.

WhatsApp users on Android can now backup and restore with Google Drive

A WhatsApp update rolling out to users on Android adds the ability to backup to and restore from Google Drive. In addition to chat logs, the feature also saves received photos — but it doesn’t appear to backup videos just yet.

Google Drive integration was first spotted by WhatsApp translators — the team that helps translate the application into other languages — back in March. Now, less than a month later, it’s available inside the WhatsApp version 2.12.45 update for Android.

Once you have the latest version of the app, you’ll find a new Google Drive option inside the “Chat backup” section within WhatsApp’s settings menu. To active it, you’ll need to select your preferred backup frequency and log in with your Google account.

You can also specify whether you wish to backup over Wi-Fi only, or Wi-Fi and cellular data connection.

“You’ll then have to wait for 4:00 am when WhatsApp usually does its daily backup for the magic to happen,” explains Android Police, which first spotted the update. “If you’re impatient, you can initiate it by tapping the top Back up now option.”

If you do this, WhatsApp will first make a local backup, then upload it to Google Drive. Bear in mind, however, that the process could take a while if you have a lot of data inside WhatsApp, and there’s no way to pause it once it has started.

It’s unclear for now whether users will be able to access their WhatsApp data within Google Drive and see conversation logs and images, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the data is encrypted for security.

This WhatsApp update has already begun rolling out via Google Play, but it will take some time to reach all users. If you’d prefer not to wait, you can download the APK and install it manually via the APK Mirror link below.

This release comes just days after WhatsApp for Android was overhauled with new Material Design visuals.

Google Play Services 7.3 Adds A New UI For Trusted Places And Finally Makes The Persistent Android Wear Notification Dismissible [APK Download]

Google Play services made a rather lofty jump from 7.0 to 7.3 a couple days ago. While there don't appear to be any big API changes for developers, a couple of pretty obnoxious issues were cleared up for regular users. It looks like the Home address in Trusted Places is not only working again, but there may be an improved UI that makes it even easier to set up safe zones (if you didn't already have it). Android Wear owners will also be pleased to say goodbye to the persistent notification. As always, we've got a download link below.

What's New

Leading the charge for change is a new UI for configuring Trusted Places. [Update: Some people have had this UI for a while. It may have been triggered by a server-side switch prior to this update, which probably enables it for everybody.] There is now a convenient maps widget with a ring of blue dots that represents a chosen safe zone. This implementation also breaks away from the reliance on specific street addresses and instead allows users to pinpoint specific map coordinates. Of course, it's still possible to search and enter locations by address, so users have the best of both worlds.

Android Wear users were the beneficiaries of another change that was made with this update. We're all familiar with a persistent notification that was always displayed if there was a paired smartwatch, regardless of its connection status. Naturally, this was irritating since it just served to clutter up the list of notifications. With the latest update, this notification is finally dismissible. It returns whenever a paired watch loses or re-establishes connection, but some reports claim that it can disappear on its own if enough time passes. Thanks Anthony DeFrancesco.

UPDATE: 2015/04/17 5:28PM PDT

Installing Play Services 7.3.27 will also change the pull-to-refresh implementation in Google+ from an animated bar to Google's newer rotating arrow.

These are the changes we know about, so far. If anybody stumbles onto something else, let us know in the comments!

Download

The APK is signed by Google and upgrades your existing app. The cryptographic signature guarantees that the file is safe to install and was not tampered with in any way. Rather than wait for Google to push this download to your devices, which can take days, download and install it just like any other APK.

Version: 7.3.27 (1857062)

• APK Mirror

To figure out the right version of Google Play services for your Android device, go toSettings -> Apps -> Google Play services, and look at the last 3 numbers in the parentheses. You'll see something like -XYZ where:

* X defines Android version:

• 0 for Android <5.0
• 4 and 7 for Android >=5.0
• 8 for Android TV

* Y defines CPU architecture:

• 1 for armeabi
• 3 for armeabi-v7a
• 4 for arm64-v8a
• 7 for x86

* Z defines DPI:

• 0 for universal
• 2 for 160
• 4 for 240
• 6 for 320
• 8 for 480

Notes:

• It seems that -7YZ builds became -4YZ with Google Play services 6.5. If you were on -7YZ before, you should now install -4YZ.
• Looks like -8YZ builds are for Android TV.

Examples:

• -014 for Android <5.0 armeabi CPU 240 DPI device
• -438 for Android 5.0+ armeabi-v7a CPU 480 DPI device
• -876 for Android TV x86 CPU 320 DPI device