Google announced today that they are taking steps to reduce sign-on friction and simplify permissions for Google Play Games-enabled apps. Many of the changes are developer facing, but that’s not to say that users shouldn’t notice some changes in the future.
Have you noticed that you have to log into Play Games on each and every supported game you install? If so, this is one of the major changes Google is making. Once the APIs start making their way into games you will only have to sign-in to Play Games once per account per device. Once you are signed in Google will handle the individual app registration for you.
Previously if you wanted to use Play Game Services your Google account had to be “upgraded” to a Google+ account. As of the new update, users without Google+ (or those who don’t want it) will be able to use all the app features, except those that require access to Google+’s social features.
Google does note that for users who do not want to be automatically logged into every game they install, the new feature can be disabled in the Play Games App. Depending on the app at hand, developers may have to make some minor changes to their code, so you may not see this rolling out at a blistering pace.
Are you a Play Games user? What level have you reached?
I’m a Play game user and currently at level 39
Wow, level 39, that’s alot of games my friend.
Now Im at level 44 it’s 100k points to the next level not 50k 🙁
I’m hoping that this is a step closer to XBL-style gamertags for Google Play Games.
I’d like the option of disabling Play Games altogether, but that doesn’t seem possible, as many games won’t even load without logging in. Grrrrr.