Latest Play Services APK findings show new “Copresence” app is on the way

[Josh Levenson]

If a line of code hidden within Google’s latest Play Services APK and pending patents are anything to go by, it certainly looks as if the search engine giant is preparing to release a new mobile communication service, entitled “Copresence,” which should make sharing data between Android and iOS incredibly easy.


This system sounds an awful lot like Android Beam, which made its debut appearance alongside Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) back in October, 2011 and Bump for iOS back in November, 2009. Both of these apps were developed for their own respective operating systems. Copresence, however, is believed to be a cross-platform application and completely contactless.


While Google is still yet to announce or even confirm the existence of its Copresence service, Simon Tucker recently discovered the application in a leaked patent filing and spotted several files linked to the project in the latest Play Services package.

And if that’s not enough proof, Tucker also found several Chrome code review comments referring to an in-house service called “Copresence” that will not require the use of a Google account. He explained all of his findings in an exclusive email to TechAeris — which you can see below.

Google is going to launch a service titled “Copresence” in the coming weeks. The goal of the service will be to allow cross communication between Android and iOS devices through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Location-based data.

I located a large quantity of files referencing the service in the latest Google Play Services APK, including banner images for setup, explanations of how the service works and XML’s defining the layouts of the setup app.

Upon investigation, I noticed that Google already has patents in the works for a service titled “Copresence”, allowing data retrieval from a device using a server and then feeding back relevant data.

There is also numerous Chrome code review comments referring to a service called “Copresence” stating that it will not require a Google account to use, and confirming that it will be in fact multi-platform.
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We don’t know for certain if Copresence will come to fruition; only time will tell, but it definitely looks like it’s on its way.

Source: TechAeris




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