Engage SDK Shopping: Third-party technical integration instructions

Google is building an on-device surface that organizes users' apps by verticals and enables a new immersive experience for personalized app content consumption and discovery. This fullscreen experience provides developer partners with an opportunity to showcase their best rich content in a dedicated channel outside of their app.

This guide contains instructions for developer partners to integrate their shopping content, using the Engage SDK to populate both this new surface area and existing Google surfaces like Entertainment Space.

Integration detail

Terminology

This integration includes the following five cluster types: Recommendation, Featured, Shopping Cart, Shopping List, Reorder and Shopping Order Tracking.

  • Recommendation clusters show personalized shopping suggestions from an individual developer partner. These recommendations can be personalized to the user or generalized (for example, trending items). Use these to surface products, events, sales, promos, subscriptions as you see fit.

    Your recommendations take the following structure:

    • Recommendation Cluster: A UI view that contains a group of recommendations from the same developer partner.

    • ShoppingEntity: An object representing a single item in a cluster.

  • The Featured cluster showcases a selection of entities from multiple developer partners in one UI grouping. There will be a single Featured cluster, which is surfaced near the top of the UI with a priority placement above all Recommendation clusters. Each developer partner will be allowed to broadcast up to 10 entities in the Featured cluster.

  • The Shopping Cart cluster shows a sneak peek of shopping carts from many developer partners in one UI grouping, nudging users to complete their outstanding carts. There is a single Shopping Cart cluster, which is surfaced near the top of the UI, with a priority placement above all Recommendation clusters. Each developer partner is allowed to broadcast up to 3 ShoppingCart instances in the Shopping Cart cluster.

    Your Shopping Cart takes the following structure:

    • Shopping Cart Cluster: A UI view that contains a group of shopping cart previews from many developer partners.

    • ShoppingCart: An object representing the shopping cart preview for a single developer partner, to be displayed in the Shopping Cart cluster. The ShoppingCart must show the total count of items in the cart and may also include images for some items in the user's cart.

  • The Shopping List cluster shows a sneak peek of the shopping lists from multiple developer partners in one UI grouping, prompting users to return to the corresponding app to update and complete their lists. There is a single Shopping List cluster.

  • The Reorder cluster shows a sneak peek of the previous orders from multiple developer partners in one UI grouping, prompting users to reorder. There is a single Reorder cluster.

    • Reorder cluster must show the total count of items in the user's previous order and must also include one of the following:

      • Images for X items in the user's previous order.
      • Labels for X items in the user's previous order.
  • The Shopping Order Tracking cluster shows a sneak peek of pending or recently completed shopping orders from many developer partners in one UI grouping, allowing users to track their orders.

    There is a single ShoppingOrderTracking cluster that is surfaced near the top of the UI, with a priority placement above all Recommendation clusters. Each developer partner is allowed to broadcast multiple ShoppingOrderTrackingEntity items in the Shopping Order Tracking cluster.

    • Your ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster takes the following structure:

      • ShoppingOrderTracking Cluster: A UI view that contains a group of order tracking previews from many developer partners
      • ShoppingOrderTrackingEntity: An object representing a shopping order tracking preview for a single developer partner, to be displayed in the Shopping Order Tracking cluster. The ShoppingOrderTrackingEntity must show the status of the order and the order time. We strongly recommend populating the expected delivery time for ShoppingOrderTrackingEntity, as it's displayed to users when provided.

Pre-work

Minimum API level: 19

Add the com.google.android.engage:engage-core library to your app:

dependencies {
    // Make sure you also include that repository in your project's build.gradle file.
    implementation 'com.google.android.engage:engage-core:1.5.2'
}

For more information, see Package visibility in Android 11.

Summary

The design is based on an implementation of a bound service.

The data a client can publish is subject to the following limits for different cluster types:

Cluster type Cluster limits Maximum entity limits in a cluster
Recommendation Cluster(s) At most 5 At most 25 ShoppingEntity
Featured Cluster At most 1 At most 10 ShoppingEntity
Shopping Cart Cluster At most 1 At most 3 ShoppingCart

Multiple carts only expected for apps with separate carts per merchant.

Shopping List Cluster At most 1 At most 1 ShoppingListEntity
Shopping Reorder Cluster At most 1 At most 1 ReorderEntity
Shopping Order Tracking Cluster At most 3 At most 3 ShoppingOrderTrackingEntity

Step 1: Provide entity data

The SDK has defined different entities to represent each item type. The following entities are supported for the Shopping category:

  1. ShoppingEntity
  2. ShoppingCart
  3. ShoppingList
  4. Reorder
  5. ShoppingOrderTracking

The charts below outline available attributes and requirements for each type.

ShoppingEntity

The ShoppingEntity object represents a product, promotion, deal, subscription, or event that developer partners want to publish.

ShoppingEntity
Attribute Requirement Description Format
Poster images Required At least one image must be provided. See Image Specifications for guidance.
Action Uri Required

The deep link to the page in the app displaying details about the entity.

Note: You can use deep links for attribution. Refer to this FAQ

Uri
Title Optional The name of the entity.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 90 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Price - current Conditionally required

The current price of the entity.

Must be provided if strikethrough price is provided.

Free text
Price - strikethrough Optional The original price of the entity, which is be struck-through in the UI. Free text
Callout Optional Callout to feature a promo, event, or update for the entity, if available.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 45 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Callout fine print Optional Fine print text for the callout.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 45 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Rating (Optional) - Note: All ratings are displayed using our standard star rating system.
Rating - Max value Optional

The maximum value of the rating scale.

Must be provided if current value of rating is also provided.

Number >= 0.0
Rating - Current value Optional

The current value of the rating scale.

Must be provided if maximum value of rating is also provided.

Number >= 0.0
Rating - Count Optional

The count of the ratings for the entity.

Note: Provide this field if your app controls how the count is displayed to the users. Use a concise string. For example, if the count is 1,000,000, consider using an abbreviation like 1M so that the count isn't truncated on smaller display sizes.

String
Rating - Count Value Optional

The count of the ratings for the entity.

Note: Provide this field if you don't handle the display abbreviation logic yourself. If both Count and Count Value are present, Count is displayed to users.

Long
DisplayTimeWindow (Optional) - Set a time window for a content to be shown on the surface
Start Timestamp Optional

The epoch timestamp after which the content should be shown on the surface.

If not set, content is eligible to be shown on the surface.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
End Timestamp Optional

The epoch timestamp after which the content is no longer shown on the surface.

If not set, content is eligible to be shown on the surface.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds

ShoppingCart

Attribute Requirement Description Format
Action Uri Required

The deep link to the shopping cart in the partner's app.

Note: You can use deep links for attribution. Refer to this FAQ

Uri
Number of items Required

The number of items (not just number of products) in the shopping cart.

For example: If there are 3 identical shirts and 1 hat in the cart, this number should be 4.

Integer >= 1
Action Text Optional

The call to action text of the button on the Shopping Cart (for example, Your Shopping Bag).

If no action text is provided by the developer, View Cart is the default.

This attribute is supported in version 1.1.0 onwards.

String
Title Optional

The title of the cart (for example, Your Shopping Bag).

If no title is provided by the developer, Your cart is the default.

If developer partner publishes a separate cart per merchant, please include merchant name in the title.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 25 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Cart images Optional

Images of each product in the cart.

Up to 10 images can be provided in order of priority; the actual number of images displayed depends on the device form factor.

See Image Specifications for guidance.
Item labels Optional

The list of labels for items on the shopping list.

The actual number of labels displayed depends on the device form factor.

List of free text labels

Recommended text size: under 20 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Last user interaction timestamp Optional Number of milliseconds elapsed from the epoch, identifying the last time when user interacted with the cart.

This will be passed as input by the developer partners publishing separate cart per merchant and maybe used for ranking.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
DisplayTimeWindow (Optional) - Set a time window for a content to be shown on the surface
Start Timestamp Optional

The epoch timestamp after which the content should be shown on the surface.

If not set, content is eligible to be shown on the surface.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
End Timestamp Optional

The epoch timestamp after which the content is no longer shown on the surface.

If not set, content is eligible to be shown on the surface.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds

ShoppingList

Attribute Requirement Description Format
Action Uri Required

The deep link to the shopping list in the partner's app.

Note: You can use deep links for attribution. Refer to this FAQ

Uri
Number of items Required The number of items in the shopping list. Integer >= 1
Title Optional

The title of the list (for example, Your Grocery List).

If no title is provided by the developer, Shopping list is the default.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 25 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Item labels Required

The list of labels for items on the shopping list.

At least 1 label must be provided and up to 10 labels can be provided in order of priority; the actual number of labels displayed depends on the device form factor.

List of free text labels

Recommended text size: under 20 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

ShoppingReorderCluster

Attribute Requirement Description Format
Action Uri Required

The deep link to reorder in the partner's app.

Note: You can use deep links for attribution. Refer to this FAQ

Uri
Action Text Optional

The call to action text of the button on the Reorder (for example, Order again).

If no action text is provided by the developer, Reorder is the default.

This attribute is supported in version 1.1.0 onwards.

String
Number of items Required

The number of items (not just number of products) in the previous order.

For example: If there were 3 small coffees and 1 croissant in the previous order, this number should be 4.

Integer >= 1
Title Required The title of the reorder item.

Free text

Recommended text size: under 40 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Item labels

Optional

(If not provided, poster images should be provided)

The list of item labels for the previous order.

Up to 10 labels can be provided in order of priority; the actual number of labels displayed depends on the device form factor.

List of free text

Recommended text size per label: under 20 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Poster images

Optional

(If not provided, item labels should be provided)

Images of the items in the previous order.

Up to 10 images can be provided in order of priority; the actual number of images displayed depends on the device form factor.

See Image Specifications for guidance.

ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster

Attribute Requirement Description Format
Title Required

A short title of the package/items being tracked or the tracking number.

Free text

Recommended text size: 50 chars (Text that is too long will show ellipses)

Order Type Required

A short title of the package/items being tracked or the tracking number.

Enum: IN_STORE_PICKUP, SAME_DAY_DELIVERY, MULTI_DAY_DELIVERY

Status Required

The current status of the order.

For example: "Running late", "In transit", "Delayed", "Shipped", "Delivered", "Out of stock", "Order ready"

Free text

Recommended text size: 25 chars (Text that is too long will show ellipses)

Order Time Required

The epoch timestamp in milliseconds at which the order was placed.

Order time will be displayed if expected delivery time window is not present

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
Action Uri Required

Deep link to the order tracking in the partner's app.

Uri
OrderDeliveryTimeWindow (Optional) - Set a time window for the order that is being tracked from the time the order was placed to the time of expected/actual delivery.
OrderDeliveryTimeWindow - Start Time Optional

The epoch timestamp in milliseconds on/after which the order will be delivered or be ready for pickup.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
OrderDeliveryTimeWindow - End Time Optional

The epoch timestamp in milliseconds on/before which the order will be delivered or be ready for pickup.

Epoch timestamp in milliseconds
Poster images Optional

Image of one item/product that is part of the order.

Recommended aspect ratio is 1:1

See Image Specifications for guidance.
Number of items Optional The number of items in the order. Integer >= 1
Description Optional

A single paragraph of text to describe the items in the order.

Note: Either description or subtitle list will be displayed to the user, not both.

Free text

Recommended text size: 180 chars

Subtitle list Optional

Up to 3 subtitles, with each subtitle a single line of text.

Note: Either description or subtitle list will be displayed to the user, not both.

Free text

Recommended text size for each subtitle: max 50 chars

Order Value - CurrentPrice Optional The current value of the order. Free text
Order number Optional The order number/ID that can be used to uniquely identify the order.

Free text

Recommended text size: max 25 chars

Tracking number Optional The tracking number for the order/parcel delivery in case the order requires a delivery.

Free text

Recommended text size: max 25 chars

Image specifications

Required specifications for image assets are listed below:

Aspect ratio Minimum pixels Recommended pixels

Square (1x1)

Preferred for non featured clusters

300x300 1200x1200

Landscape (1.91x1)

Preferred for featured clusters

600x314 1200x628
Portrait (4x5) 480x600 960x1200

File formats

PNG, JPG, static GIF, WebP

Maximum file size

5120 KB

Additional recommendations

  • Image safe area: Put your important content in the center 80% of the image.
  • Use a transparent background so that the image can be properly displayed in Dark and Light theme settings.

Step 2: Provide Cluster data

It is recommended to have the content publish job executed in the background (for example, using WorkManager) and scheduled on a regular basis or on an event basis (for example, every time the user opens the app or when the user just added something to their cart).

AppEngageShoppingClient is responsible for publishing shopping clusters.

Following APIs are exposed to publish clusters in the client:

  • isServiceAvailable
  • publishRecommendationClusters
  • publishFeaturedCluster
  • publishShoppingCart
  • publishShoppingCarts
  • publishShoppingList
  • publishShoppingReorderCluster
  • publishShoppingOrderTrackingCluster
  • publishUserAccountManagementRequest
  • updatePublishStatus
  • deleteRecommendationsClusters
  • deleteFeaturedCluster
  • deleteShoppingCartCluster
  • deleteShoppingListCluster
  • deleteShoppingReorderCluster
  • deleteShoppingOrderTrackingCluster
  • deleteUserManagementCluster
  • deleteClusters

isServiceAvailable

This API is used to check if the service is available for integration and whether the content can be presented on the device.

Kotlin

client.isServiceAvailable.addOnCompleteListener { task ->
    if (task.isSuccessful) {
        // Handle IPC call success
        if(task.result) {
          // Service is available on the device, proceed with content publish
          // calls.
        } else {
          // Service is not available, no further action is needed.
        }
    } else {
      // The IPC call itself fails, proceed with error handling logic here,
      // such as retry.
    }
}

Java

client.isServiceAvailable().addOnCompleteListener(task - > {
    if (task.isSuccessful()) {
        // Handle success
        if(task.getResult()) {
          // Service is available on the device, proceed with content
          // publish calls.
        } else {
          // Service is not available, no further action is needed.
        }
    } else {
      // The IPC call itself fails, proceed with error handling logic here,
      // such as retry.
    }
});

publishRecommendationClusters

This API is used to publish a list of RecommendationCluster objects.

A RecommendationCluster object can have the following attributes:

Attribute Requirement Description
List of ShoppingEntity Required A list of ShoppingEntity objects that make up the recommendations for this Recommendation Cluster.
Title Required

The title for the Recommendation Cluster.

Recommended text size: under 25 chars (Text that is too long may show ellipses)

Subtitle Optional The subtitle for the Recommendation Cluster.
Action Uri Optional

The deep link to the page in the partner app where users can see the complete list of recommendations.

Note: You can use deep links for attribution. Refer to this FAQ

Kotlin

client.publishRecommendationClusters(
            PublishRecommendationClustersRequest.Builder()
                .addRecommendationCluster(
                    RecommendationCluster.Builder()
                        .addEntity(entity1)
                        .addEntity(entity2)
                        .setTitle("Black Friday Deals")
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishRecommendationClusters(
            new PublishRecommendationClustersRequest.Builder()
                .addRecommendationCluster(
                    new RecommendationCluster.Builder()
                        .addEntity(entity1)
                        .addEntity(entity2)
                        .setTitle("Black Friday Deals")
                        .build())
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • All existing Recommendation Cluster data is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in new Recommendation Clusters.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishFeaturedCluster

This API is used to publish a FeaturedCluster object.

Kotlin

client.publishFeaturedCluster(
            PublishFeaturedClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setFeaturedCluster(
                    FeaturedCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishFeaturedCluster(
            new PublishFeaturedClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setFeaturedCluster(
                    new FeaturedCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing FeaturedCluster data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Featured Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishShoppingCart

This API is used to publish a ShoppingCartCluster object.

Kotlin

client.publishShoppingCart(
            PublishShoppingCartRequest.Builder()
                .setShoppingCart(
                    ShoppingCart.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishShoppingCart(
            new PublishShoppingCartRequest.Builder()
                .setShoppingCart(
                    new ShoppingCart.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing ShoppingCart data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Shopping Cart Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishShoppingCarts

This API is used to publish multiple ShoppingCart objects. This is applicable to developer partner publishing separate carts per merchant. Include merchant name in the title when using this API.

Kotlin

client.publishShoppingCarts(
            PublishShoppingCartClustersRequest.Builder()
                .addShoppingCart(
                    ShoppingCart.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishShoppingCarts(
            new PublishShoppingCartClustersRequest.Builder()
                .addShoppingCart(
                    new ShoppingCart.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing ShoppingCart data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Shopping Cart Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishShoppingList

This API is used to publish a FoodShoppingList object.

Kotlin

client.publishFoodShoppingList(
            PublishFoodShoppingListRequest.Builder()
                .setFoodShoppingList(
                    FoodShoppingListEntity.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishFoodShoppingList(
            new PublishFoodShoppingListRequest.Builder()
                .setFoodShoppingList(
                    new FoodShoppingListEntity.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing FoodShoppingList data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Shopping List Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishShoppingReorderCluster

This API is used to publish a ShoppingReorderCluster object.

Kotlin

client.publishShoppingReorderCluster(
            PublishShoppingReorderClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setReorderCluster(
                    ShoppingReorderCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishShoppingReorderCluster(
            new PublishShoppingReorderClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setReorderCluster(
                    new ShoppingReorderCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing ShoppingReorderCluster data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Reorder Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishShoppingOrderTrackingCluster

This API is used to publish a ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster object.

Kotlin

client.publishShoppingOrderTrackingCluster(
            PublishShoppingOrderTrackingClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setShoppingOrderTrackingCluster(
                    ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build())

Java

client.publishShoppingOrderTrackingCluster(
            new PublishShoppingOrderTrackingClusterRequest.Builder()
                .setShoppingOrderTrackingCluster(
                    new ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster.Builder()
                        ...
                        .build())
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing ShoppingOrderTrackingCluster data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated Shopping Order Tracking Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

publishUserAccountManagementRequest

This API is used to publish a Sign In card . The signin action directs users to the app's sign in page so that the app can publish content (or provide more personalized content)

The following metadata is part of the Sign In Card -

Attribute Requirement Description
Action Uri Required Deeplink to Action (i.e. navigates to app sign in page)
Image Optional - If not provided, Title must be provided

Image Shown on the Card

16x9 aspect ratio images with a resolution of 1264x712

Title Optional - If not provided, Image must be provided Title on the Card
Action Text Optional Text Shown on the CTA (i.e. Sign in)
Subtitle Optional Optional Subtitle on the Card

Kotlin

var SIGN_IN_CARD_ENTITY =
      SignInCardEntity.Builder()
          .addPosterImage(
              Image.Builder()
                  .setImageUri(Uri.parse("http://www.x.com/image.png"))
                  .setImageHeightInPixel(500)
                  .setImageWidthInPixel(500)
                  .build())
          .setActionText("Sign In")
          .setActionUri(Uri.parse("http://xx.com/signin"))
          .build()

client.publishUserAccountManagementRequest(
            PublishUserAccountManagementRequest.Builder()
                .setSignInCardEntity(SIGN_IN_CARD_ENTITY)
                .build());

Java

SignInCardEntity SIGN_IN_CARD_ENTITY =
      new SignInCardEntity.Builder()
          .addPosterImage(
              new Image.Builder()
                  .setImageUri(Uri.parse("http://www.x.com/image.png"))
                  .setImageHeightInPixel(500)
                  .setImageWidthInPixel(500)
                  .build())
          .setActionText("Sign In")
          .setActionUri(Uri.parse("http://xx.com/signin"))
          .build();

client.publishUserAccountManagementRequest(
            new PublishUserAccountManagementRequest.Builder()
                .setSignInCardEntity(SIGN_IN_CARD_ENTITY)
                .build());

When the service receives the request, the following actions take place within one transaction:

  • Existing UserAccountManagementCluster data from the developer partner is removed.
  • Data from the request is parsed and stored in the updated UserAccountManagementCluster Cluster.

In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

updatePublishStatus

If for any internal business reason, none of the clusters is published, we strongly recommend updating the publish status using the updatePublishStatus API. This is important because :

  • Providing the status in all scenarios, even when the content is published (STATUS == PUBLISHED), is critical to populate dashboards that use this explicit status to convey the health and other metrics of your integration.
  • If no content is published but the integration status isn't broken (STATUS == NOT_PUBLISHED), Google can avoid triggering alerts in the app health dashboards. It confirms that content is not published due to an expected situation from the provider's standpoint.
  • It helps developers provide insights into when the data is published versus not.
  • Google may use the status codes to nudge the user to do certain actions in the app so they can see the app content or overcome it.

The list of eligible publish status codes are :

// Content is published
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.PUBLISHED,

// Content is not published as user is not signed in
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_REQUIRES_SIGN_IN,

// Content is not published as user is not subscribed
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_REQUIRES_SUBSCRIPTION,

// Content is not published as user location is ineligible
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_INELIGIBLE_LOCATION,

// Content is not published as there is no eligible content
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_NO_ELIGIBLE_CONTENT,

// Content is not published as the feature is disabled by the client
// Available in v1.3.1
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_FEATURE_DISABLED_BY_CLIENT,

// Content is not published as the feature due to a client error
// Available in v1.3.1
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_CLIENT_ERROR,

// Content is not published as the feature due to a service error
// Available in v1.3.1
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_SERVICE_ERROR,

// Content is not published due to some other reason
// Reach out to engage-developers@ before using this enum.
AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_OTHER

If the content is not published due to a user not logged in, Google would recommend publishing the Sign In Card. If for any reason providers are not able to publish the Sign In Card then we recommend calling the updatePublishStatus API with the status code NOT_PUBLISHED_REQUIRES_SIGN_IN

Kotlin

client.updatePublishStatus(
   PublishStatusRequest.Builder()
     .setStatusCode(AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_REQUIRES_SIGN_IN)
     .build())

Java

client.updatePublishStatus(
    new PublishStatusRequest.Builder()
        .setStatusCode(AppEngagePublishStatusCode.NOT_PUBLISHED_REQUIRES_SIGN_IN)
        .build());

deleteRecommendationClusters

This API is used to delete the content of Recommendation Clusters.

Kotlin

client.deleteRecommendationClusters()

Java

client.deleteRecommendationClusters();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Recommendation Clusters. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteFeaturedCluster

This API is used to delete the content of Featured Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteFeaturedCluster()

Java

client.deleteFeaturedCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Featured Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteShoppingCartCluster

This API is used to delete the content of Shopping Cart Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteShoppingCartCluster()

Java

client.deleteShoppingCartCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Shopping Cart Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteShoppingListCluster

This API is used to delete the content of Shopping List Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteShoppingListCluster()

Java

client.deleteShoppingListCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Shopping List Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteShoppingReorderCluster

This API is used to delete the content of Shopping Reorder Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteShoppingReorderCluster()

Java

client.deleteShoppingReorderCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Shopping Reorder Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteShoppingOrderTrackingCluster

This API is used to delete the content of Shopping Order Tracking Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteShoppingOrderTrackingCluster()

Java

client.deleteShoppingOrderTrackingCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the Shopping Order Tracking Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteUserManagementCluster

This API is used to delete the content of UserAccountManagement Cluster.

Kotlin

client.deleteUserManagementCluster()

Java

client.deleteUserManagementCluster();

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from the UserAccountManagement Cluster. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

deleteClusters

This API is used to delete the content of a given cluster type.

Kotlin

client.deleteClusters(
    DeleteClustersRequest.Builder()
      .addClusterType(ClusterType.TYPE_FEATURED)
      .addClusterType(ClusterType.TYPE_RECOMMENDATION)
      ...
      .build())

Java

client.deleteClusters(
            new DeleteClustersRequest.Builder()
                .addClusterType(ClusterType.TYPE_FEATURED)
                .addClusterType(ClusterType.TYPE_RECOMMENDATION)
                ...
                .build());

When the service receives the request, it removes the existing data from all clusters matching the specified cluster types. Clients can choose to pass one or many cluster types. In case of an error, the entire request is rejected and the existing state is maintained.

Error handling

It is highly recommended to listen to the task result from the publish APIs such that a follow-up action can be taken to recover and resubmit an successful task.

Kotlin

client.publishRecommendationClusters(
        PublishRecommendationClustersRequest.Builder()
          .addRecommendationCluster(..)
          .build())
      .addOnCompleteListener { task ->
        if (task.isSuccessful) {
          // do something
        } else {
          val exception = task.exception
          if (exception is AppEngageException) {
            @AppEngageErrorCode val errorCode = exception.errorCode
            if (errorCode == AppEngageErrorCode.SERVICE_NOT_FOUND) {
              // do something
            }
          }
        }
      }

Java

client.publishRecommendationClusters(
              new PublishRecommendationClustersRequest.Builder()
                  .addRecommendationCluster(...)
                  .build())
          .addOnCompleteListener(
              task -> {
                if (task.isSuccessful()) {
                  // do something
                } else {
                  Exception exception = task.getException();
                  if (exception instanceof AppEngageException) {
                    @AppEngageErrorCode
                    int errorCode = ((AppEngageException) exception).getErrorCode();
                    if (errorCode == AppEngageErrorCode.SERVICE_NOT_FOUND) {
                      // do something
                    }
                  }
                }
              });

The error is returned as an AppEngageException with the cause included as an error code.

Error code Error name Note
1 SERVICE_NOT_FOUND The service is not available on the given device.
2 SERVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE The service is available on the given device, but it is not available at the time of the call (for example, it is explicitly disabled).
3 SERVICE_CALL_EXECUTION_FAILURE The task execution failed due to threading issues. In this case, it can be retried.
4 SERVICE_CALL_PERMISSION_DENIED The caller is not allowed to make the service call.
5 SERVICE_CALL_INVALID_ARGUMENT The request contains invalid data (for example, more than the allowed number of clusters).
6 SERVICE_CALL_INTERNAL There is an error on the service side.
7 SERVICE_CALL_RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED The service call is made too frequently.

Step 3: Handle broadcast intents

In addition to making publish content API calls through a job, it is also required to set up a BroadcastReceiver to receive the request for a content publish.

The goal of broadcast intents is mainly for app reactivation and forcing data sync. Broadcast intents are not designed to be sent very frequently. It is only triggered when the Engage Service determines the content might be stale (for example, a week old). That way, there is more confidence that the user can have a fresh content experience, even if the application has not been executed for a long period of time.

The BroadcastReceiver must be set up in the following two ways:

  • Dynamically register an instance of the BroadcastReceiver class using Context.registerReceiver(). This enables communication from applications that are still live in memory.

Kotlin

class AppEngageBroadcastReceiver : BroadcastReceiver(){
  // Trigger recommendation cluster publish when PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION
  // broadcast is received
  // Trigger featured cluster publish when PUBLISH_FEATURED broadcast is
  // received
  // Trigger shopping cart cluster publish when PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART broadcast
  // is received
  // Trigger shopping list cluster publish when PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST broadcast
  // is received
  // Trigger reorder cluster publish when PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER broadcast is
  // received
  // Trigger shopping order tracking cluster publish when
  // PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER broadcast is received
}

fun registerBroadcastReceivers(context: Context){
  var  context = context
  context = context.applicationContext

// Register Recommendation Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION))

// Register Featured Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_FEATURED))

// Register Shopping Cart Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART))

// Register Shopping List Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST))

// Register Reorder Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER))

// Register Shopping Order Tracking Cluster Publish Intent
  context.registerReceiver(AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
                           IntentFilter(Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER))
}

Java

class AppEngageBroadcastReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver {
// Trigger recommendation cluster publish when PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION broadcast
// is received

// Trigger featured cluster publish when PUBLISH_FEATURED broadcast is received

// Trigger shopping cart cluster publish when PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART broadcast is
// received

// Trigger shopping list cluster publish when PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST broadcast is
// received

// Trigger reorder cluster publish when PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER broadcast is
// received

// Trigger reorder cluster publish when PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER
// broadcast is received
}

public static void registerBroadcastReceivers(Context context) {

context = context.getApplicationContext();

// Register Recommendation Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION));

// Register Featured Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_FEATURED));

// Register Shopping Cart Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.shopping.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART));

// Register Shopping List Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.shopping.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST));

// Register Reorder Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.shopping.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER));

// Register Shopping Order Tracking Cluster Publish Intent
context.registerReceiver(new AppEngageBroadcastReceiver(),
new IntentFilter(com.google.android.engage.shopping.service.Intents.ACTION_PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER));

}
  • Statically declare an implementation with the <receiver> tag in your AndroidManifest.xml file. This allows the application to receive broadcast intents when it is not running, and also allows the application to publish the content.
<application>
   <receiver
      android:name=".AppEngageBroadcastReceiver"
      android:exported="true"
      android:enabled="true">
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION" />
      </intent-filter>
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.PUBLISH_FEATURED" />
      </intent-filter>
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART" />
      </intent-filter>
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST" />
      </intent-filter>
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER" />
      </intent-filter>
      <intent-filter>
         <action android:name="com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER" />
      </intent-filter>
   </receiver>
</application>

The following intents are sent by the service:

  • com.google.android.engage.action.PUBLISH_RECOMMENDATION It is recommended to start a publishRecommendationClusters call when this intent is received.
  • com.google.android.engage.action.PUBLISH_FEATURED It is recommended to start a publishFeaturedCluster call when this intent is received.
  • com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_CART It is recommended to start a publishShoppingCart call when this intent is received.
  • com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_LIST It is recommended to start a publishShoppingList call when this intent is received.
  • com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_REORDER_CLUSTER It is recommended to start a publishReorderCluster call when this intent is received.
  • com.google.android.engage.action.shopping.PUBLISH_SHOPPING_ORDER_TRACKING_CLUSTER It is recommended to start a publishShoppingOrderTrackingCluster call when this intent is received.

Integration workflow

For a step-by-step guide on verifying your integration after it is complete, see Engage developer integration workflow.

FAQs

See Engage SDK Frequently Asked Questions for FAQs.

Contact

Contact engage-developers@google.com if there are any questions during the integration process. Our team replies as soon as possible.

Next steps

After completing this integration, your next steps are as follows:

  • Send an email to engage-developers@google.com and attach your integrated APK that is ready for testing by Google.
  • Google performs a verification and reviews internally to make sure the integration works as expected. If changes are needed, Google contacts you with any necessary details.
  • When testing is complete and no changes are needed, Google contacts you to notify you that you can start publishing the updated and integrated APK to the Play Store.
  • After Google has confirmed that your updated APK has been published to the Play Store, your Recommendation, Featured, Shopping Cart, Shopping List, Reorder Cluster and Shopping Order Tracking Cluster clusters may be published and visible to users.