Android Things console preview has been launched for the IoT devices, The new console makes it easier for developers to make factory images or sideloading APKs and to manage their Android Things devices as it gives more control over it. It also comes with turnkey support for Intel Edison, NXP Pico, and Raspberry Pi 3.
Any devices registered via the console will receive future updates via OTA, including the upcoming Developer Preview 5. the company encourages developers to offer feedback by filling bug reports and giving feature requests.
If anything goes wrong, they will simply go back to the previous version so that the user gets another chance to make it work perfectly.
The developer defines a product by selecting a name and the type of System-on-Module (SoM). Google play services are also configured as an optional feature. The size of the OEM partition is also configured and must be large enough to manage the size of any future APK updates. The next thing is Factory Images, in this, the user can simply use Create Build Configuration to build a default factory image with an empty bundle configured for the product. Later develop this by sideloading  APKs.
After the application is processed, the user can upload a bundle to the console which is a zip file contains main APK file and user space drivers. In addition to this, a Boot Animation is also included to boot up at the start.
OTA update tab allows the developer to push to devices, which securely push the updates to all the devices, if it spots any failure then it gets back to its earlier version and future updates are possible. Developers will also able to test the new releases of Android Things in Advance.
Source: Android Developers Blog
