What to know

  • Google has added several new features to the Play store that make it an all encompassing place for you to interact with your apps.
  • The Play Store has a new ‘Collections’ section to get relevant app content, AI-generated reviews, FAQs, and comparisons for apps, curated spaces for your interests, and personalized recommendations.
  • You also get controls to determine which of your data Google can use to personalize your store experience. 

Google’s Play Store has went through several iterations over the years. From the bare bones Android Market of 2008 to the Android store of today, the Play Store has grown by leaps and bounds. Now, a new chapter is starting to unfold.

Driven by advancements in AI, Google is bringing a slew of new features and updates to the Play Store on Android. Starting today, you’ll see a new ‘Collections’ section that will highlight relevant content from your installed apps.

Image: blog.google

Categorized into three sections – Shop, Watch, and Listen – ‘Collections’ serve as the space where you can discover new things as well as get content from your apps – such as shopping deals and a ‘continue watching’ row for streaming apps – so you can jump back into them straight away. 

Discovering and comparing amongst similar apps is also getting a big boost, thanks to deeper AI integration. You’ll now get AI-generated app reviews and FAQs so you can decide at a glance which app is the one for you. 

Image: blog.google

Google’s also shown much love to different curated spaces so you can dig deeper into your interests from a single section. For instance, users in India can explore cricketing content from a curated space for cricket while Japanese users will have access to a curated space for comics, etc. 

Image: blog.google

Meanwhile, gamers all over the world can now get more personalized game recommendations. Select from multiple gaming categories and interests to get results that are unique to you.

Image: blog.google

Starting today, Google Play Games on PC will also let you play games across multiple devices. “You can start a mobile game on your commute, and then secure the win at home on your tablet or PC,” Google mentioned in its blog. And if you’re a hardcore PC gamer, you can play multiple games at the same time. Overkill? Not if you’re already invested. 

To facilitate a gaming splurge, for the next three weeks, Google’s offering new Play Pass subscribers in U.S., UK, Australia, Japan and Korea 80% off for their first three months. 

Google’s also launching Super Weekly Prizes for Google Play Points for users in the U.S. Great Britain, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Diamond, Platinum and Gold members stand a chance to win a variety of prizes, including Pixel devices. So make sure to check your Play Points weekly to see if you’ve hit the jackpot. 

Besides these latter peripheral announcements, Google’s also giving users more control over which of their data is used to shape their Play Store experience. From the main menu, you can go to “Personalization in Play” and and use the controls to manage your preferences. 

Image: blog.google

All these changes are just the beginning. Google expects the space to provide a more complete end-to-end experience instead of being just an app provider. And we can’t wait to see what lies in store.