The Google Play web site is getting a long-overdue redesign. Android Police was the primary to identify the dramatic new look. It isn’t precisely official but however is rolling out to a number of folks.
Whereas the Play Retailer app on Android units is frequently up to date, the web site has largely been forgotten. The present Google Play web site design dates again to 2013. The location has had some small tweaks since then, however the bones of the positioning are nonetheless eight years previous, and it presents content material in a card motif that Google has moved on from. The brand new web site appears to be like similar to the Android app. Meaning numerous whitespace and a structure centered on app icons and video thumbnails.
Again in 2013, Google envisioned the Play Retailer as a one-stop store for all content material from Google. On the peak of its powers, the Play Retailer sidebar had six sections: Apps (and Video games), Motion pictures & TV, Music (and podcasts), Books, Magazines (and Information subscriptions), and even a bodily “Units” part for Nexus phones. As we speak, Google Play is quite a bit much less highly effective. Music has been taken from Google Play Music and is now a YouTube product. Podcasts now reside at Google Podcasts and can in all probability additionally be taken over by YouTube sooner or later. YouTube and Google Play Motion pictures & TV at present overlap, since they each promote premium Hollywood video content material. On some platforms, like Smart TVs, Google is shutting down the Play part in favor of YouTube. Units at the moment are bought on the standalone Google Store web site.
With this new redesign, Google Play is simply residence to Apps (and Video games), Motion pictures, and Books. It is a very odd number of content material proper now. Assuming Google does the plain and lets YouTube take over video distribution, it simply must discover a new residence for Books, after which Google Play can simply promote apps and video games. The opposite fascinating part change right here is that “Video games” is now the primary part as a substitute of apps. Video games are the most well-liked a part of the Play Retailer and the largest moneymakers, in order that is sensible.
With a deal with apps, it appears to be like just like the Play Retailer goes to get quite a bit higher at serving to customers discover the apps they’re searching for. A number of screenshots present a filter for kind components, a function the Play Retailer web site has desperately wanted for years. You will lastly have the ability to restrict the Play Retailer to apps for Telephones, Tablets, TVs, Chromebooks, Watches, or Automobiles. Android units are available 1,000,000 kind components, and sometimes the device-specific Play Retailer will filter apps for compatibility, however for the reason that Play Retailer web site is impartial floor, it has largely simply thrown every thing into an enormous, unmanageable bucket. It is notably thrilling to see a “Pill” part, the place beforehand it was simply as much as customers to dig by the telephone app retailer.
Now you can filter by kind components like “pill” or “watch.”
Android Police
These new filters are yet one more signal Google is displaying a renewed curiosity in pushing Android past telephones, Android’s most profitable kind issue. Simply up to now yr, Google relaunched its TV platform as “Google TV,” and the primary Android Automotive automobile, the Polestar 2, began delivery. Google revamped Wear OS with the assistance of Samsung, and it introduced a tablet-and-foldable-focused launch of Android, known as “Android 12L.” The Play Retailer is even providing discounted fees to builders who help extra kind components, hopefully pushing builders to help extra of those merchandise. Letting customers sift by every thing from the consolation of their internet browsers appears like an incredible concept.
There isn’t any signal of dark-mode help but, however I’d be shocked if that wasn’t one of many early updates when this turns into official. The opposite contact lacking is any sort of “Materials You” colour scheme, which is Android 12‘s new color-matching UI. The telephone app matches the general colour scheme of your wallpaper, whereas the web site remains to be a stark white. Google says that someday it desires to sync your colour decisions throughout your Google account, the place it may well work on the internet, however that does not exist but, so the Play Retailer web site is a stark white proper now.
Android Police notes the present design seems like “a piece in progress,” so it could possibly be some time earlier than it rolls out to everybody. For those who do not at present have entry to the brand new design and are searching for a sneak peek, some folks report seeing the brand new design utilizing the Korean or Taiwanese area choices.
Itemizing picture by Google Play Store
