Reportedly, Google believes this feature will help apps bring users back
Google did not explain how it plans to use this new surface
Google made several AI-focused announcements at its I/O event
It is said that Play Store will let users experience apps without installing
Photo Credit: Google
Google is reportedly working on a new feature that will help developers showcase their apps and their capabilities in a new space. The tech giant is said to have shared its plans with third-party app developers at the Google I/O 2024 event during a session. This new feature will create a new surface where users will be able to see content from apps and experience them. The company reportedly believes this can drive engagement and help users find their way back to forgotten apps.
According to a report by TechCrunch, Mekka Okereke, the General Manager of Apps for Google Play explained this new approach to a select group of app developers during its event. Okereke reportedly said, “This new surface will automatically organize the best and most prevalent content from apps already installed by users on their Android phone, and it enables cross-app continuation journeys for nearly every app category.” He further explained that this experience would be full-screen content that could be launched with a single tap and would showcase immersive experiences corresponding to the most integral content from installed apps.
Breaking it down, this new feature appears to be a space either within the Google Play Store or on users' home screens (similar to Google Discover which exists on the left side of the home screen on some Android smartphones). In these spaces, the tech giant will showcase content from different apps and create immersive experiences. The report highlighted an example where users can see a pair of white sneakers and click on it to directly go to the app and make the purchase.
Notably, this is not an app discovery feature as it is designed for the apps that a user already has installed on their device but has not interacted with in a while. The immersive content is aimed to remind them of what they're missing and lure them back to the app. While Google has not revealed how exactly it wants to incorporate this feature, but its description makes it seem like an interactive ad, which may not please many users.
Currently, the feature is limited to some developers Google is partnering with. They will reportedly be given access to its Engage SDK toolkit to create content-led experiences which will then be showcased by the Android maker. Users will likely not see them till later this year. As per the report, some of the popular app developers that have partnered with Google include Spotify, Prime Video, Reddit, Uber Eats, YouTube, McDonald's, Google Maps, and more.
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