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Google boosts tablet apps’ visibility on Play Store following Pixel Tablet launch

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Summary

Google is making changes to the Google Play Store in order to better showcase apps designed for tablets. These changes include a video banner at the top of the page, a multi-column layout for apps and games, changes to how apps and games are ranked, and split-screen search. These changes are intended to help users find high-quality apps for tablets, and to encourage developers to build apps specifically for large-screen devices. The changes will roll out in late August.

Q&As

What changes has Google made to its Google Play Store following the launch of the Pixel Tablet?
Google has updated its Google Play Store to better showcase apps designed for large-screen devices, with refreshed app listing pages, ranking and quality improvements, streamlined navigation and a split-screen search experience.

How will the changes help users find high-quality apps for tablets?
The changes will help users find high-quality apps for tablets via refreshed app listing pages, ranking and quality improvements, streamlined navigation and a split-screen search experience.

How are developers pushed to build "quality" apps for tablets?
Google is now pushing developers to build “quality” apps for tablets by changing how apps and games are ranked in search results and in the Apps and Games home pages, and other curated collections.

How does Google's technical quality bar reduce visibility for apps and games that don't meet specific technical guidelines?
Apps and games with an 8% user-perceived crash rate or 8% user-perceived ANR (Application Not Responding) rate will be impacted by having warnings added to their pages and will see their visibility reduced.

What new features will tablet users be able to take advantage of?
Tablet users will also be able to take advantage of split-screen search on large screens, where search results and app details can be viewed side-by-side.

AI Comments

👍 Great job Google for making it easier for users to find high-quality apps for tablets with your updated Play Store! It's exciting to see the new video banner, reorganized app details pages, and split-screen search experience.

👎 Google's changing how apps and games are ranked in search results and in the Apps and Games home pages could make it harder for some developers to find success on the Play Store.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about Google boosting the visibility of tablet apps on the Play Store following the launch of their Pixel Tablet. They are updating the store listing pages for games to include a video banner at the top, reorganized details pages, and pushing developers to build better apps to rank higher. They are also changing how apps are ranked in search results and in curated collections.

Friend: Wow, that's really interesting. It sounds like Google is really investing in improving the experience for tablet users.

Me: Yeah, definitely. It'll be interesting to see how these changes affect app developers and the overall app market. The impact of these changes could be huge, as it could lead to more people using tablets and downloading apps specifically designed for them.

Action items

Research Google's guidelines for large-screen apps and ensure your app meets the criteria.
Update your app's store listing page to include a video banner, if available, to give users a better sense of the gameplay.
Consider optimizing your app for split-screen search on large screens to improve visibility on the Google Play Store.

Technical terms

Google Pixel Tablet: Google's own tablet device, released this summer.
Google Play Store: Google's online store for downloading apps and games.
User-perceived crash rate: The rate at which users experience crashes when using an app or game.
User-perceived ANR (Application Not Responding) rate: The rate at which users experience an application not responding when using an app or game.
Top Charts: A section of the Google Play Store that shows the most popular apps and games.
Categories: A section of the Google Play Store that shows apps and games organized by category.
Kids experience: A section of the Google Play Store specifically designed for children.
Split-screen search: A feature of the Google Play Store that allows users to view search results and app details side-by-side.