Google rolls out app store refresh
Google is rolling out a redesign of its app store Google Play as part of its ongoing bid to make it more brand-friendly.
The Google Play refresh is geared towards improving content discovery with the app store owner claiming it is improving its product recommendations and streamlining its checkout process.
This comes shortly after Google was reported to have purged as many as 60,000 apps from Google Play, in a perceived crackdown on apps that either spam users, or distribute malware.
The round of app deletions (which took place in February) is understood to be the largest round of deletions from Google’s app store to date and is a step towards making the outlet more ‘brand safe’ by limiting the possibility of branded apps appearing next to those of a questionable legal status.
Google does not vet apps prior to them being made available on the outlet, unlike Apple’s notoriously rigorous approval process, but instead it scans Google Play for non-compliant apps after they have gone live.
Michael Siliski, group product manager for Google Play, says: “The new design focuses on bigger images that jump off the page. Similarly themed content is grouped together so you can hone in on a magazine to read or an app to try.”
The roll out was announced yesterday (9 April) and will be available to users across the globe in the coming weeks.
