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Android's security has improved by leaps and bounds over the last 10 years: Here's how
Android was one described as a "toxic hellstew" of vulnerabilities, but that's no longer the case.
Nowadays, Android is one of the most used and secure operating systems on the planet, but it wasn't always like that. In fact, back in 2014, ZDNet famously called Android a "toxic hellstew" of vulnerabilities, which was then quoted by Tim Cook at that year's iPhone launch. Cook made a point to say that Android was so fragmented and updates were so slow to arrive that there was no way those poor people who "bought an Android phone, by mistake" could enjoy anywhere near the security of their iPhone-owning betters.
Google Play Games for PC will expand to countries in Europe with more games, too
Google Play Games for PC is getting even better.
Google has been working on an official way to play Android games on PC for quite a while now, with it first coming to fruition over a year ago in the form of a limited beta. The company then rolled out the Google Play Games desktop application in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and it's designed for downloading and playing Android games from the Play Store. Now at the company's "Google for Games Developer Summit", the company announced a few upcoming improvements to the platform, including a wider Japanese and European release with more games to come, too.
Google's latest Play System update improves Find My Device support and much more
Google's revised changelog for the December Play System update adds automatic app archival, improved Find My Device support, and more.
Earlier in the month, Google published a changelog for the Google Play System update for December 2022. We reported some of the changes then but also mentioned that it was just a partial changelog. Today, Google has updated it once again, giving us a better look at all the changes and additions being added.
Epic Games starts another fight with Google, this time over Bandcamp
Epic Games, new owner of Bandcamp, has filed legal action against Google to avoid giving the Play Store a cut of Bandcamp revenue.
Epic Games has spent the past few years in lawsuits and appeals with Apple and Google, after the company tried to work around the revenue cuts that the App Store and Google Play Store take from in-app purchases. The ongoing legal action has primarily been about Fortnite, which is still absent from both stores, but now the music platform Bandcamp might become embroiled in legal battles too.
Google has been pushing developers to use the company's Play Billing system for in-app purchases, which gives a small cut to Google (usually 15%) as a processing fee. The deadline was technically last week, and we're continuing to see apps make changes to comply with the updated rules, which now includes book retailer Barnes & Noble and Amazon-owned Audible.
Play Store's 'Play as you download' is coming to all Android 12 devices
Play as you download, which allows some games to be played while they are downloading, will roll out soon to Android 12 devices.
Google revealed "Play as you download" in July of last year, which would allow some games and applications from the Play Store to be opened while they were still downloading. After a long wait, Google says the functionality will roll out to all Android 12 devices soon.
App listings on Google Play Store now show minimum "Android OS" version
With the recent update, the Google Play Store now displays the required Android OS version for apps. Read on to know more.
Google Play Store recently picked up a new feature that shows a circular install indicator on your home screen when you start downloading an app. Another small tweak that Google has recently rolled out now tells you the required or minimum Android OS version a device needs to meet to install an app.
In April, the Google Play Store received a big UI overhaul that saw the app store getting rid of the hamburger menu, adding a redesigned Settings page and My apps menu, among other UI tweaks. Now Google is testing another UI change in the Google Play Store that adds a fifth tab in the bottom bar.
Google is testing a redesigned Play Store website
Google is rolling out a completely new Play Store website in some regions, and it looks like a major improvement.
Even though the Play Store application for Android has gone through many design iterations over the years, the Play Store website has been frozen in time. For years, it has had the same early Material Design look, but that is finally changing. Google is now testing a new Play Store site design in some regions, which seems like a substantial improvement from the current layout.
Developers can now sign up to get Google's lower Play Store fee
Google is telling developers to sign up for the lower 15% service fee for apps on the Play Store. The new fee will kick starting in next month.
Google is now allowing Play Store developers to sign up for a lower 15% service fee, the company has announced. This means developers will be able to keep more of the money made from app sales on the Play Store.
Google tests head-to-head comparisons of similar apps on the Play Store
Google is testing a new "Compare apps" section in the Play Store app to make it easier to compare features of similar apps at glance.
Google Play Store is home to close to 3 million apps, making it the biggest mobile app store in the world. With so many apps flooding the app store and new apps being regularly added, discovering the perfect app can be a little cumbersome for users. Google is well aware of the problem, and to tackle it, the company is testing a new feature in the Play Store app to make it more convenient for users to choose the right app that meets their needs.
Google Play now supports vanity codes for subscriptions and more features to decrease churn
Google Play will be adding features like vanity codes for subscriptions and more in order to streamline Google Play-billed subscriptions.
Last week, Google announced Play Billing Library version 3 with new features to make payments more accessible, make redeeming promo codes easier and keep better track of who purchased what item. Besides the implications this might have for non-Play Store apps, the new improvements aim to improve and streamline the experience of payments through Google Play. As part of the new Play Billing Library, Google is making changes to its subscription policy and adding new features to help developers gain and retain users by making a bunch of improvements to subscriptions and promotion codes.
Google Play Store adds a dedicated section for "premium" Chromebook-compatible games
The Google Play Store on Chrome OS devices is now showing a new section for "Premium" games that are available for Chromebooks.
Last month, we saw something that's pretty rare: an Android app built with Chrome OS in mind. Android apps are seen as sort of a "last resort" solution for Chromebooks if you can't find a web app to do the job. Most aren't designed for desktop interfaces and can often not work very well in that environment. However, it looks like Google is hoping to change that with a new section in the Play Store.
Google Play announces policy changes on location access, subscriptions, and deceptive apps
Google is announcing a number of policy changes for Google Play that cover things such as location access, subscriptions, and deceptive apps.
The app landscape is constantly changing and Google tries to keep the Play Store evolving to match it. The company is announcing a number of policy changes for Google Play that cover things such as location access, subscriptions, and deceptive apps. The changes will be rolling out over the next few months.
Google Play Store is getting a Kid section with "Teacher Approved" Apps
It can be difficult to find apps that are appropriate and educational. The Google Play Store will make this easier with a new "teacher approved" label.
Any parent will tell you that managing screen time is a big concern when you have kids. The amount of time kids can spend in front of screens is one issue, but even more important is what is shown on the screen. Now, more than ever, parents are relying on managing screen time for their kids to cope with stay-at-home orders. It can be difficult to find apps and games that are appropriate and educational. The Google Play Store will make this easier with a new Kids tab and a "teacher approved" label.
Google Play Store now shows download count and size in app search results
The serach results in Play Store are getting more convenient by including download count and app sizes. The update is rolling out gradually.
Thanks to the Play Store, downloading an application on Android devices doesn't take more than a few taps. You open the market, search for the desired app, and tap install. Though, with more than 2.8 million applications hosted already, it's not always easy to find exactly which one you want, especially if you're downloading it for the first time. There are a couple of components that should be taken into consideration when comparing different apps of the same category. The most relevant ones are undoubtedly user reviews, download count, and in some cases, the size of the application. Google is now displaying these components straight in the search results.
[Update: Fixed] Google changes how Play Store changelogs are previewed, resulting in some awkward phrasing
That new Play Store design gave us a Dark Theme that works with the Android 10, but it also brought a strange change to the changelog previews.
The Google Play Store has received a number of updates over the last few months. Google added one-tap buttons to leave betas and more, the Google Play Pass subscription, and a brand new Material Theme redesign. That new design gave us (eventually) a Dark Theme that works with the Android 10 system setting, but it also brought a strange change to the changelog previews.
Google Play Store v18.6.28 hints at automatically installing apps and games you pre-register for
The Google Play Store is preparig for a feature that automatically installs apps and games that users have pre-registered for. Read on to know more!
The Google Play Store is a very important app for the Android ecosystem, serving as the primary and central point of distributing Android apps to millions of users around the world. The success of apps and games can thus depend heavily on marketing strategies that hinge on the Play Store -- how many users are reached, how many users install the app and if they react to it and how well they react to it. A few years ago, Google introduced an option for publishers to create pre-release Play Store listings and allow end-users to express their interest in the app by pre-registering for it. Now, the Google Play Store may be preparing to automatically install these pre-registered apps and games on the end-users device.
This app brings back the missing Play Store notifications for updates
Play Store app update notifications stopped showing up, and Google confirmed the removal was intentional. This app brings them back.
Over the last few months, people have noticed an issue with app update notifications from the Play Store. Traditionally, when an app was updated in the Play Store, a notification would tell the user that "[app] was updated." Recently, people noticed this notification wasn't showing up, and Google confirmed the removal was intentional. Thankfully, you can download an app to bring it back.
Google Play Store tests showing a new section with all your app reviews
Google is testing a new section in the Play Store to encourage you to review other apps and make it easy to see all of the reviews you've left.
Reviews are a critical part of app stores as they make it easy for people to gauge the quality of an app before installing. It's important to help the community and leave reviews as much as possible. Google is testing a new section in the Play Store to encourage you to review other apps and make it easy to see all of the reviews you've left.