Google is taking significant steps in enhancing the user experience for large-screen Android devices, including Chromebooks, tablets, and foldable phones. The tech giant is introducing a redesigned Google Play Store, promising refreshed app listings, improved ranking criteria, streamlined navigation, and a split-screen search experience. As noted in an Android Developers blog post, this revamp comes as more people embrace large-screen devices for both work and leisure, making it crucial to optimize the app store for their needs.
Enhanced App Listings
With a focus on promoting high-quality apps and games, Google is introducing video previews for games, displayed as banners atop the app listings. This feature gives users a glimpse of the gaming experience before installation, allowing them to make more informed choices.
Additionally, app details pages have undergone a reorganization with a multi-column layout, prioritizing essential content. Apps that adhere to Google’s large-screen app quality guidelines will rank higher, emphasizing aspects such as seamless resizing, support for portrait and landscape orientations, and elimination of letterboxing.
Richer Formats for Content-Forward Previews
To help users gain better insights into the app experience, Google is introducing content-forward formats featuring form-factor-specific images, videos, and descriptions. Apps with large-screen assets that meet content quality guidelines will have more prominent placements on the Google Play Store homepage.
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Google has further shared some best practices for the large screen assets:
- Upload separate screenshots for each form factor. Demonstrate the actual in-app or in-game experience, focusing on the core features and content so users can anticipate what the app or game experience will be like.
- Use high-quality images with the proper aspect ratio.
- Avoid overloading screenshots with text or time-sensitive copy that requires frequent updates.
- We don’t recommend including device imagery, as this can become obsolete quickly or alienate some user groups.
Improved Navigation and Tab Layout
Considering the landscape orientation commonly used on large-screen devices, the Google Play Store’s navigation rail has been relocated to the left pane. This change makes menu items easily accessible with users’ thumbs, ensuring a more intuitive experience in landscape mode.
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The Top Charts and Categories sections have been moved to the Apps and Games home, simplifying navigation for tablet and Chromebook users. Notably, the Kids’ experience now takes the primary tab position, acknowledging that children often share large-screen devices at home.
Split-Screen Search Experience
Lastly, Google Play Store is also introducing a split-screen search experience to facilitate app discovery and comparison. Users conducting searches in landscape mode on large screens will see two formats side by side, showcasing search results alongside detailed app information. This feature streamlines the process of exploring and selecting the most suitable apps.
Rollout Schedule
All the exciting changes promised by the revamped Google Play Store for large-screen devices will be rolled out over the next few weeks. Users can expect to see the app warnings on the app details page starting in late August.
Conclusion
With the growing popularity of large-screen devices, Google’s efforts to optimize the Play Store for such platforms come as a welcome development. The revamped interface, enhanced app listings, improved ranking criteria, and user-friendly navigation will undoubtedly enrich the app discovery and installation experience for millions of Android users.
As Google continues to innovate and cater to evolving user preferences, the Play Store remains a dynamic platform for both developers and users alike.
