Hi everyone,Welcome to our second installment of The Latest! If you missed the inaugural edition, The Latest is our new quarterly update on the top announcements from Google Play, including product news, partnerships, programs, and more.In this update, we have exciting announcements from Google I/O, including new features that empower developers to bring their ideas to life and build successful businesses and new ways to help people discover experiences they'll love. We’ve also leveled up our Play Points program with exciting perks and rewards, like exclusive early access to Squad Busters from Supercell and special prizes in the new Diamond Valley treasure hunt mini game in the US.Without further ado, here’s the latest from Google Play.
Helping users discover content they’ll love
We’re committed to helping users find more apps that they’ll love, and developers connect with the right audience. That’s why we're continuously providing tools that help developers reach their ideal users, personalize messaging to make it more relevant for different audiences, and create engaging experiences that drive downloads and retention.
Enhanced app store listings: More ways to reach the right audience
Developers can already tailor their app store listings to personalize how they showcase their apps to different user audiences. Now, they can also create listings based on what users are searching for. Tailoring listings by search keywords will help make the content more relevant. To help developers get started, Play Console can provide keyword suggestions and even generate suggested descriptions with Gemini models. For example, a recipe finder app can create different listings for users looking for kid-friendly recipes or vegetarian recipes.
Developers can increase a store listing’s relevance by displaying content tailored to users’ search keywords
AI-powered review highlights and FAQs: Helping users discover great apps faster
We’re expanding how we use AI to help users make well-informed install decisions. Our AI-generated review summaries help users quickly learn what makes an app or game special, right from their search results. Now, users in the US can also find these highlights on app detail pages. We’ve also heard positive user feedback about AI-powered FAQs on game detail pages, so we’re expanding this feature. Now for select apps, users in the US can also find these FAQs on the app’s detail page and search results when they’re searching for a specific app name.
Deep links: Enabling seamless web-to-app journeys
With deep links, developers can take users directly to a relevant page within an app. This helps increase engagement and connects users to the content that they’re interested in so we’ve also made it easier for developers to manage their deep links in the Play Console. Our latest deep link patching update allows developers to make quick changes or experiment with their deep links, without the need to publish a new app release.
Editorial recommendations: Curated for diverse interests
Our commitment to personalized discovery is reflected in our vast editorial initiatives, showcasing a wide spectrum of cultural moments, seasonal celebrations, and global events. Throughout May, we honored Asian and Pasifika Ancestry Month with curated collections of apps, books, and games created by the Asian and Pacific Islander community, featuring special events and spotlighting developers and authors of API descent. We also joined in the excitement around Taylor Swift's album release, the NBA playoffs, Songkran (Thai New Year) in Thailand, Golden Week in Japan, and celebrated Pride Month globally.
Celebrating Pride Month with apps, games and books
Seamless app discovery: Helping users enjoy apps across their devices
We know users often download and use apps across several different devices. Now, when users search for apps, we’ll also suggest relevant apps across different device types, making it easier for users to find and install, for example, a relevant TV app from their phone.And, in case users forget to try an app they’ve downloaded recently, we’ll remind them about the app if they haven’t opened it within a day, and again if they haven’t opened it after a week.
Google Play Books: New ways to help users find their next favorite read
Access children’s ebooks with “Read & listen” for no charge from Google Play Books
Continuing to make Play the best destination for games
We’ve continued to expand Google Play Points and Google Play Pass to new markets and offer exciting perks. We recently launched Play Points in Brazil and expanded Play Pass to Japan and Korea.
Google Play Points: Leveling up gaming & entertainment
We leveled up Google Play Points with new perks and rewards to connect users with experiences they’ll love — and the higher their status, the more they’ll unlock. Google Play Points members can get exclusive early access to new games, VIP experiences at gaming and entertainment events, and discover new ways to play and win.Diamond, Platinum and Gold members in select markets recently received exclusive early access to play Squad Busters from Supercell. Play Points members can also use their points for special in-game items.
Following its earlier success in Korea and Japan, we launched a treasure hunt mini game, Diamond Valley, to Play Points members in the US. Available through July 15th, users can hunt for “diamonds” and use them to enter to win prizes like Pixel devices, Razer products, merchandise from favorite games, and more (terms apply).
Google Play Pass: Bringing even more value to customers and developers
Diamond, Platinum and Gold Play Points members in more markets, like India and Mexico, now have access to a 3 month extended free trial of Google Play Pass (terms apply).We’re continually partnering with developers to add new games to our current catalog of over 1,000 titles in Play Pass. Many games supported by Play’s 2023 Indie Games Fund are now also available through Play Pass, including Farm vs. Aliens, Fighters of Fate, and Wind Peaks. We’ve also updated our developer reporting so that developers can better attribute Play Pass promotions in their earnings reports.
Driving global growth for app businesses with secure, frictionless payments for users
With over 2.5 billion users across 190+ markets, Google Play connects developers with a vast global audience. We continue to focus on improving the ability to offer monetized experiences across these markets by making it easier for users to make secure and seamless purchases.
Expanded payment options: More ways for users to pay for content
Our extensive payment method library, which includes over 300 local forms of payment in more than 65 markets, continues to grow.
We enabled Pix in Brazil and Blik Banking Redirect in Poland, allowing millions of customers to use their preferred payment method.
Users with Google family setup can now approve their child’s purchases on Android from any OS. Previously, these purchases could only be approved on Android devices.
Starting in India, users can now ask a friend or family member outside their Google family group to make a purchase for them by sharing a payment link via text or email. New Internet Users (NIU) often rely on friends and family for help with app setup and digital payments. By introducing the "Ask someone else to pay" feature, we aim to lower barriers and enhance the convenience of digital gifting. Given the substantial NIU market, widespread usage of gift cards, and a prevailing culture of sharing financial credentials, we initially launched this feature in India before potential global expansion.
Users in India can ask a family member or friend to pay for an item by sharing a payment link via text.
Optimized pricing: Helping developers determine the right local prices
An optimized price helps developers remain competitive and protects their apps from price arbitrage exploitation so we’ve continued to invest in tools to help developers make informed pricing decisions and maximize their revenue.
To give developers more pricing flexibility, products on Google Play can now be priced as high as 999.99 US dollars or the local equivalent (excluding South Korea). This opens up new price points and the ability to optimize for users willing to pay for an ultra-premium experience.
To ensure a fair purchasing experience for users across different markets, we’ve given developers more control to limit potential price arbitrage, where bad actors buy products at a lower price point in a different country than their own. Price arbitrage can hurt developers by making it harder to set fair prices, potentially causing them to lose money or avoid certain markets so we’ve enhanced the ability for developers to restrict users from purchasing products in a different country or region.
Enhanced purchase experiences: Simplifying the user journey
We’re making the purchase experience more seamless and convenient by giving users more guidance and flexibility, and giving developers the tools to fine-tune these experiences.
Our new installment subscriptions feature empowers developers to offer flexible payment plans for long-term subscriptions, making their products more accessible to users in Brazil, France, Italy, and Spain who may be hesitant about large upfront costs. In our early access program, apps saw 8% more subscription sign-ups and 4% higher user spend.
Installment subscriptions are now available for users in Brazil, France, Italy, and Spain
We now offer users the option to purchase in-game items on the Play Store on the web, in addition to the Play Store on their mobile device, creating another purchasing surface that benefits gamers and developers.
We’ve added new badges to the Play Store such as “best selling,” “trending,” and “popular” to help guide users’ purchases and improve developers’ checkout performance.
See top-selling apps and in-app purchases via new store badges
We also introduced the new Play Billing Lab app, which makes it easier for developers to thoroughly test features that improve the user experience for one-time purchases and subscriptions. The Lab allows developers to test their integration with Play's billing system, create test configurations without affecting real users, and experiment with country overrides and subscription lifecycle changes.
Boosting trust with safer, high-quality experiences
In April, we shared a recap of the many ways we worked to keep Google Play users safe in 2023. Since then, we’ve made even more updates designed to protect both users and developers, including updates to app management tools, enhanced user security, and proactive ways to safeguard user trust and business integrity.
Government app badging: Providing extra verification for trusted apps
We recently launched a new badge to accompany official government apps in the Play Store. Government badges are now available globally in over 100 countries worldwide, making it easier for users to identify government-operated apps. This feature adds an additional layer of protection on top of our policy which already prohibits apps with misleading descriptions or icons.
Data deletion details in Data safety section: Helping users stay in control
We’re made it easier for users to take action if they choose to delete an unwanted app account and the related data. Now, if an app enables account creation within the app, users will now see a “Data deletion” field in the app’s Data safety section of the app’s store listing. Developers are required to provide information and resources to help users manage app data and better understand the app’s deletion practices.
Developers now provide guidance to users to help them better control their app account and data with the updated Data safety section
Strengthened guidance and review capabilities: Ensuring safe AI experiences
We’re committed to fostering a safe and innovative environment for apps with generative AI features. So in June, we gave developers more guidance on how to build responsibly and shared more information on how we’ve expanded our review capabilities over the past year to address these new complexities. For example, we’ve:
Enhanced our review process with new technology like large language models to analyze app submissions and flag them for people on our global team to take a closer look.
Strengthened our policy to require apps with generative AI features to give users a way to report offensive content.
This combination of human expertise and increased AI efficiency helps us improve the app review experience for developers and create a safer environment for everyone.
Google Play SDK Console: Partnering with SDK owners to build safer app experiences
We've been working on tools and solutions dedicated to SDKs, to help make them safer for apps and users.
Recently, we opened up SDK Console to all SDKs, including open-source and smaller SDKs that weren’t supported before. Now, SDK providers of all categories and sizes, can gain valuable insights into SDK usage, identify and fix issues faster, and communicate directly with app owners through Play Console and Android Studio, enabling them to deliver higher quality, safer experiences for apps and users on Google Play.
App developers can also now share crash or ANR data with SDK owners, and SDK owners can give guidance to app developers on how to fix crashes or errors in all affected apps in Android Studio and Play Console.
In addition, developers will now also get emails and persistent alerts on the Policy status page when their app includes a non-compliant SDK version, helping developers take action and avoid enforcement actions caused by an underlying SDK they are using.
Enhanced app-release tools: Preventing surprises and streamlining launches
Our new pre-review checks feature streamlines app launches by consolidating quality checks into one easy-to-use interface. Developers can now proactively identify and resolve policy and compatibility issues before their app goes live. Additionally, the ability to discard unwanted releases in the "Not yet sent for review" stage reduces the risk of accidental updates.
Play Integrity API updates: New protections against unauthorized access
The Play Integrity API empowers developers to protect their app and their users against attacks, abuse, and unauthorized access. Developers using Play Integrity features may see up to 80% lower unauthorized usage compared to unprotected apps. We recently launched new features to help developers further defend users against security threats:
Recent device activity lets developers detect and respond to devices that may show signs of automated traffic or an attack.
App access risk verdict lets developers check if another app could be capturing the screen or controlling the device.
Play Protect verdict lets developers check if there is any known malware on the user’s device.
Developers can use these verdicts to decide how their app should behave. For example, if a user is about to perform a sensitive action like transfer money, the developer could check the integrity verdict and ask the user to close screen sharing apps and turn on Play Protect to ensure they’re protected. If the user doesn’t meet the requirements, the developer could ask the user for additional verification before completing the payment or limit access to the feature.
Championing our global developer community
Our global developer community is the heart of Play. We're constantly seeking ways to celebrate their successes and provide the resources they need to reach their full potential.
#WeArePlay: Shining a spotlight on the global developer community
Last year, #WeArePlay went on a virtual tour of India, Europe and Japan to spotlight the stories of app and game founders. Now, we’re continuing our tour across the world with our next stop: Australia. From an app helping turtle conservation to a game you can never win, meet 50 founders building growing businesses on Google Play from all across the country.We also continued to share more stories in our global series too, including one of my personal favorites featuring Zülal from Türkiye. Born with limited sight, she has been a power-user of visual assistive technologies since the age of 4. Now, she’s the founder of From Your Eyes - making apps using custom AI to help describe the world in detail for people like her.
And, to celebrate Pride Month in June, we’ve put a spotlight on four LGBTQ+ founders featured in #WeArePlay who designed and built tools to support the community — from dating apps to mental health platforms.That’s it for our Q2 update from Google Play! We look forward to seeing developers at I/O Connect Bengaluru, where we’ll also be hosting a graduation ceremony for our Indie Games Accelerator class of 2024. I can’t wait to see how these updates empower developers to build even more amazing apps and games, giving users even more to explore and enjoy.Until next time,Sam BrightVP & General Manager, Google Play
The Latest: Q1 2024
The Latest from Google Play: Q1 2024
Sam BrightVP & General Manager, Google Play
Hi everyone,It’s been a little over a year since I joined Google Play, and it’s been one non-stop ride. In just over a decade, Google Play has connected over 2.5 billion people with apps and games they love, made by millions of developers who turned their ideas into growing businesses. I’ve been inspired by the incredible app experiences developers are building on Play that help people around the world make their lives easier, discover joyful experiences, and generate life-changing incomes. This drives me, and all of us at Play, and we are dedicated to continually improving our tools, services, and platform to help developers continue innovating and succeeding.As we look toward the next decade, we’re committed to making our platform an even more vibrant destination for discovery. Our mission to connect people with the experiences they love continues, and - as it always has - goes far beyond the initial download. To keep you updated, we’ve created “The Latest”, a quarterly roundup of some of our top announcements. We’ll share product news, partnerships, programs, policies, and more so you can learn about how we’re working to enhance user experiences and unlock exciting new business opportunities for developers.Let's get started.
Helping users discover content they’ll love
Through continuous store experience updates and curated app and game spotlights, we’re connecting users to experiences that will truly resonate with them.
Discovery improvements: Explore apps seamlessly across devices
Our recent updates are designed to make it easier for users to discover and install apps they’ll love, across all their devices. We launched new detail pages in March to provide users with more information about how apps and games will work across different device types, including device-specific screenshots, ratings and reviews.
Users can more easily discover apps for all their devices with our improved detail pages. (Disclaimer: Visual is for illustrative purposes only.)
And for large screen devices, our updated split search results page optimizes the larger screen space so users can more efficiently browse through apps. These features help users quickly find, compare, and make informed install and purchase decisions for any of their devices.
AI-powered FAQs: Helping users get into the game faster
Last year, we added AI-generated review summaries to search results to help give users the information they need to quickly decide if an app or game is right for them. Now, we've brought AI-powered FAQs to select English language post-install game detail pages to help users get up to speed and dive into the action sooner. Together, these AI-powered features empower users to make informed decisions upfront and then jump right into the heart of the experience.
AI-powered FAQs provide quick answers to common questions, helping players get up to speed and diving into gameplay faster.
Editorial recommendations: Curated for diverse interests
Alongside algorithmic recommendations, our merchandising teams hand-pick apps and games to help connect users to content that aligns with their interests and values. We celebrated Black History Month in February and Women's History Month in March by highlighting diverse developers and creators, including BET+, Merge Mansion, and Flo Health. And to mark Ramadan, we showcased apps and games with Ramadan-related content, events, and offers during the month-long holiday in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines), the Middle East, Turkey, and Pakistan.
To celebrate Ramadan, we helped users discover apps and games featuring special content, events, and offers.
Cricket takeover: Experimenting with immersive content
We're taking discovery even further beyond apps and games by showcasing the content itself - starting with the category of sports. To better understand how fans engage with their passions, we're piloting a curated cricket experience for users in India.On the Apps homepage, fans can expect a cricket takeover, featuring tentpole moments from top developers like JioCinema and Fancode, alongside nearly 100 curated cricket-related apps, gamified user voting, and over 200 curated YouTube videos featuring popular star players and teams.
We're piloting an immersive sports experience on Google Play with a cricket takeover on the Apps homepage in India.
Continuing to make Play the best destination for gaming
For our gamers on Play, whether they prefer playing casual mobile games or immersing themselves in a multiplayer online role-playing game on PC, we strive to be a companion throughout their journey – from discovery to gameplay, and beyond.
Enriched game details page: Helping users get more from the games they love
We’re making the Play Store the best place to discover amazing new games, and stay connected to them. After installing the game, users can now view new content, and promotions more prominently, all within the game details page. For a select set of games, users will also be able to see the latest videos from the developer’s YouTube channel, get help from AI-powered FAQs, and read the latest tips and tricks. These improvements are currently limited to English language users and to select titles in an early access program.
Users can discover new content, promotions, and more from their favorite games on the games details page.
Play Pass: Exclusive in-game items and discounts launching in 21 markets
In addition to the existing catalog of over 1,000 ad-free games and apps, Play Pass subscribers in select markets can now enjoy exclusive in-game items and discounts for popular titles like EA SPORTS FC™ Mobile, MONOPOLY GO!, and Roblox. Propelled by over 120% growth in subscriptions over the past year, Play Pass with in-game offers launched in 21 markets, including Japan. And later this year, it’ll be available in Korea for the first time.
Play Pass subscribers in select markets can now enjoy exclusive in-game items and discounts for popular titles.
Play Points: Rewards to build gamer loyalty, expanding soon to Brazil
Play Points is one of the world's largest loyalty programs with over 220 million members who earn points to redeem for in-app items or Google Play credit. The program is getting even better with new features that benefit both developers and users.Game studios can now promote limited quantities of exclusive in-game offers to boost excitement and drive repeat purchases, and use our improved performance reporting to find ways to optimize promotions and maximize revenue from Play Points. Our most active users in Germany, Spain, France, Great Britain, and Italy can experience even more rewards with the expansion of the Diamond tier to these markets. We also look forward to bringing Play Points to users in Brazil later this year.
Google Play Games on PC: Maximizing reach for multi-platform games
We've expanded our footprint in the multi-platform gaming space by bringing Google Play Games to 141 countries, and growing the entire catalog to over 3,000 games - so gamers can seamlessly play their favorite titles across mobile and PC. Some of the most popular PC games are already available, including Lineage2M, Odin: Valhalla Rising, Genshin Impact and Dragonheir: Silent Gods. With Play Games Services (PGS), developers can sync players' sign-in information across devices without the need to manage database changes, simplifying integration.
Driving global growth for businesses with secure, frictionless payments for users
Google Play Commerce enables frictionless, secure purchases for users and unlocks international revenue growth for apps and games businesses.
Our expanding payment coverage, which includes over 300 local payment methods across 65+ markets, ensures smooth purchases for a global audience and unlocks new monetization opportunities for developers.
Our support for the UPI payment system in India now includes UPI autopay intent, making subscription signup easier and more secure for users, while helping boost subscriptions for developers.
Play gift codes are now available in Vietnam. Available through MoMo, a leading super app in Vietnam, this launch introduces Stored Value as a convenient new payment option in this market.
We're continually enhancing our tools to give developers even more ways to optimize revenue and user experiences.
We remind users of subscription benefits at cancellation to help them make the most informed decisions. Now, these benefits are also displayed at checkout to improve conversion and attract new subscribers.
Subscription benefits are now displayed at checkout to help users make better informed decisions.
Real-time developer notifications allow developers to respond instantly when a purchase status changes (e.g. completion, cancellation, renewal, or refund) allowing developers to reach users in a more timely manner in case anything goes amiss. Now, these notifications are also available for one-time purchases.
Developers can now view their revenue reports in the buyer's currency, providing more clarity on earnings without the impact of currency fluctuations.
Boosting app quality and security
We prioritize safe, high-quality experiences on Google Play. Our focus is on secure and seamless interactions for users, empowering developer tools, and robust platform protections.
Speed and size optimizations: Faster, smaller downloads
A quality user experience means getting the most out of your device. That's why we've focused on making it faster for users to enjoy the apps they install, while taking up less storage space.
Devices can now install two apps simultaneously more quickly. In our pilot, this led to an improvement in install success and a notable decrease in canceled installs.
Additionally, for Android Q+ devices, we've rolled out an app bundle size optimization to reduce Play-distributed app sizes on device. This frees up disk space allowing users with lower-storage devices to install more apps.
App update enhancements: Making it easier for users to stay secure
We've introduced several updates to help users more easily get the latest features, fixes, and security improvements:
Bringing auto-update to more users: To help users with limited Wi-Fi access stay secure and up-to-date, Google Play is now updating apps over mobile data globally. We’re mindful of mobile data budgets and will activate this feature only when it's appropriate and users can always opt-out. This update also benefits developers by allowing them to ship features globally and reduce maintenance complexity.
To help ensure the best app experience, developers can now prompt users to update using new Play recovery tools.
Developer verification requirements: Protecting against malware and fraud
To further enhance user trust, we've been updating developer verification requirements. We've recently added new requirements to help ensure users discover safe, relevant apps while protecting the integrity of our platform.
Device verification for personal accounts improves quality and user safety by ensuring developers can test apps before they publish them. All new personal developer accounts must verify that they have access to a real Android mobile device using the Play Console mobile app before they publish apps.
Website verification for new organization accounts helps confirm authenticity. Developers with new organization accounts must verify their website before publishing apps.
Automatic integrity protection: Stronger protection against app modification and redistribution
We introduced a new, stronger version of our automatic integrity protection, designed to help developers safeguard their apps and games from unauthorized modification and distribution. Developers using Play integrity features have seen a significant reduction in unauthorized access compared to unprotected apps.
Google Play SDK Index: Building a safer Play Store with SDK providers
Software development kit (SDK) providers can register their SDKs with Google Play to see usage statistics and crash reporting as well as send urgent messages to developers. This allows them to recommend SDK versions that proactively fix potential policy issues and contribute to a safer, more trusted Play Store experience.
Developers can now receive proactive alerts about potential policy violations with their SDKs, while they are coding with our integration with Android Studio.
Developers now also receive emails about potential policy violations with their SDKs and receive persistent warnings on the Policy status page in Play Console.
Championing our global developer community
Our global developer community is the heart of Play. We're constantly seeking ways to celebrate their successes and provide the resources they need to reach their full potential.
#WeArePlay stories: Showcasing apps and game businesses on Google Play
We continued to share developer stories from around the world through our #WeArePlay series, which celebrates the community of app and game businesses on Google Play. Check out our latest stories highlighting Women’s History Month, featuring 9 founders behind groundbreaking apps and games made by women or designed especially for them.
Indie Games Accelerator: Supporting small game businesses around the world
As part of our mission to help businesses of all sizes succeed on our marketplace, we announced Google Play's Indie Games Accelerator class of 2024. Selected indie game studios from around the world will participate in the 10-week program designed to take their businesses to the next level, including:
A series of online masterclasses, talks, and gaming workshops hosted by industry leaders
1:1 mentorship sessions with game experts covering a broad variety of topics including technical development, improving gameplay and team leadership skills
This year, we received such a high volume of impressive applicants that we’ve doubled the class size to 60. After the program ends, we’re inviting our class of 2024 to attend an in-person graduation ceremony in July.
That’s a wrap on the Q1 update for Google Play. We’re excited to continue growing this vibrant marketplace and keep the needs of our users and developers at the center of everything we do. Stay tuned for announcements at Google I/O on May 14 and follow our journey as we meet with developer communities around the world at I/O Connect events in Berlin, Bengaluru, and Beijing throughout the summer.Until next time,Sam BrightVP & General Manager, Google Play
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#WeArePlay
Discover the stories of people from all over the United States building apps and games businesses on Google Play.
