Hi everyone,
What a summer!
We've kicked off a new chapter for Google Play, and I'm excited to share the latest updates with you.
This past quarter, we unveiled what’s next for Google Play at our St. John’s Terminal office in New York. We shared our journey towards becoming more than a store, inviting everyone to “Go Play” — with more ways to discover apps and games, enjoy them across devices, earn rewards, find helpful content, and experience greater security and control.
It was great to share our new vision with media outlets from around the world, including Android Faithful, TechCrunch, and Chosun Biz.
In this edition of "The Latest," we'll recap the exciting new features we announced at our event in July and highlight a multitude of subsequent Q3 launches that bring this vision to life.
Let's dive in!
Helping users discover content they’ll love
We’re committed to helping users find more apps that they’ll love while helping developers connect with the right audience. That’s why we're continuously providing tools that help developers reach their ideal users, personalize messaging for different audiences, and create engaging experiences that drive downloads and increase retention.
Collections: More helpful content when and where users need it
With so much great content on our phones, it's not always easy to find and access the right thing at the right time. That's why we recently launched Collections in the US, which organizes content from installed apps into categories like Shop, Watch, and Listen. Users can continue shopping, jump back into a show, or discover something new, right from a convenient widget on the home screen.
Developers can have their app content included in Collections by integrating with the Engage SDK. There’s no need for a new content strategy, as the integration leverages the personalized content from the app’s front page. All app developers with users in the US and content in our supported categories are invited to participate.
Diving deeper into content: New curated spaces for Google Play users
Curated spaces on Google Play help users explore their passions, all in one place. Following a pilot in India focused on cricket (the country's most popular sport), we partnered with popular Japanese comic publishers to launch a new curated space for comics in Japan in July.
Users can access personalized comics-related content, including free first chapter previews, live events and trailers, editor picks, and fan reviews, even from apps they haven't installed. We also created exclusive episodic livestream content featuring famous influencers playing elimination games based on popular Japanese comics. Users in Japan can find the curated comics space by selecting the “Comics” tab on Apps Home.
With K-pop and K-dramas captivating audiences worldwide, in August we launched a limited-time global curated space featuring personalized, exclusive content from 30+ global partners. And, we have plans for more curated spaces in more countries to give our users new ways to engage with the content they care about most.
Play Store enhancements: New ways to discover and explore
Our latest Google Play Store enhancements offer more personalized recommendations, easier app and content discovery, and new ways to find content across different devices.
- Personalized search recommendations: To help users start their search journeys right, Play has introduced personalized search query recommendations on Search Home. This feature, currently available in English, will be rolled out globally in the future.
- AI-powered app highlights: Earlier this year, we introduced AI-generated app reviews and FAQs. Now, we're introducing app highlights, a new feature that uses Gemini models to help users easily get the details they need at a glance.
- Sports Moment card: Sports fans can stay up-to-date on regional events and see recommended streaming apps with the new Sports Moment card in the Apps Home.
- Wear OS recommendations: When browsing on their phones, Wear OS users can now discover new apps for their watch under "Other Devices."
- Faster, simultaneous installs: Devices can now quickly install up to four apps at the same time, resulting in more successful installs and helping users get into apps more quickly.
Editorial recommendations: Curated for diverse interests
From celebrating cultural diversity to providing timely support, our editorial content connects users with relevant and engaging content. We curated app, game, and book collections for global sporting events like the Olympics and major football championships (UEFA European Football Championship and Copa América). We also showcased Hispanic Heritage Month with a unique artist collaboration and provided crucial hurricane preparedness resources during Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Helene.
Google Play Books: Helping book publishers reach new readers
Auto-narrated audiobooks allow our ebook publishers to create audiobooks at no charge using their ebook files and text-to-speech technology powered by Google AI. With the addition of Italian, publishers can now create auto-narrated audiobooks in seven languages, expanding the global audiobook catalog. We also launched “contentless pre-orders” to all book publishers, allowing them to offer pre-orders for ebooks and audiobooks before the final files are ready and grow awareness and pre-order revenue.
Continuing to make Play the best destination for games
For the gamers on Play, whether they prefer casual mobile games or immersive multiplayer role-playing games on PC, Play is there to help from discovery to gameplay and beyond.
Google Play Points: New rewards and VIP experiences for members
With over 220 million members, Google Play Points is one of the world’s largest rewards programs. Now, we’re doing even more to celebrate our members with exciting new experiences in and outside of Play.
In July, we launched Super Weekly Prizes, giving Gold+ members a chance to win prizes like Pixel devices. Starting in the US, Great Britain, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, users can visit the Play Points perks tab each week to review and claim these Super Weekly Prizes.
Throughout the summer, we gave Play Points members access to VIP experiences at the hottest gaming and entertainment events, including Pokémon GO Fest in New York City, San Diego Comic-Con, and Zedd in the Park in Los Angeles. And even if Play Points members couldn’t make it to these events in person, they could still access exclusive perks and rewards tied to these moments.
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Google Play Games on PC: New capabilities allow gamers to play multiple titles at once
When we introduced Google Play Games on PC two years ago, we gave users a way to play the games they love across more devices. Today, Google Play Games on PC offers more than 3,500 titles across 140 markets. Now, PC gamers can get even more from their favorite titles with our new multi-game capabilities, currently rolling out globally and allowing users to play multiple titles at the same time — actively competing in one game, while keeping an eye on resources in another.
Google Play Pass: New games and offers
Play Pass is constantly expanding with exciting new additions, including Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance following its highly anticipated worldwide release. Subscribers also enjoy access to in-game credits and exclusive monthly offers in popular titles like Asphalt Legends Unite, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Candy Crush Saga.
Play Store enhancements: More ways for users to discover and engage with games
We're continuing to make Google Play the best place to find and engage with amazing games with updates that make the experience more personalized and seamless.
- Interest-based recommendations on Games Home: Our new interest picker lets users select their favorite genres for more tailored game recommendations, making it easier than ever for them to find appealing games — even for those new to gaming.
- Enhanced game detail pages: Users can explore developer videos, AI-powered FAQs, tips and tricks, and more. Earlier this year, we launched this experience for select titles in English, and now we’re expanding to more games and making some of this information available in the web version of Google Play.
- Quick access to recent games: The "Continue Playing" cluster on Games Home lets users quickly jump back into their recently played games.
Driving global growth 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.
Improved purchase experiences: Giving users more ways to pay
We're making it easier and more convenient for users to pay for their favorite apps and games with a wide range of payment options and enhanced security measures.
- Expanded payment options: Google Play offers users over 300 local payment methods across 65+ markets, with new payment methods added regularly. US users now have the flexibility to use Cash App eWallet alongside credit cards, PayPal, direct carrier billing, and gift cards.
- Autofilled location data: To make adding payment methods easier and quicker for users in India, we launched the ability to autofill State information.
- Streamlined purchase authentication: Play users can now enjoy a faster and more secure checkout experience by using on-device biometrics (fingerprint or face recognition) to verify their purchases instead of entering their account password.
- Enhanced payment security for European users: We've introduced Device Tokens (DPANs) for Play transactions in Europe. This enhancement creates a better purchase experience and boosts payment authorization rates as DPANs are more trusted by banks.
Expanded promotions for new users: Encouraging first-time purchases
We’ve improved our promotion structure to encourage first-time purchases on Google Play. We’ve expanded the number of users that are eligible for these promotions and made improvements to our abuse monitoring systems, helping ensure that these promotion recipients are legitimate first-time purchasers.
Location spoofing fraud and abuse detection: Ensuring fair app pricing
Some users try to get cheaper prices by faking their location (called "location spoofing"). Our new system better detects location spoofing in the top 20 countries with localized pricing, helping to keep prices fair for all users and preventing pricing arbitrage that impacts our developers’ bottom lines.
Boosting trust with safer, high-quality experiences
Google Play enables high-quality experiences for all users by prioritizing secure and seamless interactions, empowering developer tools, and robust platform protections.
Personalization in Play: New privacy controls for users
We recognize how important it is to balance a personalized user experience with transparency and control. Users are now able to select “Personalization in Play” to control what Play data can be used to personalize their results and recommendations with easy-to-use controls to manage their preferences. For example, users can tell Play not to use data associated with a particular app for personalization within the Play Store.
Secure devices and Play Integrity API: New features to enhance device and app security
Users can check their device’s Play Protect certification status and fix any issues right from the Play Store app, reducing developer support needs for apps that rely on device security. We’ve also introduced new testing features for developers using Play Integrity API to check users’ device status to prevent abuse and attacks and ensure their apps work smoothly for their users. Apps using Play Integrity features are seeing 80% less unauthorized usage on average compared to unprotected apps.
Policy and quality enhancements: Boosting trust with safer, high-quality experiences
We’ve updated our policies to help ensure app content is engaging and safe, while also increasing transparency. We also added a new feature to Play Console to help developers monitor and improve their overall app quality.
- Increased user control over media: The new Photo Picker policy limits how apps can access photos and videos, giving you more control over your personal media.
- Higher app quality standards: We've updated our Spam and Minimum Functionality policy to ensure all apps meet our elevated standards for the Play catalog.
- Improved developer tools for app quality: The new Quality Panel in Play Console gives developers a prioritized view of quality issues that affect users (like crashes and slowdowns) and provides instructions on how to fix them.
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
Since 2022, #WeArePlay has shared hundreds of stories about the people behind app and game companies, from the United States to India, Europe, Japan and Australia. In July, we celebrated 153 brand new US stories, and released two new films featuring Robson from Rio de Janeiro, whose app Estante Mágica has turned over 2.5 million kids into authors, and Michael and Shalom, a mother and son whose app Nkenne helps people learn African languages and connect with their cultural heritage.
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Indie Games programs: Supporting indie game studios across the world
In July, 60 developers graduated from our Indie Games Accelerator in Bengaluru, India. The 10-week program included talks, classes, and workshops from Googlers and industry leaders to help these developers grow their business on our platform. We also invited developers across Latin America to apply for our Indie Games Fund, which will award a share of $2 million in addition to hands-on support to selected small games studios, helping them take their games to the next level.
And that's a wrap on this edition of "The Latest" from Google Play! We're excited to connect with apps and games partners around the world at our fall Playtime event series. We'll also soon be announcing and celebrating the "Best of 2024,” highlighting the year's most outstanding apps and games across various categories.
Stay tuned for even more updates as we close out 2024, continuing our journey to bring you to Play and Play to you.
Until next time,
Sam Bright
VP & GM, Google Play + Developer Ecosystem