February 9, 2025

Google’s plan to advertise Android apps outdoors its Play Retailer is beginning to form up, as a brand new characteristic referred to as “Collections” reveals a method that customers will be capable to sustain with their apps from their Android house display. At this yr’s Google I/O developer convention, the corporate introduced builders with instruments to re-engage customers with the apps they have already got put in on their gadgets. Nonetheless, the corporate on the time didn’t element what this floor would appear like, solely specializing in the software program growth equipment (SDK) that builders might entry to combine with the brand new providing.

Google additionally shared that it already has over 35 developer companions on board to check the brand new characteristic, together with Spotify, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok and Shopify.

In a session on the convention, builders had been introduced with details about a brand new invite-only Have interaction SDK, designed largely to convey customers again into their apps by showcasing content material, promotions, and offers. The floor, Google mentioned, would “robotically arrange the most effective and most prevalent content material from apps already put in” with a concentrate on enabling cross-ap-continuing journeys for practically each app class.

With a faucet, customers would be capable to launch full-screen, immersive experiences that spotlight and prepare crucial content material from their put in apps.

Now, we’re beginning to get an concept of what this floor will appear like, thanks to an APK teardown of the Google Play Store software, carried out by the weblog Android Authority. Their experiments in reverse engineering reveal a still-in-development characteristic referred to as “Collections.” Beforehand referred to by the codename “Cubes,” the characteristic introduces a Play-Retailer-powered widget for the Android house display that organizes app updates into classes like Watch, Hear, Learn, Video games, Social and Store.

Picture Credit: Android Authority (opens in a new window)

When customers choose a given class, they might be proven all of the related content material from their apps on this area, presuming the apps had built-in with the SDK.

As Google described throughout the I/O session, the brand new on-device floor would arrange what’s most related to customers, inviting them to leap again into their apps. The corporate supplied a number of examples, as properly, exhibiting how retail apps might invite folks to proceed their procuring journey by highlighting what they’d saved of their cart, whereas apps like Uber Eats would possibly invite customers to put their favourite meals order. Reddit might encourage folks to learn and upvote fascinating posts, whereas Spotify might characteristic favourite playlists.

Google mentioned app builders might additionally use the characteristic to showcase “customized suggestions and promotions” that may assist uncover different content material and offers they could have missed.

The APK teardown revealed that the characteristic is launching first within the U.S., earlier than rolling out to new markets and also will be simply accessible by the use of a shortcut from the Play Retailer app itself. That’s, whenever you lengthy press on the Play Retailer app, there will likely be a hyperlink to entry to entry Collections from the pop-up menu that seems.

Google hasn’t but responded to a request for touch upon the Collections characteristic, but it surely introduced earlier that the patron expertise would launch later this yr. Of word, Google just lately introduced a brand new {hardware} and Android occasion, “Made by Google,” which can happen in August. We’ve heard Google expects to announce this characteristic extra formally at the moment.