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Google Play Store widely rolling out inline app update changelogs

With version 8.0 of the Play Store last June, Google began testing very convenient inline changelogs for app updates. Ten months later, this useful feature is finally widely rolling out to all users.

The functionality retains the exact same look since our first glimpse at it nearly a year ago. In the “Updates” tab under “My apps & games,” all listings now feature a tiny carrot icon right after the app’s name, download size, and updated date.

Tapping it reveals the “What’s new” section usually located above the screenshot carousel when viewing a full app listing. With the same icon, it notes verbatim what the developer has imputed for the update. The carrot is also visible for apps in the “Recently updated” category and not restricted to just “Updates available.”

One particular advantage is how even long descriptions are not truncated when viewed from the Updates tab. Meanwhile, this greatly reduces the need for users to have to jump into a listing when they want to find out what’s changed before updating.

For apps that don’t even bother to include changelogs (cough, cough YouTube), the section will just note “Information not provided by developer.” In that regard, this feature could be improved by having the Play Store hide the carrot on updates that don’t bother adding release notes.

This new feature is widely available with version 9.4.18 of the Play Store. If you don’t have it yet, try removing the app from multitasking and heading back into the Updates tab.


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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com