Google Play

639 'Google Play' stories March 2012 - August 2017

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google play store

Before the unified Play branding, Google had the Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBookstore. Google decided to merge and rebrand its individual digital offerings into the Play Store in March of 2012.

The Play Store is now the default place to purchase apps, movies & television, music, books, and news subscriptions for all Android devices. The latter four offerings having their individual Android and iOS apps to watch, listen, and read purchased content. Most content can also be accessed through the web.

In April of 2016, the suite of icons were redesigned in a similar style to provide a consistent look across all devices and the web.

Peter Dinklage’s ‘Rememory’ is coming to Google Play Movies before hitting theaters

Justin Duino Aug 14 2017 - 12:49 pm PT

Starring Peter Dinklage, Julia Ormond, and the late Anton Yelchin, Rememory is a new movie that will be available for free exclusively on Google Play Movies starting on August 24 before being released in select theatres on September 8. The film is an upcoming sci-fi mystery featuring futuristic technology that is capable of recalling past memories.

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Google Play Movies & TV app arrives on VIZIO smart TVs

Jordan Kahn Aug 11 2017 - 11:26 am PT

The Google Play Movies & TV app is officially arriving on Vizio TVs today for select models, allowing direct access to your Google Play library and content available to purchase. That means content you ordered on your Android phones or tablets is available natively on these new TVs, though they’ve long been able to Chromecast as well.

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Updated Google Play Store ranking algorithms factor in app crashes, performance issues

Abner Li Aug 3 2017 - 9:59 am PT

Google Play Store

The Google Play Store is updating its ranking algorithms to take into account app quality and performance. For end users, search results will rank more stable apps higher up, while developers are encouraged to address issues to prevent penalization.

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Google Play Store Icon

Google Play gives developers another 20 characters for app titles

Ben Schoon Aug 2 2017 - 7:26 am PT

Google Play’s titles, at a glance, should probably only be used to give the title of the application, leaving the description to describe it. Over the years, we’ve seen developers push the limits with this aspect, and recently, Google increased the character limit significantly.

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Google Play’s new curated lists will help you find your new favorite app

Ben Schoon Jul 20 2017 - 9:32 am PT

Finding great new apps on Google Play can be hard given the massive number available, but Google wants to do something about that. In a blog post yesterday, Google revealed a new feature for Play’s Editors’ Choice section which provides users with curated lists of apps hand-picked by Google Play Editors.

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Google Play Protect begins rollout with redesigned ‘Verify Apps’ in Play Services

Abner Li Jul 19 2017 - 7:35 pm PT

Announced at I/O 2017, Google Play Protect is essentially a rebrand of the company’s existing suite of security services for Android devices. In a statement, Google notes that it is beginning to rollout today in the Play Services app and coming soon to the Play Store.

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Google Play services tells dreams to be their own boss in bizarre Play Store ad listing

Ben Schoon Jul 19 2017 - 12:57 pm PT

Okay, so bear with me on this one. We’ve seen some strange stuff on Google’s various services through the years, but today Ron Amadeo of ArsTechnica may have stumbled upon one of the most bizarre. There’s an ad for Google Play Services in Google Play, with a really weird “inspirational” quote…

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Google Play announces 2017 Indie Games Festival for US and Canadian developers

Abner Li Jul 11 2017 - 10:35 am PT

Over the past year, Google has created several initiatives to highlight indie game developers in the Play Store. Continuing on last year’s efforts, the company has announced its second annual Google Play Indie Games Festival.

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Google Play Store v8.0 adds inline changelogs to the app updates menu

Ben Schoon Jun 29 2017 - 6:52 pm PT

Version 8.0 of the Google Play Store is rolling out to devices right now and while it doesn’t seem to add a ton of new features, it does add one new change that many can appreciate — inline change logs in the app updates menu.

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Google Play hosting storewide sale with $1 movie rentals, up to 80% off some content

Ben Schoon Jun 29 2017 - 9:03 am PT

Google Play is trying out something new this year — a storewide Summer sale starting today with deals across all of Google Play’s content. That includes movies, music, games, apps, subscriptions, and more all running through the middle of this month.

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Google appears to be testing yet another new Play Store design tweak [Gallery]

Ben Schoon Mar 24 2017 - 1:11 pm PT

Google is constantly evolving the look of Google Play, and recently it seems the company is testing out yet another new look for Play Store search results, this time showing off more information for a specific app directly from the search interface…

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Google Play celebrates its 5th birthday with top content lists, multiple Daydream VR games half off today

Ben Schoon Mar 6 2017 - 2:06 pm PT

Five years ago today, Google launched the Play Store, a new home for buying apps on Android. Along with apps, it also sells books, movies, and TV shows, and has become one of the most popular places for obtaining content on the web today.

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Apps and games can now show sale prices and periods on the Google Play Store

Ben Schoon Feb 28 2017 - 9:14 am PT

We all love it when things go on sale, and apps are no exception to that. It’s fantastic when you can score an app or game for a fraction of the original cost, but until now, users haven’t been able to see how much they’re saving when they buy something on sale. Now, Google is changing that…

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Google to stop absorbing cost of Play Store refunds outside of 48 hours, will deduct funds from developer payouts

Ben Schoon Feb 23 2017 - 7:29 am PT

One of the perks of buying apps on Google Play is easy access to quick refunds. If you download a paid app and quickly decide you don’t like it, you’ve got 2 hours to immediately refund the purchase. If you need a bit longer to make a decision, there’s also an easy window to apply for a refund within 48 hours. However, not everyone realizes you can still get a refund outside of that window…

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Roku launches redesigned Android app w/ new ‘What’s On’ guide, improved remote & more

Jordan Kahn Jan 17 2017 - 10:39 am PT

Roku is today launching an updated mobile app that introduces a redesigned user interface to make content easier to access alongside a new ‘What’s On’ guide that serves up recommendations on what to watch.

Roku says the aim of the redesign is to provide easier one-tap access to the most commonly used features. That includes the ability to start a stream with one tap of a channel from the app’s main screen, and a new navigation bar will let you pull up other features you might need quick access to including search, the remote control, and options for sending content to your TV. There’s also a redesigned remote control feature included.

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Some developers on Google Play are discounting apps to previously-unseen price of 1 cent

Ben Schoon Dec 27 2016 - 2:38 pm PT

Google usually works with developers toward the end of each year to offer some big app/game discounts, and this year is no different. Google has several big name games on sale for up to 80% off, but there are sales on several other games through the Play Store as well, including a couple which are notably cheaper than the rest…

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Google Drive subscriptions will be processed & managed in Google Play starting in January

Abner Li Dec 15 2016 - 12:54 pm PT

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While most people suffice with the free 15GB of storage that each Google Account provides, many others do pay for more. Starting in January for existing subscribers and already live for new purchases, Google Drive will be using Google Play to process subscription payments.

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Google Play’s ‘Best of 2016’ picks revealed, highlights the top trending apps and more

Ben Schoon Dec 1 2016 - 9:03 am PT

This year is quickly drawing to a close, and as the company has done over the past few years, Google is today releasing (via its official blog) a few lists of the top trending content that was released on Google Play over the past 12 months. This year, that also includes the most popular songs, movies, TV shows, books, and games as well…

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Google Play search results now show direct install links and info cards for some users

Ben Schoon Nov 13 2016 - 9:39 am PT

Just a few days after we caught a glimpse at Google’s latest Play Store redesign full of changes to the app listing and trending section, Google appears to be testing out a change to search results.

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Google adds promotional pricing for subscription apps and services in the Play Store

Abner Li Nov 3 2016 - 12:07 pm PT

At a developer event in San Francisco today, Google announced that apps in the Play Store will soon be able to offer limited-time subscription promos. With subscriptions being the fastest growing business model on Play, Google hopes that this will help developers attract more customers.

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Google announces 30 games to be exhibited at Indie Games Festival on September 24th in San Francisco

9to5 Staff Aug 29 2016 - 10:40 am PT

Google today announced the 30 games it would be showcasing at this year’s Indie Games Festival held in San Francisco CA on September 24th 2016.

Emceeing the event will be veteran game designer and professor Richard Lemarchand who was lead designer at Crystal Dynamics and Naughty Dog, and is now Associate Chair and Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts, Interactive Media and Games Division.

Fans will also have the opportunity to play and to vote for their favorite games at the festival, along with an authoritative panel of judges from Google Play and the game industry. They include:
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Google Play Store picks up 8 new app categories to bolster discovery experience

Ben Schoon Jul 27 2016 - 7:07 am PT

Finding the best Android apps can be really hard, so to help its users find the apps they want a bit easier, Google has just added eight new categories to the Play Store along with renaming two others. These new categories include options such as Art, Dating, Events, and much more. The full list follows…

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Machine Learning-powered Bubble Zoom will enlarge text in digital comics from Play Books

Abner Li Jul 21 2016 - 11:04 am PT

The Play Books app has a special affinity for comic books with a number of features meant to improve the reading experience on mobile devices. Announced as part of Comic-Con, Bubble Zoom uses machine learning to magnify text bubbles in digital comics. Users can test this out now on select Marvel and DC volumes.

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Google announces Indie Games Festival in September, app submissions now open

Abner Li Jul 14 2016 - 10:08 am PT

With new platforms that are especially suited for gaming, Google has recently launched a number of efforts to promote indie developers on the Play Store. Its latest effort is the Google Play Indie Games Festival this September in San Francisco. Developers are encouraged to submit games that will be showcased and awarded prizes at the event.

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