One of the most vital apps on our Android devices is the Google Play Store. It’s the beating heart of the Android ecosystem that serves as an open marketplace for applications and games, both good and bad. So you would think that such an important service would be kept in good standing with its users and developers, keeping devs and users happy and engaged, which makes the Play Store’s decline even more glaring. Google has let the service slip into too many bad habits, from a lack of quality control to aggressive use of ads, making the user experience a nightmare as a result.
But the situation isn’t hopeless; there are many ways Google could improve the Play Store. So, we’ve come up with a few ideas that could help Google address the following issues to keep the official channels appealing to Android users and developers alike.
1 We need better app quality control
Stop promoting mediocre apps
App quality control is a glaring issue on most storefronts, but it’s getting ridiculous on the Play Store. From cheap clones to asset flips, you’ll find no shortage of mediocre apps and games taking up valuable space on Google’s storefront, carrying an unsung stamp of endorsement through their presence and abundance. The overwhelming majority of these apps have barebones gameplay and loops designed to feed ads, a plagued practice that gives the mobile gaming platform a bad name. It’s no wonder Google scrapped the “new apps” section on the Play Store, given how it was constantly flooded with junk, highlighting one of the storefront’s worst qualities, the lack of any semblance of quality control.
The first step towards fixing this problem is to implement some serious quality control on the Play Store run by actual humans who understand apps and games, using titles of genuine high renown as a standard of where the bar should sit, instead of junk filled with subscriptions and gambling. This “let everything and anything on our service” attitude is exactly what ruined Steam Greenlight, so perhaps Google could learn a thing or two from Valve’s mistake.
2 Tone down the ads
Google needs to reign it in
Everyone knows that Google has an ad problem, with many of its free services suffering from excessive advertisements that bloat the experience and make navigation a nightmare. Annoyingly, their Play Store is not exempt from this, and we aren’t talking about overzealous adverts within non-Google apps. Google can’t control everything when it comes to how developers choose to implement their ads, after all. The main issue is with ads that appear when you view search results and download apps (the ads that Google directly makes money from). Once upon a time, these ads were obvious and easy to ignore but have become more discreet and obnoxious over the years. Strings of sponsored apps also pop up constantly, making the whole experience feel cluttered.
Any service that is free needs some kind of revenue stream, and there is no shame in using ads to keep the lights on. The situation is hardly unique and could be a lot worse. But it could also be a lot better if Google put more effort into honest ads that don’t trick people into clicking, reducing the visual overload to get the app you’re looking for, thus actually putting the users and devs first, you know, the very people that keep the store alive.
3 Get rid of fake reviews for good
Don’t let scammers exploit the store
For many of us, the quality of an app’s reviews can be a deal-breaker, making positive reviews a high-value commodity for devs. But scrolling through the Play Store, you’ll notice countless low-effort, cookie-cutter apps with suspiciously positive feedback. It starts making a lot more sense when you take a closer look and realize that Google’s service is riddled with fake reviews designed to bolster an app’s chances of appearing higher in the search results. Simplistic observations, fishy user profiles, vague praise, and blatantly overzealous scores are all hallmarks of these counterfeit reviews.
Those cheating the system can also exploit pre-registration periods, where certain apps appear on the storefront without being available for download, flooding the listing with positive reviews before anyone actually used the software, and regions make things even more complicated. Back in 2021, Google decided to region-lock Play Store reviews, meaning reviews can only be viewed in parts of the world where they were left, which did clean some of the fake reviews coming from outside countries but didn’t actually do much to halt fake reviews by and large, which makes the change look like it was done for appearance’s sake since nothing much got better.
Google is taking steps towards improving on this, with new algorithmic countermeasures designed to seek out and block fake reviews, but only time will tell if it has any genuine impact on this problem when little has before it.
4 Reduce search result bloat
Just show me what I asked for, please
The Play Store has an issue with overcrowding app search results with unnecessary and unwarranted inclusions. This fluff is a distracting eyesore and highlights the ridiculous number of cheap copypasta apps the storefront accommodates. The Play Store doesn’t waste the opportunity to shove ads and sponsored apps in your face, either. This content often isn’t even tangentially related to the context of your search or app activity. It makes using the search function unpleasant to use. Adhering to the other items here would help with this to a point, as fewer inferior apps would mean less search result padding, as would restraint with ads.
Google wants to make it easier for you to identify secure Play Store apps
A badge will mark apps that meet industry-wide security and privacy standards
5 Bury gambling apps under appropriate age ratings
Make quality the priority, instead of pushing gambling on children
Gambling services and the Play Store in its current form are a match made in heaven, given how often discovery disregards quality apps and favors services that make money above all. The slot machine apps in question don’t need to offer anything unique or interesting to get a massive promotion when Google sees gambling apps as a good investment. Simplistic gimmicks and excessive use of FOMO are the primary ways in which these apps generate revenue, something that Google is very enthusiastic about. That’s also the reason that these apps have way more coverage in many countries.
This creates the rather insidious problem of floating quality, a failure to discriminate between good apps to promote and shoddy apps to bury. That’s why the lists on the Play Store like Top Free and Top Grossing look so similar despite being different categories. This stands to eliminate the need for an app to be well-made because it won’t be treated as such, all because gambling machines appear to receive special treatment thanks to the money they earn. Removing the spotlight from gambling apps and returning it to worthy software selections that aren’t designed to rip off users or hook them into endless subscriptions will correct this homogenization of quality standards.
Let’s clean up the Play Store
The problems listed above have a lot to do with a lack of restraint from Google. The absence of serious moderation in app quality, prioritization of apps that make money, and the unflattering overuse of ads all call for a serious tightening of the Play Store’s standards and respect for its users. Android user’s trusty smartphones should benefit from the Play Store’s inclusion, being a selling point rather than deadweight designed to recommend apps that extract money at every turn. Official channels allowing their services to rot pushes users into the arms of alternative means for enjoying quality apps, which is why the Play Store needs to up its game, and fast.
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