I am simply going to say it. I’ve by no means preferred the Play Retailer. In my humble opinion, it has all the time been terrible for locating high quality apps and video games, and has solely grown worse through the years. As a substitute of really serving to customers discover good apps and video games that do not break the financial institution, it feels extra like Google is barely thinking about pushing everybody in the direction of subscription apps and video games full of playing. In fact, this setup traces Google’s pockets with a hefty share of income, which suggests it’s incentivized to push what makes it essentially the most cash as a substitute of what customers discover helpful.
An ideal instance of that is with the current modifications coming to the shop, from the brand new Collections widget to the AI evaluate summaries; all I see are ads disguised as options, a horrible development I’ve noticed across Google products over the previous few years.
I deeply regret buying video content from Google
Cease forcing me into apps I do not wish to use
No one requested for yet one more method to see the identical previous apps and video games with a bunch of adverts blended in
The first subject with the Google Play Retailer is that discovery is a joke. It is rather difficult to seek out high quality apps and video games past the most well-liked ones. From a ineffective search function that prefers to shove adverts in your face earlier than the precise outcome, to countless categorization that pulls very comparable listings it doesn’t matter what genres you select, it is no surprise Google says the majority of its customers do not spend a lot time within the Play Retailer searching for brand new apps.
So why would I or anybody else need a widget that also solely highlights the stuff I am already seeing within the Play Retailer’s many ineffective lists? I am amongst those that barely use the shop as it’s, so until one thing basically modifications how Google highlights apps and video games, extra of the identical is nothing I am thinking about.
Supply: Finest Purchase
Gross, ^ this isn’t what I exploit the Play Retailer for
However after all, app recommendations aren’t all the Collections widget will do, as it would additionally pull in movies out of your YouTube suggestions, music based mostly in your listening historical past, and TV reveals to observe in your rising assortment of streaming providers, all based mostly off your use of Google’s and its companions apps and providers. I hate all of this. I hate it on my Defend TV, and I hate it in Collections. I do not want bots to suggest what to observe; I’ve a mind and might really make selections by myself. On prime of that, because of the associate offers Google’s constructed right here, these suggestions begin feeling like adverts for all concerned. In any case, the metrics do not lie; the extra time one spends utilizing an app, the extra doubtless they’re to spend cash, which Google is aware of full effectively.
Associated
Google Play’s new Collections widget wants you to spend, consume, repeat
It is launching within the US at present
Probably the most egregious design of all of that is you can obtain what successfully quantities to adverts for real-world merchandise and gross sales disguised as suggestions. Certain, you might need the Finest Purchase app in your telephone, however do you want it to seem in a handy little Store tab? It looks like one other try from Google to ship procuring outcomes to customers, similar to these listings you doubtless already ignore inside search. That is all that is, simply moved contained in the Play Retailer and inside this widget.
Irrespective of the way you slice it, Google’s new Collections are extra of the identical. I do not go to the Play Retailer to seek out out what’s new on YouTube, the identical as I do not use the Play Retailer to seek out out what oddments Finest Purchase at present has on sale. As a matter of reality, I exploit the Play Retailer as little as doable as a result of it is already full of countless lists of horrible suggestions I might by no means contemplate in 1,000,000 years. And but Google has all of my knowledge, many years of it, and all it does with it’s attempt to strong-arm me into spending my money and time on issues I actively despise. I suppose when you have a monopoly, you do not have to really serve your consumer’s pursuits and might as a substitute serve up countless adverts disguised as suggestions because the consumer expertise continues to slip down the bathroom.
When Google’s AI is not busy recommending you eat glue, it is summarizing Play Retailer critiques
Very similar to Amazon, summarizing pretend critiques is not very useful
Maybe summarizing consumer critiques could be useful if these consumer critiques have been reliable within the first place. In any case these years, it’s clear they don’t seem to be, and regardless of Google separating critiques by area to chop down on pretend critiques, they nonetheless occur on a regular basis, which suggests Google’s summaries cannot be trusted with out personally verifying the critiques being summarized, which implies that AI abstract is all however ineffective. It is particularly ineffective when these summaries don’t even reflect the app/game in question.
Regardless of the AI summaries not even working appropriately, Google is still advertising the feature as helpful. Maybe someday it will likely be, however Google must totally clear up the shopper evaluate system for that to work, and after I watch new recreation releases every week replenish with pretend critiques, like how pre-load video games permit critiques earlier than a recreation is even playable, I do not see my distrust altering. So until Google lastly stops encouraging pretend critiques with its pre-load function, yeah, I will not be studying any AI summaries anytime quickly, which suggests that is one other ineffective function that solely seems to learn Google and its companions to promote extra stuff below the haze of fancy-schmancy AI.
Subscriptions are so ingrained with apps we apparently want a tracker
Remind me once more why so many apps want subscriptions within the first place
Supply: Android Authority
Now that we’ve got reached a degree the place a tracker is required to remind customers of what number of subscriptions they pay for, I feel it’s fairly clear we have reached the point of absurdity. As a substitute of tackling the true subject customers face the place each developer desires countless cash for his or her app or service — maybe by highlighting subscription apps much less whereas pushing high quality single cost apps extra — Google has as a substitute chosen to lean into what number of subs persons are racking up by itemizing them multi functional place for simple monitoring. Certain, this sounds considerably helpful, however finally the mistaken repair for too many apps and video games requiring a subscription. As soon as once more, a handy place for Google because it rakes in its minimize.
Google’s greed is rising grating
I am drained, boss
I do not even know what to say at this level. None of that is shocking coming from Google in 2024, however it certain is as annoying as ever. I began overlaying Android over a decade in the past with the objective of searching down and sharing the perfect video games on the platform, one thing I’m still doing to this very day. However what do I do know? I am just a few jerk who desires high quality video games and apps that are not designed to empty my pockets at each doable alternative. Clearly, Google is aware of what I really need, and that is Finest Purchase gross sales, ineffective evaluate summaries, and a relentless reminder of simply how a lot cash I am losing on apps that doubtless do not deserve the eye to start with.
On the finish of the day, precise consumer aggregation — actual folks doing the laborious work of digging up high quality apps and video games — cannot be overwhelmed by lazy AI or halfhearted options which can be designed to promote extra merchandise. Not solely is Google’s agenda crystal clear that shopper wants come final, however the money-grubbing on full show for everybody to see is kind of offputting. Increasingly of the merchandise I as soon as tolerated and even beloved (I nonetheless weep for what was executed to Android/Google TV) are slowly being ruined by ridiculous options designed to line the corporate’s pockets. It is blatant and disgusting, and I really want Google was higher than this. I do know it may be, but right here we’re.
