Google I/O 2023: Introduces AI Features and Other Updates to the Play Store

During Google's developer conference, Google I/O, the company revealed that it is integrating its AI technology into the Play Store, offering developers new avenues to build and enhance their Android applications. Along with various promotional efforts, such as automated translations, developers can utilize Google's AI to optimize their apps for the Play Store, resulting in a wider audience reach.

By incorporating AI updates into its products, from search engines to productivity apps and even code writing tools, Google is taking yet another step toward integrating AI technology into all facets of its offerings. These updates also pave the way for potential uses of AI in app publishing and promotion, which has led to speculation about whether Apple will introduce similar tools at its upcoming developer conference, WWDC, in June.

Play Store Updates

Although the AI-powered features are likely to receive the most attention, Google is introducing several updates to the Play Store and other developer tools that aim to help developers expand their app businesses. For instance, developers can now customize their app listings to target inactive users and persuade them to return and engage with the app again.

Google has also expanded the custom store listings capability that was introduced last year, enabling developers to create at least 50 custom listings by country and pre-registration status. Additionally, developers can leverage Google Ads App campaigns to display these customized listings to users on AdMob and YouTube, targeting specific segments of users on Google Play. To facilitate this process, Google is introducing Store Listing Groups that can be created by modifying the base listing and overriding certain elements.

In addition, the company discussed new subscription features, such as its recently introduced option to offer different auto-renewing and prepaid plan prices for multiple prices per billing period, including recurring discounts for VIP users. Google also mentioned its User Choice Billing Pilot program, which enables developers to provide third-party billing options in their apps alongside Google Play Billing's system at a slight discount. Spotify and Bumble are among the early adopters of this program.

AI Updates

Google has introduced a new AI feature for app developers, known as the Generative AI tool, which leverages the PaLM 2 model to help developers draft Play Store listings. The tool generates draft copy based on prompts provided by the developer, such as the app's key audience or theme, which can be edited, discarded, or used as-is. While this capability can assist developers in crafting compelling app descriptions, it may also lead to increased app spamming.

One potential benefit of this capability is that it could help developers who have difficulty expressing their app's features in an attractive manner. However, it could also result in more app spamming as it simplifies the process of creating app listings.

Another AI feature, called "User Review Summaries," synthesizes users' comments about an app from reviews on the Play Store, allowing potential users to quickly evaluate an app's strengths and weaknesses. The tool is initially available in English, but support for other languages is expected later this year. Additionally, developers will have access to a machine translation tool powered by AI to translate their app and Play Store listings into ten languages within minutes.

Moreover, Google has announced that developers will have access to an AI-powered machine translation tool that can quickly translate their app and Play Store listings into ten languages using Google Translate. According to Google, the translation process will take only a few minutes and will be available through the Play Console.

These new AI tools align with Google's focus on integrating AI technology into its existing services, as demonstrated at Google I/O. The Generative AI tool is available to developers now.

Promotional Content

Google Play has followed Apple's lead by introducing Promotional Content, which allows app developers to promote special events happening in their app, such as new content or exclusive offers. Currently, almost 25,000 apps and games have access to Promotional Content, and this year, it will become available to even more titles.

In-app events will also be featured in new locations in the Play Store, including in Play Store notifications, the For You section on the Apps and Games tabs on the Play Store app, Play Store search results, and even on the Search screen before users enter a query, above other recommendations. Google has also been testing ads in this location.

Developers will be able to track the performance of their Promotional content and in-app events across Google Play through an updated reporting section in Google's Play Console.

Google notes that the capability to promote events and content through the Play Store or feature an app by editors is restricted to "high-quality" apps and games. To assist developers in comprehending what that entails, Google is launching a unified framework for app and game quality that explains how apps and games are assessed across a variety of criteria.

Later this month, developers on Google Play will have the option to run price experiments for their in-app products and test different price points across various markets. Additionally, a new type of promotional content called "Featured Products" will allow developers to sell their in-app items directly on Play. These products will appear in individual cards beneath the app listing and can be nominated for promotion across other areas of the Play Store.

These changes will be released at various times, with some coming in the next few days and others throughout the year. The evolution of the app store market means that users are not just interested in downloading new apps but also in staying informed about updates and in-app purchases. This is why Google Play now allows developers to market more than just app downloads. 

Just join Appranking and get the latest app marketing insight!