Google’s plan to promote Android apps outside of its Play Store is starting to take shape, as a new feature called “Collections” reveals a way users will be able to view their apps from their Android home screen. At this year’s Google I/O developer conference, The company presented the developers Tools to reconnect users with the apps already installed on their device. However, at the time the company did not reveal what this surface would look like, focusing only on the software development kit (SDK) that developers could access to integrate with the new offering.
Google also said that it already has more than 100 million apps. 35 developer partners included There are multiple platforms testing the new feature, including Spotify, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, and Shopify.
In one of the sessions of the conference, the developers were informed about the following New invite-only Engage SDKPrimarily designed to bring users back to their apps by showcasing content, promotions, and deals, Google said the Surface will “automatically curate the best and most popular content from the apps you already have installed” with a focus on enabling cross-app-continuous journeys for nearly every app category.
With a single tap, users will be able to launch a full-screen, immersive experience that will highlight and organize the most important content from their installed apps.
Now we’re starting to get an idea of what this surface will look like. Thanks to APK teardown of Google Play Store softwareThe blog was done by Android Authority. Their experiments in reverse engineering reveal a still-under-development feature known as “Collections”. Previously referred to by the codename “Cubes”, the feature introduces a Play Store-powered widget for the Android home screen that organizes app updates into categories such as Watch, Listen, Read, Games, Social, and Shop.
When users select a category, they will be shown all relevant content from their apps in this space, assuming the apps have integrated with the SDK.
As Google explained during the I/O session, the new on-device Surface will organize what’s most relevant to users, inviting them to go back into their apps. The company also offered a few examples, showing how retail apps could invite people to continue their shopping journey by highlighting items saved to their cart, while apps like Uber Eats could invite users to order their favorite food. Reddit could encourage people to read and upvote interesting posts, while Spotify could show favorite playlists.
Google said app developers can also use the feature to display “personalized recommendations and promotions,” helping them discover other content and deals they may have missed.
The APK teardown revealed that the feature is launching first in the US followed by new markets and will be easily accessible via a shortcut from the Play Store app. That is, when you long-press on the Play Store app, a link to access the Collection will appear from the pop-up menu.
Google has not yet responded to a request for comment on the Collections feature, but it previously announced that the consumer experience would launch later this year. Of note, Google recently announced a new hardware and Android event, “Made by Google”, which will take place in August. We hear Google hopes to make a more official announcement of the feature at that time.
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