Google Play Store now shows changelog right on 'Update' page.

Last week I blogged about Google making some useful changes to the Play store app with the latter showing app ranking and in some cases comparable apps. These changes have gradually rolled out to users and today, it seems Google is pushing another update to the Play store.

This morning I noticed the appearance of down-pointing arrows next to each app under the Update tab. Tapping on them reveals the changelog in a green box. This is a great feature for me as I get to see what's new right on the Update page rather than opening each app 'Read more' page to find out. 

I did not verify if this new feature is available to everyone, but as I said last week if you're not seeing these changes yet, just be patient. 

[Updated] Google Play Store is showing apps rank and available comparable apps to some users.

Today I noticed a few changes in app listings in the Play Store on my OnePlus 5T, changes that are not available yet on my other devices and my wife's Samsung S7 Edge. As can be seen in the screenshot above, the details for the Facebook Messenger is now showing more information below the 'Uninstall' and 'Update' buttons.

Right underneath the buttons, the store is listing comparable apps available, which in this case is Facebook Messenger Lite. In addition, the app size is also displayed and obviously, tapping on that portion of the screen takes you to the download page of the 'comparable' app.

The Play Store is also showing the app ranking. While this may sound minor, it is very useful if you're not sure how popular the app is and this is in addition to the number of downloads to help you decide on whether to download or purchase the app.

Again, these changes do not yet appear on all my devices, so just be patient as it seems to be a server-side change that Google is randomly pushing to devices out there.

Update: After taking another look at this, it appears Google is actually recommending lite and Go apps to users so they know these apps exist. These apps are great for low-end  Android devices or for users living in areas with a poor internet connection.

Chrome Beta for Android lets you experience full-screen browsing.

In its latest update for Chrome beta, Google added the ability to browse web pages in full-screen. It doesn't require any fiddling in the settings to enable this feature. Simply visit a web page and start scrolling for the toolbar to disappear. This nice update is currently only available for Chrome Beta and I assume will find its way to the Chrome for Android in about a month. 

The update also includes other useful features. Search has been simplified so that queries remain visible in the omnibox to make it easy to edit. Client-side certificate is now supported. This comes in handy when visiting websites that require certificates. Chrome will let you select installed certificates. A nifty feature ported from the desktop for tablets is that you can access and view history by a long press of the Back button.

Check out the post on Chrome Releases blog for more details about the updates, fixes and known issues.

Download: Google Play Store

Google celebrates first Play store birthday with freebies and discounts.

To mark the first year of existence of the Play Store, Google is offering plenty of free and discounted apps, books and movies. The offerings will differ depending on your location. You may not see the movies or books if these services are not available in your region. These offers are time-limited, so waste no time and head over to the store after watching the video below and help yourself with the goodies. Happy Birthday Play Store.



Source: Play Store