Devs told to let images speak for themselves
Google has had its opportunities to tease the Pixel Tablet this year whether it was at I/O 2022 in May or the Pixel hardware event earlier this month. That hardware is just a piece of the company’s overall commitment to redesigning Android’s interfaces for tablets and foldables. One software component to the strategy has been making the Play Store friendlier to large screens. Well, we now have some good insight into what’s changing as Google has detailed some choice features coming to the app store on tablets, foldables, and Chromebooks.
The company shared a single (low-res) image highlighting the changes coming to the Play Store for tablets and foldables in 2023. This would be a significant upgrade over the current Play Store design for tablets, which still seems to be relying on the blueprint of its smartphone counterpart.
Google calls this a “content-forward approach,” offering the description, screenshots, and videos related to the app directly from Apps and Games home screens. The company clarifies that this is merely a visual change and will not impact an app’s promotability in any way. The screenshot shared by Google also reveals the presence of a dedicated Kids section, situated at the bottom of the left sidebar with Games, Apps, Books, and Offers.
Android app usage through ChromeOS is also getting some love as part of the broader changes coming to the Play Store. Google says that starting immediately, app developers can upload Chromebook screenshots through the Google Play Console. Developers are recommended to use 16:9 screenshots with dimensions of up to 1080-7690 pixels — perhaps adding some indicative headroom to what future Chromebook displays will be capable of. A total of eight screenshots can be uploaded.
Google is also providing developers with some resources and tips on making the best out of their apps. That means capturing as many screenshots for different form factors as possible while avoiding using device imagery in promoting the app or game. Promotions should also lean heavily into imagery rather than words. If words are necessary, they should be able to stand without frequent updates.
It’s likely that the Play Store refresh for large-screen devices would be aligned with the release of the Pixel Tablet early next year or maybe even with the Pixel Fold which is expected to arrive by the end of Q1 2023. We could hear more on this over the next few months leading up to the arrival of Google’s flagship tablet (and foldable).
In the meantime, there are some affordable Android tablets currently available in the market that are definitely worth checking out. After all, these Play Store changes are for them as well.
