In November last year, Google was reported to be testing ads in the Play Store search bar.
Tapping on the search bar showed recommended apps that users had never searched for or interacted with in the Play Store. Once you would start typing in the Search bar, the ads would go away, and the auto-complete suggestions would take up the screen.
The company has been adding more and more ads to various sections of the store, making it a frequent topic of criticism from users. Now, the latest change to the Play Store’s ad strategy is a subtle but noticeable one: it shows more ads after you install a new app.
As shared by Android Police, users viewing an app’s Play page would see a ‘Suggested for you’ banner with ads for other apps. Now, the banner has been replaced by two rows of ads, each with two app icons.
That means you see four ads at once, and you can swipe to see more. The ‘More apps to try’ and ‘More by the developer’ sections have been pushed down, making them less visible and relevant.
Considering that millions of users browse and download apps from the Play Store daily, Google is determined to squeeze as much revenue as possible from the store, even if it means cluttering the user interface and compromising the user experience.
It’s worth noting that the change has not been widely rolled out yet. We are uncertain if this is just a Google test or if it plans to roll out the change to all users.
Source: Android Police
