Is the app any good? This is probably one of the first questions that come to mind when you stumble upon a new app.
User reviews and ratings, as well as other information, such as the developer’s history of application releases, only help that much.
Google appears to be working on a new Google Play feature for Android that may warn users about apps before the download is started.
A report by Android Authority suggests that Google is working on such a feature. A deep-dive into the lastest release brought the information to light, according to the site.
So, how is Google going to determine if an app is low quality? Messages baked into the app give clues:
- This app is frequently uninstalled compared to similar apps on Play
- Play has limited user data about this app
- This app has few active users compared to others on Play
Android Authority says that the messages will be displayed on an application’s “details page” on the Play Store. In other words, Google won’t display popups that warn users about a potentially low quality app.
The messages cover several scenarios. The first looks at uninstalls. If an app gets more uninstalls than comparable apps, it may be considered low quality by Google.
The second is for new apps. If Google Play has little data about the app, it may warn users. This does not necessarily mean that an app is low quality. All apps start with zero installs and reviews after all.
The third looks at user activity while the app is installed. If it is lower than that of comparable apps, Google may also show a warning.
There may be others, but that is all that Android Authority could extract from the latest Play Store APK file.
No clear definition of low quality
There is no strict definition of low quality. That is likely the reason why Google is not showing popups about certain apps, but adding information to the application’s page on Google Play instead.
Especially new apps cannot be judged by common metrics. They have no or only a few reviews or ratings, and the lack of users makes other metrics, such as user engagement, also difficult to use.
Still, the information that Google provides may be useful in a user’s decision making process.
What is your take on Google’s plan? Do you think it is useful? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Is how much google is “looking’ at our devices just accepted by eveyone now?
I have an old tablet, Nvidia Sheild K1, it still works great, until I turn on the WiFi. Everytime I do google starts “looking” and it becomes unresponsive for about 30 minutes.
Most apps I regularly use didn’t come from Google, but rather from F-Droid. The only others that did come from the Play Store are LINE, Signal, DigiD (mandatory login app used to interact with Dutch government) and of course Firefox. I don’t think any of these would fall into the category “low quality” although you never know with Google.