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Google only recently redesigned the Play Store, getting rid of the hamburger menu and moving most of its menu entry to the account switcher in the top right corner. But it looks like the company isn’t done revamping the distribution service. Screenshots of a revamped “My Apps” section surfaced last month, and we didn’t like it one bit. For better or worse, it seems like the new layout is starting to appear for more users.
When you head to the “My apps & games” section of the Play Store, you normally see a collection of pending updates and most recently updated apps in the first tab — it’s a useful overview for those of us who still like to read changelogs, if they even exist for any of the apps you use.
Last month, a Redditor shared images of a new “Manage apps & device” section replacing the standard “My apps & games” page we know and love. It loses most of the tabs available in the old interface, like Updates, Installed, Library, Share, and Beta, instead only giving you two sections — Overview and Manage. If you just want to check for updates real quick, the new default Overview page is pretty useless. It only lists a few menu entries and stats about Play Protect, used storage, your ratings and reviews, and options to share apps (useful for those living in markets with limited access to high-speed internet).
Left: Overview. Middle: All installed apps. Right: Installed apps with updates available.
Your app updates are just another small menu entry here, with the Play Store telling you that “All apps are up to date.” There’s an option to see details for pending updates, along with an “Update all.” button. Once you update your list of apps, a “See recent updates” button appears in its place, though it now redirects you to the Manage tab.
This isn’t the first time we’re seeing this design — it popped up back in 2020 already, but it looked like it disappeared for most people after a while. With this latest push, it seems like it’s coming to more and more devices. Now that a couple of us have gotten our hands on it, it’s definitely a major change. You can swipe back and forth between Overview and Manage, but you’ll have to tap on each label above your apps to toggle between categories.
The move sure seems like it’s meant to further disincentive people from checking the Play Store for updates. Google previously removed notifications informing about finished automatic app updates, forcing those who want to stay up to date with their changelogs to check back the Play Store regularly or to deactivate auto-updates — giving them notifications about pending updates. With Google and many third-party developers increasingly moving to server-side updates that bring interface and behavior changes to apps without requiring a new download, having easy access to app updates might not be a priority for many people anymore, though.
Though it’s starting to come to more users, this still seems like a server-side update. If you’re into the design and want to try your luck, grab the latest version of the Play Store over at APK Mirror.
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