As the I/O 2016 conference rolls along, Google will not miss a chance to make improvements in its premier app market ecosystem which is Google Play. At Google I/O, the mothership has announced some great improvements to Google Play and the way it handles information for app publishers and developers. Google Play Services has been updated with several improved features as well.
For app developers, it is important to get meaningful information and updates regularly on the way people are using your app and the way they are purchasing and spending money around it. So new features of Google Play include a better and simpler way for people to join beta tests – those apps in open beta will now appear in search results. Google’s acquisition of the Firebase Test Lab now means you can have a detailed pre-launch report of your app, and see what issues were found so you can deal with those as a developer.
One important new app within Google Play is the Play Console. This new app gives you access to data about your apps when you need it. This gives you access to your app’s data – installs, uninstalls, crashes, ratings, and reviews. You can even reply to reviews directly from the Play Console, making it easier to engage your audience when you want to.
Google Play Services 9.0 also brings a lot of updates to the way you publish and monetize your apps. There are new ad formats to choose from, as you figure out the best way to monetize your app. This new version also sees the official launch of the video recording API. This will mean that developers can now incorporate gameplay recording into their apps, giving users impetus to publicize their gameplay videos – which means more publicity to your app in the long run.
