Before you download any app from the Google Play Store, you probably should check out the app page first with all the details, especially if it’s an app that you don’t know much about. Sometimes though, you don’t have the time or patience to open the page so it would be helpful to have some important information on the results page already. Previously, you could see the developer, category, and rating but now it looks like you’ll get more information from the results page itself.
Sometimes, when you’re searching for an app, you don’t have an exact app you’re looking for so you use generic terms like “email” or “music streaming”. Instead of having to click on everything that comes up, you can now sort of shortlist them based on the information you can see in the search results. If previously you could see just who is the developer of the app, the category, and the rating, you can also now see how many have downloaded the app.
You can see the download count at the end of the last line on the app and it will show you the number in the thousands, millions, and maybe even billions. The new info will show up on apps that are not yet installed on your device since you don’t need to know that detail anyway. Android Police says that there are also some users reporting that they’re seeing the app size as well. This is important for those who have limited space on their devices.
This is of course just a minor improvement to Google Play Store. But even small things like this are appreciated especially for those who don’t have the few seconds to spare to read through the whole app page but just need to quickly install things on their device. However, it is always better to check out the page in full, especially if it’s an unfamiliar app that you’re thinking of installing it on your device.
The download count on the Google Play Store is rolling out through a server-side switch. You can check it out if it’s already there on your account and if not, all you can do is wait anyway.
