Google's plans to promote Android apps outside of the Play Store are starting to take shape. A new feature called Collections will let users manage their apps from their Android home screen. At this year's Google I/O developer conference, the company showed off a tool that would let developers get back into the apps that users already have installed on their devices. At the time, however, the company didn't elaborate on what this screen would look like, focusing only on the software development kits (SDKs) that developers would have access to to integrate with the new service.
Google also revealed that more than 35 developer partners, including Spotify, Pinterest, Tumblr, TikTok, and Shopify, are already participating in testing the new feature.
During the conference session, developers were given information about the new invite-only Engage SDK, designed primarily to drive users back to their apps by showcasing content, promotions, and deals. According to Google, this surface “automatically organizes the best and most popular content from apps already installed,” and is focused on enabling continued app-to-app journeys across nearly every app category.
With just a tap, users can launch a full-screen, immersive experience that highlights and places the most important content from their installed apps.
Now, thanks to an APK teardown of the Google Play Store software by blog Android Authority, we have an idea of what this surface will look like. Reverse engineering experiments have revealed an in-development feature called “Collections.” Previously codenamed “Cubes,” this feature will introduce a Play Store-powered widget to the Android home screen that will organize app updates into categories like Watch, Listen, Read, Games, Social, and Shopping.
Once a user selects a particular category, this space will display all the relevant content from your app, assuming your app has been integrated with the SDK.
As Google explained in its I/O session, the new on-device screens organize what's most relevant to users and encourage them to return to the app. The company also showed several examples, such as how a retail app could highlight what you've saved in your cart to encourage you to keep shopping, or how an app like Uber Eats could nudge users to order their favorite food. Reddit could prompt users to read and vote on interesting posts, and Spotify could feature their favorite playlists.
Google also said app developers could use the feature to surface “personalized recommendations and promotions” to help users discover other content or deals they might have missed.
The APK teardown reveals that the feature will launch first in the US before rolling out to new markets, and will be easily accessible via a shortcut from the Play Store app itself — that is, when you long-press on the Play Store app, you'll see a link to access your collection from the pop-up menu that appears.
Google has not yet responded to a request for comment on the Collections feature, but it has previously said that the consumer experience will launch later this year. It's worth noting that Google recently announced a new hardware and Android event, “Made by Google,” in August, and we're told Google plans to unveil the feature more formally then.