Google Play will soon rank apps based on foldable support
What's the story
Google is gearing up to change the way it ranks and displays apps on the Play Store. The tech giant announced at the Android Dev Summit that starting next year, app quality on foldables will be a key factor in determining visibility and placement within the store. The move is aimed at encouraging developers to optimize their apps for foldable smartphones and other large-screen devices.
User impact
Addressing the foldable app gap
Though Android foldables continue to grow, many apps still use layouts primarily designed for traditional smartphones.
This can lead to stretched interfaces or inefficient use of the larger display on foldable devices.
By prioritizing apps that offer better experiences on these devices, Google hopes to improve the overall user experience and encourage developers to focus more on optimizing their apps for this new category of devices.
Developer guidance
Clarity needed on app penalties and optimization levels
Google has not yet clarified if apps that don't meet the upcoming requirements will be penalized in search rankings.
The company also hasn't explained what level of optimization would qualify an app for increased visibility.
However, it has promised to share more details about the specific Play Store requirements for this initiative later this year.
New tools
New development tools for adaptive Android apps
Along with the Play Store initiative, Google is also launching new development tools to help developers adapt Android apps across different screen sizes and device categories.
The company is shipping an updated Compose adaptive skill that can help AI coding agents modify mobile applications for larger displays.
This would allow developers to support phones, foldables, tablets, laptops, cars, and XR devices without maintaining separate codebases for each platform.