Your apps get updated all the time, so it only makes sense that their home gets updated from time to time, too. No, we’re not talking about a new operating system, but rather a major makeover to the Google Play Store. As first reported by Android Police, Google is currently testing out a number of UI changes to its Play Store, a notable move given just how different the interface looks.
Clearly unafraid of change, the tech giant isn’t treading lightly when it comes to these cosmetic changes, and has now implemented multiple modifications at the same time. Right now, if you head over to the Google Play Store, you’ll see a renamed Entertainment section, a new look for the carousel, and a new Google Play Store banner. What you won’t see is a search bar, which has been removed in this current iteration.
It’s what’s missing that is perhaps most obvious: Where there was once a large white search bar, there is now a green bar with a hamburger menu, new branding, and a search button. That means in order to look for an app, you’ll actually have to tap on the new icon, and voice search will require two taps (previously, it only required one).
As for the carousel’s updated aesthetics, in place of stretched-out hero images are more card-like icons, which exist independently (instead of living behind the search bar or hamburger menu). And rather than specifying what kind of entertainment apps you might be getting yourself into and differentiating among Music, Books, and Movies, Google has now lumped everything into one category — Entertainment.
Of course, as GSMArena points out, these changes are presently seeded by Google server-side in the form of a beta test. But it’s unclear as of yet whether or not any permanent changes will be made, so if you’re not the biggest fan, don’t fret … yet.
