The most recent update to the Google Play Store app has quietly removed a useful app-sharing feature that you probably didn’t know existed. The feature first came onto the scene in 2021 and allowed Android users to use the “Quick Share” option to send apps to others.
With the latest Play Store update (version 45.2.19-31), the feature is officially kaput. If you never used it or knew about it, don’t feel bad. App-sharing wasn’t widely advertised, and even users who did know rarely used it.
App-sharing features made it easier for people in areas with weak Wi-Fi or cell signals. They could have a friend send the app to them over a local connection without using limited bandwidth rather than relying on their own network. It’s a particularly useful feature for adding multi-gigabyte apps like games or something like Photoshop, especially if you live in a rural area where the maximum download speeds are limited.
Google didn’t give a reason for why the feature was removed, but there are still options available to those who need it. Numerous standalone apps allow users to share data over Bluetooth, so that functionality isn’t completely gone — you can just no longer share apps straight from the Play Store.
That said, Google has a long history of killing off apps and features with no apparent reason. The app-sharing feature had a low user count, but much more popular products and services have also been shut down. It’s becoming a running joke among users to the point that the full list of shuttered projects has been dubbed the “Google Graveyard.”
