When you open the Google Play Store to hunt for a new app, you typically see screenshots grouped on a carousel that depicts what the program would look like when installed on a phone or tablet. You’ll have to keep scrolling to see what the app looks like on a smartwatch, a Chromebook, or a car. However, a new feature being added to the Play Store will allow you to save a significant amount of time.
According to 9to5Google, the Play Store will soon have a carousel at the top of the screen with options listed inside chips for various form factors such as Phone, Watch, Chromebook, Tablet, and Car. Tapping on the one you intend to use the app on will display screenshots of how the app will appear on the form factor you choose.
The user ratings and comments will vary depending on the form factor you choose. For example, if you choose Phone, you will see the app’s ratings and comments from Android users who installed it on a phone. If you tap on the Tablet chip, you’ll see comments and reviews from people who installed the program on an Android tablet.
This functionality has yet to be implemented on a substantial number of devices. It did not appear on my Pixel 6 Pro, which is on Android 14 QPR1 Beta 2.2.
We first reported on this feature in July, when it was just a rumor spread by a tipster on what was then known as Twitter. But, since the feature is already live, we should give credit to the tipper, @AssembleDebug, for making a foresight call.
Another modification to the Play Store app on tablets and Chromebooks is the addition of an asterisk icon in the navigation rail labeled “New.” It displays the same information as the “Offers” option on the bottom bar of the Google Play Store app on your Android phone. Special offers, carousels with deals on streaming movies and televisions, future games, games on sale, and more will be displayed. The “Offers” page has been discovered for the first time on large-screen Android devices, despite having a completely different name and symbol on larger screens.
We don’t know which version of the Play Store app will incorporate this new functionality. Given that the update is still in the works, it could be a few weeks or longer before you locate this essential feature on the Play Store.
