Google Play Store’s new Collections widget is coming to Android phones

Google is bringing a major change to how its Play Store looks and functions with the addition of its new Collections widget. This feature will show you content from apps that are already installed on your device straight from your home screen. As Google puts it “You’ll discover apps, play games, earn rewards, and get helpful content when you need it”.

Play Store Collections is coming to Google Play users in the US starting today and will serve as a home screen widget that allows you to experience new content. There are seven categories to choose from: Watch, Food, Listen, Shop, Read, Social and Games.

The Watch tab will include content from platforms like YouTube, Prime Video, and Hulu subscriptions while the Food section will help you find new recipes, restaurants, and order takeout. Listen will help you find new songs or podcasts, and Shop will do the same for items you may have previously searched for. Clicking on an item in the new Collections pages will lead you to the relevant part of the app that’s already installed on your phone without having to open the app and navigate to that specific section.

Google Play Collections

Google Play is getting multi-select interest filters to its Games tab. These will allow you to select several topics of interest when searching for new games for more personalized recommendations.

Google will allow users to select what kind of content they see in the Collections tab and which apps are allowed to be grouped inside. Google is reportedly planning to expand the Collections with Health & Fitness, Sports, Travel & Events, and Dating sections.

Google Play Games on PC is also getting an overhaul and will now allow you to play up to four games simultaneously from the comfort of your Windows PC.

Google is also updating its Play Points rewards program in the US, Great Britain, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan with users now eligible to win Pixel devices and Razer gaming products.

Google Play Points

Play Store will now offer generative AI to compare apps with summarized reviews and frequently asked questions from the info provided by developers.

Google Play app with AI generated summary

Play Store is getting a dedicated Comics tab in Japan where users will find previews for mangas as well as trailers and live events.

The Google Play Pass subscription is getting an 80% discount for the first three months for users in US, UK, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

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