Do Google actually think about app design?

[Hadron]

Today I received an update to the Play Store (silently, of course). And the main thing it does is removes the "updates" list in "my apps", replacing it with a page that tells me how many updates I have, a button to install them without even knowing what they are, and another to actually look at them.

The thing that struck me about this is how mind-numbingly dumb this is. If I wanted apps to update without my knowing which ones they were I would turn automatic updates on. So given that anyone who is presented with this option in the first place will have that turned automatic updates off, is it really imaginable that they will want to press the "go ahead and update without telling me what you are updating" button? They clearly didn't analyse the use cases here.

But I guess Google just want people to let everything happen automatically and never think about it, and app updates are no different. So the fact that this leads to a nonsensical Play Store design isn't important to them.

 

[tube517]

Terrible update. I hate it as well.

Long press the Play Store icon. The "My Apps" should appear. You can then move it to a place on your home screen. Just tap on that and it takes you directly to your installed apps in Play Store.

 

[codezer0]

Google thought the Stadia would have existed in a world where broadband data caps and metered internet is still a thing. And then have the audacity to act surprised when nobody but reviewers bought into it.

This is also the same Google that purposefully obfuscates the criteria and algorithms used to serve videos to people on their platform and can't even be bothered to have a human review false positives until it's been six months of income too late for the creators.

It's a wonder they managed to make Android as an OS work at all.

 

[ocnbrze]

on the my app list there is a drop down menu right before update on each app that tells you what is in the update. its ok, just takes some getting used.

 

[codezer0]

This needless obfuscation just seems to guarantee that the amount of malicious apps on the market will increase. Does Google even bother to review update submissions anymore? Or did they try to pass those on with bots too?

 

[Hadron]

on the my app list there is a drop down menu right before update on each app that tells you what is in the update. its ok, just takes some getting used.

But you still have to go through an extra step to get to it. And that was my point, by default the list of updates is hidden, while surely anyone who hasn't turned automatic updates on wants to see them first. Plus it's easier to hit the "update all" by mistake when it's one of two buttons than when it was a distinct item above the list of updates.

 

[PitCarver]

I'm guessing that mine hasn't updated yet, but instead of having the play store app on my screen, I have the shortcut to "my apps". I've got several apps that I don't update, too.

 

[puppykickr]

I have the Play Store disabled on my devices.

I use 3 other appstores (F-Droid, UpToDown, and APK Pure) that don't download toilet-fulls of unwelcomeness to my devices at 2:30AM that will cause me to wake up to a now unfamiliar device.

 

[Davdi]

@puppykickr I'm with you on F-Droid and APK Pure, but I've not had much luck with UpToDown.

 

[puppykickr]

@puppykickr I'm with you on F-Droid and APK Pure, but I've not had much luck with UpToDown.

Why not?
It was my first alternative appstore, and is number two in the world as far as I know.

What have you not had luck with?
Even F-Droid, and some of the apps on F-Droid are available there.

 

[puppykickr]

Why not?
It was my first alternative appstore, and is number two in the world as far as I know.

What have you not had luck with?
Even F-Droid, and some of the apps on F-Droid are available there.

In fact, due to countries of origin, I tend to trust UpToDown more than I do ApkPure.

 

[designshift2]

ofcourse

 

[PitCarver]

Óh crap.
Mine just updated.

 

[RecromEst]

I entirely agree!!! Google Play Store has one of the worst user interfaces I've seen so far, and trust me, I've seen many bad ones while working as a designer.