Showing posts with label Google Play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google Play. Show all posts

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Google Play reveals the Best of 2016: Pokémon Go, Game of Thrones and more

Pokémon Go
Google Play Pokémon Go

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As we draw closer to the year end, Google has decided to release a list of its top trending apps, games, books, TV shows and movies for the year 2016.
It has released the top apps global as well as for India. Google Play India saw BeautyPlus Me – Perfect Camera and Voot TV Shows Movies Cartoons on the top of the trending apps chart, further indicating the extent of love for selfies by Indians. Love for Bollywood put Salman Khan starrer Sultan’s official game Sultan: The Game con the number two spot while Train Simulator 2016 took the top spot.
BeautyPlus Me – Perfect Camera
BeautyPlus Me – Perfect Camera
Here’s the complete Google Play India winners list:
The Martian
The Martian
Top 5 Movies of 2016
1) The Martian
2) Sultan
3) The Jungle Book
4) The Intern
5) Deadpool
Cometh the Hour
Talking of the global list, a closer look and you will notice Deadpool and “Deadpool Kills the Universe” dominated the movie and book charts this year. Game of Thrones topped the chart when it comes to TV shows as it managed to keep The Walking Dead away  while Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Stressed Out’ as their single came in as the number one most streamed song of the year, followed by Justin Bieber. In the gaming world, Pokemon GO ruled and sits right at the top of the charts.
Take a look at the complete list below:
Top Trending Games of 2016
1) Pokémon GO
2) Clash Royale
3) Traffic Rider
4) slither.io
5) Dream League Soccer
Pokemon GO Tech2
Top 5 Streamed songs of 2016
1) Stressed Out, Twenty One Pilots
2) Sorry, Justin Bieber
3) One Dance (feat. WizKid & Kyla), Drake
4) Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya), The Chainsmokers
5) Me, Myself & I, G-Eazy
Top 5 Movies of 2016
1) Deadpool
2) Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3) Zootopia
4) Captain America: Civil War
5) Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Top 5 TV shows of 2016
1) Game of Thrones
2) The Walking Dead
3) The Big Bang Theory
4) Mr. Robot
5) The Flash
Face Changer 2
Face Changer

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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Google cracks the whip on fake reviews, ratings on Play Store

Google cracks the whip on fake reviews, ratings on Play Store

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Not many would consider buying a product, service, app or even watch a movie without referring to expert/consumer reviews. Our lives are dependent on online reviews, at least most of us would agree. It simply means gauging from the experience of people who have been there, done that. But, what if these reviews are a part of a foul-play, wherein a product seller or app developer is adding reviews to popularise his or her product.
Google has now announced some major improvement in the backend that will help identify fake reviews. It has basically improved the ways in which it identifies and removes fake reviews and ratings. Now, it can identify as well as remove more fake reviews and ratings with greater accuracy, Google claims.
Google wants app developers to promote their apps, but using legitimate promotion practices. So, the thumb rule is simple – reviews should come from genuine users, and developers cannot use techniques to manipulate it.
It is in line with the announcement on 31 October. “From time to time, we observe instances of developers attempting to manipulate the placement of their apps through illegitimate means like fraudulent installs, fake reviews, and incentivised ratings. These attempts not only violate the Google Play Developer Policy, but also harm our community of developers by hindering their chances of being discovered or recommended through our systems. Ultimately, they put the end users at risk of making wrong decisions based on inaccurate, unauthentic information,” Google had said.
This isn’t something new. In October 2015, Amazon sued over 1000 people for writing fake reviews. The lawsuit emphasised on how the false reviews damaged brand reputation and were inauthentic. Amazon said there were 1,114 defendants, termed “John Does” offering false review service for as little as $5 (£3.24) on the website Fiverr.com, with most promising five-star reviews for a seller’s products. It should be noted that Amazon sued the people, and not Fiverr.
In May 2014, Italy’s anti-trust board had fined TripAdvisor $600,000 over failure to stop fake reviews. TripAdvisor argued how it has process in place to detect fraudsters and also automated tools and algorithms that work against people trying to cheat the system. The extent at which we rely on online reviews, duping people into paying for something by calling it the best is nothing but a scam.

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Friday, November 4, 2016

Google introduces new tools for increasing user engagement on the Play Store

Google introduces new tools for increasing user engagement on the Play Store

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In a bid to help developers better monetise their apps and increase user engagement, Google has announced plans to rework the Google Play Store model.
Speaking to Android developers at Google’s Playtime event in San Francisco, Google outlined the following changes:
Subscription promos
Subscriptions are apparently the “fastest growing business model” on the Play store and Google claims that spending on subscriptions has gone up 10-fold in 3 years. Keeping this in mind, Google would soon like to give developers the option of offering promotional subscription offers. Say, Netflix for $1 a month for 3 months and then full price later on.
Pre-registration and Early Access
Apple and Google have already tried this model with some apps (Allo and Super Mario Run spring to mind), but now all third-party developers might have this option at their disposal. Adding to this, Google intends to build on and enhance its existing Early Access program, which gives users a chance to experience pre-release apps and games while they’re still in a developmental phase.
The other changes that Google announced include an API that lets developers know which users requested a refund and a mention of Google’s intention to place a heavier spotlight on indie games.
Do head to the Android developers’ blog for detailed information on any of the above features.

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Google is improving Play Store with AI powered recommendations and more payment models

Google is improving Play Store with AI powered recommendations and more payment models

Alphabet Inc’s Google is redoubling efforts to help developers of Android mobile apps build their businesses as concerns mount that the app economy has reached saturation. Under the leadership of Sameer Samat, who rejoined Google earlier this year after a spell as president of wearable tech firm Jawbone, the company is sharpening Google Play store recommendations with artificial intelligence and expanding support for various payment platforms, among other initiatives.
Google’s efforts in some way mirror those of arch-rival Apple Inc, which revamped its App Store this year with quicker review times for new apps and an increase in the cut of revenue that goes to developers. Both companies face a chorus of complaints from developers who say they are struggling to stand out in a jam-packed field. Many smartphone users, meanwhile, appear to have tired of downloading apps altogether, especially as messaging services like Snapchat perform more of the functions that once required a separate app.
Games remain a focus of the Google Play store, and Nintendo Co Ltd is building a version of its popular Super Mario Run game for Android, said Samat, who leads product management for the Google Play store. The store is also expanding to new platforms, including wearable devices, virtual reality headsets and Google’s Chromebook laptops. “What we are excited about is giving developers that single entry point for more and more of the computing ecosystem,” said Samat.
Android Wild West
Google has eased the once-complicated process of developing apps for the Play store, said James Knight, a former Google employee who launched Pembroke, a consultancy that helps developers convert Apple-compatible iOS apps to the Android operating system. “The App Store has historically been a little more straightforward, and Android has been a bit more like the Wild West,” he said.
Mirroring the larger smartphone market, the Google Play store sees far more activity by virtue of its placement on the wide range of devices running the Android operating system – but Apple claims more of the profits. The Google Play store accounted for 70 percent of app downloads in the third quarter of this year, but Apple’s App Store logged 65 percent of the revenue, according to App Annie, a mobile analytics firm.
A big part of Google’s new effort involves emerging markets, where Android is stronger relative to the iPhone. The company has steadily expanded its support of direct carrier billing, a popular payment method in emerging markets where consumers often do not have credit cards. Google now offers the payment method in 47 markets. To improve app recommendations for users, the Play store has also made extensive use of machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence that gleans insights from vast troves of data. Google’s Play store and machine learning teams began collaborating three years ago, and a partnership was struck last year with Google Brain, a cutting-edge research project.
The jolt of artificial intelligence is welcome as developers hunt for an audience for their apps, said Greg Cohn, chief executive of Burner, which makes an app that provides temporary phone numbers. “The harsh reality is that there are a few apps that get the vast majority of people’s time and attention,” he said.
Reuters

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