You can now get Google Play Store apps promoted in places other than the Play Store. It was released last week at Google’s I/O 2024 developer conference. The company talked about a plan to get people to use apps they already have on their phones again, as well as new ones, by giving app writers a place to show off their work in a new way. More than 35 software partners have already signed up to test the new service. Companies like Shopify, Spotify, Pinterest, and Tumblr are just a few of them.
The company went into a bit more detail at I/O, saying that the new SDK would help Google do its main job of putting the right people in touch with the right material at the right time. The company said that developers who choose to use the Engage SDK (which is currently invite-only) will be able to add interesting content, deals, and ads to their apps to get people to come back.
Mekka Okereke, GM for apps on Google Play, told developers at I/O, “This new surface will automatically organize the best and most popular content from apps that users already have on their Android phone. It also allows cross-app continuation journeys for almost every app category.” “With just a tap, users can start full-screen, immersive experiences that present and arrange the most important content from the apps they’ve downloaded.”
We think of a TikTok feed when we think of the nod to the full-screen, interactive experience, but we know that’s not quite what it is. Google hasn’t said what this new “surface” is yet. We’ve heard that it will only work on Android phones. This is another way that the company is using its ability to connect with its mobile OS to create new experiences that are good for both developers and users.
Builders can use this “Engage” area to give users deep links that take them to specific places inside their mobile apps.
Google showed what looked like a bunch of widgets during the presentation. When users tapped on them, they would be taken to a certain job in an app. If an Android user tapped on a picture of sneakers, they would be taken to a page in a shopping app where they could finish the purchase. This might make them want to buy something else that they had put in their cart. But the sneakers were shown off on a “surface” that also had other things to buy from different apps. That is, the new surface might be able to group material from similar apps to get users to re-engage and finish their journey instead of having widgets that are only for one app.
Reddit, Uber Eats, and Spotify are some other apps that could use the surface to help users quickly return to certain actions within those apps, such as reading and rating posts, listening to playlists, or making an order.
Spotify says it’s still working on making its experience better and figuring out how it will use the SDK. It did say, though, that the Engage SDK will be used on all Android devices.
Okereke said that app makers will be able to get users to go back to their entertainment, browsing, or favorite list pages or to interact with any other app experience.
One site, Tumblr, says it is working with Google to give users more information about things they already like. “Google’s Engage SDK works great for Tumblr because people here express themselves in very different ways.” It’s the “yes-and” attitude on Tumblr that’s led to some of the best internet memes and trends, according to Zandy Ring, COO of Tumblr. “It’s fun for us to bring that culture to other places and invite people back to Tumblr.” When you connect to Engage, it’s like opening a two-lane highway that will naturally connect neighborhoods.
The feature for customers will not only remind them of what they want to do in an app, but it will also offer a deal to get them to do it. Okereke said, “You can show personalized recommendations and promotions, which will help users find content they might not have seen otherwise.”
He also said that the surface will use “compelling content” from within apps to suggest apps that users haven’t yet downloaded.
I/O was the start of the developer trial of the Engage SDK, but the public beta won’t come out until later this year. The Engage SDK is an on-device API-based client-side interface. Google says that developers who have already started the work have found that it takes less than a week to get going.
Also Read: Here is Everything Google Just Said at I/o 2024
A bunch of other big apps, like Audible, Wish, Blinklist, Wattpad, Nextdoor, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Rakuten Kobo, Temu, YouTube Music, Google Maps, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Prime Video, Reddit, YouTube, Uber Eats, and more, are also testing the Engage SDK.
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