The June Google System update also brings new features to Play Points and Play Pass
June’s Google System update includes a few bug fixes pertaining to account & system management and diagnostics. The official Google support page mentions improvements to the Play-as-you-download feature, allowing users to play a mobile game while it’s downloading. Some app-discovery-related features are also available with the new update. Furthermore, users should start seeing “faster and more reliable” app downloads. While the changelog says there are new features coming to Play Pass and Play Points, it doesn’t specify what these changes are. The update brings minor enhancements to Play Billing, while Play Protect is getting “continuous improvements” as well. System management services have also been updated with stability and performance improvements. Lastly, app developers will see general upgrades to developer services and new features to support ads, Google says on its support page (via XDA). Customers need to be on Google Play Store v30.3, Google Play services v22.18 (or newer) to receive the features we discussed above. These updates began rolling out to devices on June 1, 2022. Google is making some visual changes to the Play Store, as we recently learned. The desktop iteration of Play Store now has a revamped look and feel, in line with Material You philosophy. Users will now find Games, Apps, Movies & TV, Books, and Kids tabs on the top of the screen. Meanwhile, there are options to filter between apps for phones, tablets, TV, and Chromebooks.
Google will soon start penalizing developers who don’t update their apps frequently
The company is also looking to improve the quality of apps on the Play Store by removing titles that are more than two years behind the existing OS release. Google explained this move by saying it wants to ensure Play Store apps provide the “latest privacy and security features.” Developers have until November 1, 2022, to make the necessary changes to their apps. We also expect Android 13 to be available by then. So developers will have to make sure their apps target at least Android 11 or newer. Google said it will hide apps that do not comply with the new policy, thus incentivizing developers to keep their apps updated.