Following a test that involves removing the hamburger menu, Google is testing a new feature to show direct comparisons between similar apps on Google Play Store to help users choose the app that suits their use-case.
As spotted by Android Police, Google has added a new ‘Compare apps’ section in the app listing page. This section shows a detailed feature comparison between apps that serve the same purpose. For instance, if you visit the VLC player‘s page, Play Store will compare the app’s features with other popular media player apps such as MX Player and KM Player.
Notably, the comparison is done in a categorized fashion. In this case, you will see various categories such as ease of use, ability to play offline, supported video quality, casting, and more. Take a look at the feature in action below:
Much like the former hamburger menu removal test, this new compare section is not widely rolling out just yet. In addition, the test seems to be limited to media players for now. That may or may not expand in the coming weeks, depending on Google’s commitment to this feature.
Although not as sophisticated as this upcoming compare apps section, Google Play currently offers a ‘Similar apps’ section. If Google has plans to widely expand this feature, we could expect the company to eventually replace the Similar apps section with this Compare apps section.
According to the report, the Compare apps section was spotted on version 22.4.28 of the Play Store. It was not available when I checked on my phone running version 22.4.25 of the store. Let us know if it is live for you in the comments.
