Finding an app that suits your needs can get quite tricky on Google Play Store, especially due to the sheer number of options available to serve the same purpose. As a step to make it easier for users to discover apps, the software giant is now adding search filters on the Play Store.
Google is rolling out search filters through a server-side change. Thanks to this approach, you don’t really have to be in the latest version of Google Play Store to use search filters. However, it’s still a good bet to keep your apps updated. As Android Police notes, search filters are getting rolled out widely across different countries.
Right now, the search filter is primarily focused on letting you cherry-pick apps that are rated to have 4 or 4.5+ stars. In some cases, you may be able to filter and pick new apps, premium apps, and editor’s choice.
While the idea of having dedicated filters to narrow down the pursuit of finding the perfect app is much appreciated and is a welcome move, I found the accuracy of the search results to take a hit after applying multiple filters.
For instance, I tried searching for a Premium Twitter client that has over 4.5 stars on the Play Store. The quality of search results fell below my expectations, mostly in the bottom half where it has retrieved a kernel manager and an app that reminds you to drink water, while my search query had nothing related to it.
This is not the first time Google is testing search filters on the Play Store. The company briefly added search filters back in December 2017. Unfortunately, it didn’t get widely rolled out at that time. We will have to wait to see if Google has plans to improve and expand search filters going forward.
