Google Play Lets Users Run Private Android Apps
Google also announced Game Finder, a personalized game recommendation engine that will launch first in the US in English.
Google introduced a Google Play feature that allows users to run their own Android apps without publishing them publicly, and said it will also introduce a personalized game recommendation engine called Game Finder, according to TechCrunch.
With the new feature, users can run apps they build with their normal Google account, and those apps stay private. They do not appear in Google Play search results or listing pages and are not shared with anyone other than the creator.
Android users can build an app with Google AI Studio and then run it for personal use. The apps must still follow existing Google Play policies. Initial support covers US users aged 18 and over.
Game Finder will draw on user tastes and data from 1.2 billion players in game communities. It will be initially available in the US in English, Google said.
Why personal apps stayed off the store
Until now, users who built personal apps with AI had to publish them on Google Play to run them directly on an Android device, potentially exposing them to about 3 billion Play Store users, so many instead developed web apps.
Quick answers
Do privately built apps appear in Google Play search?
No. The apps do not appear in Google Play search results or listing pages and are not shared with anyone other than the creator.
Who can use the private app feature first?
Initial support covers US users aged 18 and over.
What is Game Finder?
A personalized game recommendation engine that Google says it will introduce, based on user tastes and data from 1.2 billion players in game communities, initially in the US in English.