Searching in the Google Play Store now requires an additional tap،
Even the Google Play Store gets a UI refresh from time to time. By 9to5Google, In the latest change, Google is removing the search bar at the top of the Games and Apps tabs in the app store. But fear not, Play Store fans. Although you have to add an extra touch to the screen to search, Google adds a Search tab at the bottom of the screen. You may remember that Google tested this look back in December.
Tapping the Search tab opens a page with a search bar at the top of the screen and two sections made up of tokens lined up in pairs with titles saying “You might like” and “Explore games.” The first has 12 predefined bullet points for research:
- AI applications
- 3D games
- Offline games
- Car games
- Shooting games
- photo editor
- Horror games
- Cricket games
- Racing simulator games
- Mobile payment apps
- photo albums
- Vehicle games
The other section, as we've already highlighted, is called “Explore Games” and includes eight searchable gaming topics such as:
- Action
- Simulation
- Puzzle
- Adventure
- Races
- Play a role
- Strategy
- Sports
The space where the search bar was at the top of the screen in the Games and Applications tabs is now empty. Where the search bar was, you will see the Play Store logo on the left and your profile icon on the right.
Note that not all Android users see this new UI, which indicates that Google is releasing it via a server-side update. The new Search tab isn't yet showing up in the Play Store on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 14 QPR 3 Beta 2. It's far from an earth-shattering change and, as we've already noted, it adds a step extra that needs to be taken when you search from the Play Store.
New Search tab for the Google Play Store and the new search page – Image credit 9to5Google
You can quickly determine if you have received the update by opening the Play Store on your Android phone. Look at the bottom of the screen for the Search tab; if you see it, congratulations because the update and the dubious honor that comes with it are now yours.
