Google makes it easier to find apps with widgets

A well-designed widget can really enhance an app, helping to make it even more useful; equally, a crappy widget (or a lack of widgets) can completely ruin an otherwise perfect app. Widgets are important, and Google is finally recognizing that fact.

The company is making it easier to find Android apps that include widgets. As well as introducing a new badge to highlight widget-wielding apps in Google Play, Google is also adding the option to search specifically for apps with widgets. But it doesn't end there.

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Quite why is has taken Google so long to appreciate the importance of widgets is anyone guess, but the company acknowledges its tardiness in a blog post aimed at app developers. It says: "Android developers, we've heard you. Historically, one of the challenges with investing in widget development has been discoverability and user understanding. You've asked for better ways for users to find and utilize your widgets, and we're delivering. Google Play now offers significant enhancements to widget discovery, creating a prime opportunity to re-engage with your users on a deeper level".

We've already mentioned new search options and new labelling for apps with widgets, but Google is also being rather more proactive. There is, the company points out, a 'Curated Widgets Editorial Page' to help drive discovery and engagement:

We're actively educating users on the value of widgets through a new editorial page. This curated space showcases collections of excellent widgets and promotes the apps that leverage them. This provides an additional channel for your widgets to gain visibility and reach a wider audience.

Google proclaims that, "now is the time to leverage the power of widgets and enhance your Android app experience", and this can only be good news for Android users.