Articles about Google Play

It's not long since Google's Android Excellence program bestowed praise on apps and games on what were considered to offer a high quality experience. Now the company has used Google I/O to reveal the winners of the 2018 Google Play Awards.

Google says that the aim of the ceremony is to "recognize the best apps and games on Google Play over the past year", and it's a great way to discover something new to try.

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Google has introduced new policies for its customers living in the European Economic Area. The updated policies allow users longer to apply for a refund on purchases made through the Google Play Store

While most of the world has a 48-hour timeframe to ask for a refund, this has been extended to a full two weeks in the EEA. The policy changes have come into play to comply with EU law which gives customers a 14-day "cooling-off" period during which they are entitled to ask for their money back -- but it doesn't cover everything.

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There are so many streaming apps and services to choose from, it can be hard to know where to look when you want to watch something. With its latest update to Google Play Movies & TV, Google may just have come up with the answer for Android users.

The update means that when you search for a show within the app, you'll be told which app or service you can use to watch it -- regardless of whether you're a subscriber or not. In all, there's support for over 20 services -- including the likes of Hulu, HBO, ABC and Showtime -- but, for the moment at least, Netflix is not available.

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There can be few Android users who have learned about an exciting new app or game, only to be disappointed to discover it's not available in their country. There have been various ways around this, including downloading APKs from unofficial sources, but now Google has introduced a way to do it officially.

An update to the Google Play Store sees the addition of a new "Country and profiles" option which makes getting Android apps from other regions a whole lot easier. Here's what you need to know.

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With so many apps and games to choose from in Google Play, it's very easy to be tempted to try all of them out. Well... maybe not all of them, but it's easy to get carried away. This can mean waiting an age for a particular title to download, only for you to try it and discover you don't like it.

Today Google announces a solution to the problem: Google Play Instant. It lets you get started in a game without having to download it completely -- in essence you're streaming the bits you need to your Android phone or tablet.

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Google has added a new audiobooks section to its Play Store. The announcement was widely expected, as over the weekend imagery came to light suggesting Google had plans to start selling audiobooks -- but no one knew quite how far off it might be.

There's some good news for anyone who has been put off by the likes of Audible in the past -- audiobooks in Google Play are being offered without a subscription. Available in 45 countries and nine languages, Google offers support for Android, iOS and Google Assistant.

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Google has removed more than 60 games from the Play Store after security firm Check Point discovered they were laced with malware and serving up porn ads. Check Point claims that the games were aimed at children, but Google says this was not the case.

The AdultSwine malware was found to be bundled in a number of games, many of which had been downloaded millions of times. As well as displaying pornographic ads, the malware also tried to trick users into installing fake security tools, and also encouraged people to register for expensive premium services.

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The Bitcoin bubble means there is a massive interest in cryptocurrencies, particularly from those looking for an easy way to make a quick buck. It's also led to secretive mining tools making use of people's CPUs without their knowledge, mining for profitable cryptocurrency for persons unknown.

We've seen this with both websites and browser extensions, and now a security researcher has discovered a series of fake Android apps harboring an undisclosed Coinhive cryptocurrency miner. The repackaged APKs take advantage of the CPUs of the smartphones the apps are installed on.

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Microsoft has become one of the most relevant mobile developers by offering its best products and services to (virtually) everyone who owns a smartphone and tablet -- for free. Major apps like Word, Skype and Outlook are among the most popular titles in their respective categories on the two biggest platforms: Android and iOS.

Microsoft did not stop there though, as it also created new apps specifically tailored to attract new users on a platform. Microsoft Launcher is one of them, being designed as an alternative launcher for Android devices that ties in with the company's other products. And, believe it or not, users have responded really well to it.

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Google is introducing changes to its Safe Browsing policies, requiring Android apps to display their own privacy warning if they collect users' personal data. The company says that if app developers refuse to comply, Google will display a warning of its own.

Developers have been given 60 days to comply with what is described as an expansion of Google's existing Unwanted Software Policy. Interestingly, it does not matter whether apps are featured in Google Play or they come via other marketplaces.

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As we approach the start of a new year, the inevitable "best of" lists are starting to crop up. Never one to miss a trick, Google has released its own top five lists for 2017.

The lists cover the US, and there are a few obvious names taking the top spots -- Super Mario Run is unsurprisingly shown to be the most popular game, while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and It make appearance high in the movie and book charts respectively. But in addition to the top five new apps, new games, streamed songs, movies, TV shows and books, Google has broken things down even further.

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A key piece of software that has been missing from Chromebooks is now available to everyone -- Microsoft Office. Microsoft has made its office suite available for a range of platforms over the years, but Chromebook support has been notable by its absence. Now, without announcement from the company, this changes.

It's great news for anyone who has been put off by the idea of using a Chromebook because they couldn't use their favorite software. The arrival of Office is partly thanks to the appearance of the Play Store on Chromebooks.

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UC Browser was unceremoniously removed from Google Play last week after it was discovered that a setting within the app violated Google policies. Now the popular web browser is back with an updated version.

The company behind the app is pleased to return its flagship title to the Play store, but also voices its delight that during UC Browser's brief absence, the cut-down UC Browser Mini proved fantastically popular.

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Adblock Plus is using the disappearance of the popular Android app UC Browser from Google Play to promote its own mobile web browser.

An open letter to people looking for the currently-unavailable UC Browser calls on mobile web users to give Adblock Browser a try. The privacy-focused browser includes, obviously, an adblocker and, as Adblock Plus cheekily points out, "we haven't been kicked out of the store."

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The Android web browser UC Browser disappeared from Google Play recently, and there has been great speculation about just what caused the app to be pulled. Now the company behind it has spoken out, giving a little more detail about what has happened.

While it was previously thought that "misleading and unhealthy methods of promotion" were to blame, it turns out that a setting within the app was problematic.

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