Google Play has introduced a new feature called Collections, designed to enhance user experience by bringing relevant content from multiple apps directly to the home screen. This update, launched today in the U.S., aims to simplify content discovery and app interaction.
Key Features of Collections
1. Automatic Grouping: Collections automatically groups apps by topics such as Watch, Food, Game, Shop, Read, and Social. This eliminates the need to manually search through multiple apps for specific content.
2. Home Screen Widget: The Collections feature includes a new home screen widget that displays grouped apps and related information. There are two types of widgets:
- Large Widget: Displays Collections on the left panel and content on the right, allowing users to scroll through or tap to open Google Play.
- Small Widget: Lists categories and takes users to the appropriate section within Google Play when tapped.
3. User-Created Categories:
In the future, Google plans to allow users to create their own categories. For example, a user training for a marathon could create a "Training" Collection, which Google's algorithm could populate with relevant apps and web content.
Personalization and User Control
Recognizing the importance of balancing personalization with user control, Google Play now offers enhanced privacy settings. Users can manage their personalization preferences by navigating to "Personalization in Play" from the main menu. This includes the option to exclude data from specific apps in shaping the Play Store experience.
Availability
The Collections feature is currently rolling out to users in the United States, with plans for international expansion in the future.
To add the Collections widget to your home screen, long-press on an empty portion of your home screen and select the Widget picker. The exact steps may vary depending on your installed launcher. Please watch the video below to know more.
