Google Testing a Play Store Feature That Allows Users to Compare Apps Before Downloading

Most of the shopping apps and platforms offer users the option of comparing products or services before making a purchase. There hasn’t been such a service for comparing apps till now, which Google seems to be looking to change. The tech giant is experimenting a feature that will allow users to directly compare similar apps in order to let users make an informed decision before downloading an app.

There will be a separate ‘Compare apps’ section which will show up on each app listing at the bottom of the page. The report published by Android Police says that the comparison only appears for a few popular media players at the moment. It shows apps similar to the one a user is looking at. For example, the report showed that while looking at the VLC Media player app, the ‘Compare apps’ section shows apps like MX Player, GOM Player, and the likes. The feature compares the shows the ratings, number of downloads, ease of use, and few features of the listed apps. It is not known if the feature will see a wide rollout. The Android Police report said that the feature was spotted on version 22.4.28 of the Play Store.

The feature comes as a welcome move from Google as it lets users make a better informed decision as to the app they are downloading is the best in its respective category. Apple’s App Store for iOS and iPadOS does not allow users to compare apps.