Google Android Excellence Launched, Competes With Apple's Refreshed App Store

Google on Tuesday launched Android Excellence, which will feature top apps and games specially selected. Android Excellence can be found within the Editor’s Choice section of the Play Store, which includes apps and game reviews curated by the Android editorial team.

The revamped section is already live in the Google Play Store.

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“As part of our efforts to recognize this content on the Play Store, today we're launching Android Excellence. The new collections will showcase apps and games that deliver incredible user experiences on Android, use many of our best practices, and have great design, technical performance, localization, and device optimization. Android Excellence collections will refresh quarterly and can be found within the revamped Editors' Choice section of the Play Store – which includes app and game reviews curated by our editorial team,” Kacey Fahey, Developer of Marketing for Google Play stated Tuesday in the press release on the Android Developers Blog.

Android Excellence will showcase the highest-rated apps on the Google Play Store on a rotational basis and will veer developers towards app designs that Google wants developers to work towards. The collection will be divided into two sections – apps and games.

One of criteria – localization would help users choose the best apps for their geographical location, unlike before, when some of the listed apps in the Editor’s Choice section weren’t actually available to users for their specific areas.

The company has already released a list of the first Android Excellence apps and games, which include:

Apps

• AliExpress
• B&H Photo Video
• Citymapper
• Evernote
• Pocket
• Skyscanner
• Drivvo
• HotelTonight
• Komoot
• Lifesum
• Memrise
• Runtastic Running And Fitness
• Sleep As Android
• Vivino

Games

• “After the end: forsaken destiny”
• “CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars”
• “Pac MAN 256 – Endless Maze”
• “Pictionary”
• “Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes”
• “Transformers: Forged to fight”
• “Golf Clash”
• “Hitman GO”
• “Horizon Chase”
• “Kill Shot Bravo”
• “Lineage Red Knights”
• “Nonstop Knight”
• “Reigns”
• “Riptide GP: Renegade”
• “Titan Brawl”
• “Toca Blocks”

Google’s announcement comes on the heels of Apple’s announcement last week of its refreshed app store at the World Wide Developers Conference. But, Apple might have an upper hand as its new App Store recommendations will be refreshed daily and will focus around “original stories” around an app, in-depth interviews, helpful tips and recommendations while Google will only refresh the Android Excellence section on a quarterly basis. In addition to this, Google hasn’t specified the criteria on which apps will be picked for the Android Excellence section. Apart from being accessible on mobile, the section will also be accessible on the web.

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But the Android Excellence section will not be the only recognition given to developers — the company hosts its Google Play awards at the Google I/O every year with categories such as “Best Android Wear” and “Best VR experience.” Earlier, the company used to just give developers a “top developers” badge for the best apps, which did not appeal to users too much.