No one likes ads, but sadly, they’re becoming more and more common each day. Now, Google Play will start showing more and more ads — even in the places where you least expect them.
Now, the next time you go search for an app on the Play Store, you might see an ad right in the search view, above your recent searches. Up to three limited-time events or “sponsored suggestions” might show up when you pull up the search bar, taking more priority than your recent searches, which will still be shown at the very bottom. You might see either direct links to app listings or advertisements for events that are happening on specific apps.
We haven’t seen them show up just yet, but it’s a change that was confirmed by Google in its changelog of Google System Updates, meaning that, sooner or later, you’ll see it. There are already a few places where Google Play ads show up, including in actual search results, so this is just yet another place Google is adding ads in. It follows a trend of other app stores ramping up advertising — Microsoft started a similar practice a few months ago in the Microsoft Store, which in turn followed similar moves in the Apple App Store.
Ads are necessary to keep the money rolling, but how much is too much? For Google, at least, that limit has not been reached yet, but we’re sure many people disagree with that.
Source: Google, 9to5Google
