Do you use all your apps? Google thinks you should

One thing mars the software industry – bloat. A famous example involves the Nintendo Wii console, which became infamous for its “shovelware”, vast libraries of throwaway games seemingly made in an afternoon. Of course, like plastic beach toys, shovelware is designed for a single play and then forever in a cupboard somewhere. 

Android and iOS

Mobile phones took the concept of bloat to a new level. While PCs also come loaded with pointless software, Android and iOS devices have several apps that can’t be removed – just disabled. This includes LinkedIn, Facebook, and more than ten official Google Apps, as well as niche affairs like Stocks on iOS smartphones.

There were between 1,241 and 2,559 games on the Wii. In comparison, the Apple App Store has 1.9m apps to Google Play’s 3.55m. The numbers climb daily as rules on the two platforms evolve, becoming less restrictive. For instance, Google continues to expand support for real-money gambling apps, a process that began in 2020 and continued through early 2024.

These include the operator PlayStar. PlayStar’s casino online for Android can offer all the functionality of its website on mobile phones, including table games and live gaming. It’s also available on iOS, although gambling software published on the App Store must be “native” to iOS, i.e. not contain websites loaded via an app. These are known as ‘container’ software.

Magazine-style digest

People fall out of love with their favourite apps all the time, even if they eventually use them again. Google seems to have taken umbrage with this fact of life, however, announcing at Google I/O 2024 that it will soon engineer its existing Engage SDK towards content discovery.

This change will advertise installed apps to lapsed users, by highlighting new features, offers, and other relevant information.

So far, it sounds similar to the app Flipbook, which creates a magazine-style digest of everything the user is interested in. 

Reports suggest that the Engage SDK connects to a tool called App Spotlight. Google developers will install ‘hooks’ to certain pages within their apps that take users directly to the page in question. On paper, it sounds like Google is reinventing push notifications, albeit in a more visual and informative way.

App Spotlight

For people who keep forgetting about their fitness app, it’s an interesting idea. Unfortunately, there’s potential for annoyance with the App Spotlight, as it will ultimately serve as a marketing vehicle.

Installed shopping apps will suggest products to buy (as if we don’t get enough Temu ads on Facebook), while games could highlight their newest gold promotions. The good news is that App Spotlight won’t collect any fresh data – and can be turned off.

Reaction from developers has been positive. Times of India claims that 35 companies are already on board with Google’s newest tool, which adds to the 138 official apps already on the Play Store. Tumblr, Spotify, Shopify, and Pinterest are among the early adopters.

As for when it becomes available, users should be able to launch it later in 2024.

The editorial unit