Even though Google has always supported developers to go ahead and make quality apps but time and again it has failed. A huge number of developers have not taken Google seriously and made apps which don’t deserve to be a part of Play Store. Google has been left with no other option but to penalize poorly developed apps with a new plan. Google will now reduce the visibility of apps which have performance, stability and efficiency issues.
Every one of us is pretty well aware about the fat that all the apps are not similar in terms of performance. Not all apps are created equal and this is a problem for Android’s Play Store. In this case, we must appreciate Apple, as they keep a tight watch on its present and upcoming apps. Google in this regard is a bit tad cool. Now as are result, we always see that Google’s Play Store has always been building developer’s first choice of showing in their creativity.
New age developers hence end up experiment and create apps which have quality issues. Some apps keep crashing constantly then there are some apps which freeze randomly and there are some apps that just drain battery like there is no end.
Every year there is a lot of hype regarding the Google I/O. This year there were a lot of expectations from everyone regarding the quality improvements in the apps. Google seems to have taken it quite a bit seriously and tighten the grip. Google has always been committed to its users in terms of overall quality experience.
So this year’s Google I/O was no different, Google as reassured one and all with its commitment to keep improving the overall user experience. This is where Android vitals, and this is not just for end-users but also for developers. Develops can now see various metrics and scores on their app’s stability, render time, and battery usage.
We are going to be even more specific and tell you what Google actually wants to work on:
1. App Not Responding (ANR) Rates:
The worst thing that can happen to your apps is “Application Not Responding” (ANR) dialogue. Frequent background execution can reduce the amount of memory available to other apps. Therefore your ANR should be improved.
2. Crash Rate:
Most of the new comers make their apps with a few shortcomings, this churns out the memory, frequency as well as battery of device. Apps keep crashing frequently.
3. Slow Rendering:
Slow rendering happens when the app is unable to load a page on time.
4. Stuck Wake Locks:
When this happens, the app keeps the device awake for more than an hour, thereby consuming a lot of battery.
5. Excessive Wake Ups:
When this scenario comes, the device is woken up by the app more than 10 times in an hour resulting in drainage of battery considerably.
These are not only just metrics but also the future maker of your app. Using these metrics Google now finds out which apps rank amongst the bottom 25%. If your app happens to be one of them, then there are good chances that you are going to get a dose (not healthy one!) from Google.
This year, in the month of February, Google had already announced that an app’s visibility will depend on its performance and why not? Google wants its users as well as developers to stay in a healthy environment in the Play Store arena. This clearly means that as per Google’s new standards if an app falls in the bottom 25% category then it is definitely going to go for a toss. The visibility will reduce thereby the number of installs will fall. If your app lacks on quality, then you cannot expect quantity downloads and installs.
Is Google being too harsh with its developers?
When a teacher wants his student to do well and in between the process includes a shouting, it doesn’t mean that teacher is wrong. He is just trying to make his students better. In the same way, Google wants all its developers to raise the bar and make quality apps.
There are millions of apps now available on Google. Google’s Play Store has faced a lot of criticism over fake apps, low or poor quality apps, and even malware apps in the recent few years.
All of this definitely points towards one mutual benefit to all users as well as developers and that is quality over quantity. Quality over quantity has to be the notion every time. Therefore, in our opinion, this new rigorous standard of making apps noteworthy and top notch is welcome move. Google has definitely up the ante to fight with rivals like Apple.
The Conclusion
We can definitely welcome the new move of Google. Now a user can always get the worth of using an Android device. Bogus apps, malware apps, poor apps are going to be shown the door. Quality apps will get their rewards. Application Developers will now find themselves in a competitive environment where they will get the opportunity to develop some fantastic apps. Overall it’s a win-win situation for both the developers as well as the end user.
Source: Kamal Shah
