Artificial intelligence could soon make it easier to find the right Android app

Google may be planning to use its artificial intelligence capabilities to make it easier and faster to find and explore apps on the Google Play Store. The first hints at the so-called “Ask a Question” feature have appeared in the Play Store app’s code, and while details are scarce at the moment, they are consistent with Google’s artificial intelligence efforts in other apps.

The discovered code indicates that search and individual app pages on the Play Store may receive an artificial intelligence-powered search bar, possibly displaying text that says “Ask a question about this app,” according to a report published by Android Authority, where the Play version The store app has been removed and reviewed. Code inside applications can often expose features that are tested internally before they are released to the public.

While the code doesn’t reveal any further details and Google hasn’t officially released the feature yet, we might be able to get an idea of ​​how it might work by looking at how Google recently integrated artificial intelligence into Google Maps. Google will use artificial intelligence to aggregate information from reviews of places on Google Maps to answer specific questions, helping travelers discover new places and check if they’re eligible before settling on a visit.

Many apps on the Google Play Store have hundreds of reviews written by users, and Google could potentially use the information they contain in the same way that it currently does with Google Maps. AI can quickly provide useful information in response to very specific questions about an app, helping people make better, more informed, and safer decisions about downloading apps. It can also help with app discovery by generating answers based on questions about specific app features.

The Maps feature follows Google’s introduction of AI summaries to speed up web search results, further showing why a similar feature coming to the Play Store wouldn’t be a surprise. Google isn’t the only one looking at ways AI can help improve app search in crowded app stores. Apple has been linked to a similar feature where a short description of an app based on user reviews can appear on the app’s App Store pages. Google’s Ask a Question feature is not official, and not all features present in the app’s code always end up being published. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on.