A new Google Play Store interface is rolling out now for all Android users. It looks mostly the same as before, but reorganizes the store’s layout and streamlines the menus, so finding your way around the app will be different. Here’s a quick tour of the Google Play Store app’s new design, noting where the various sections now reside.
A new navigation menu
The first thing you’ll notice is the new search bar and profile menu. Your Google account’s profile still appears in the upper right, but the hamburger menu that used to hang out next to the search bar is gone. Instead, you now tap your profile icon to open a new menu overlay.
At the top of this menu is your Google account information. Tap the downward arrow to swap to, add, or manage the other accounts on your device. This is also where you’ll see any alert notifications when you open the Play Store.
Further down the new menu window are shortcuts to other sections, including:
- My apps & games
- Library
- Payments & Subscriptions:
- Pay Protect
- Notifications & offers
- Play pass
- Play Points
- Settings
- Help & Feedback
Almost all of these pages look the same as before, with a couple of exceptions — including the new “Library” menu, where you’ll find a link to your Play Store wishlist and shortcuts to view your video purchases in the Google TV app and your ebooks in Play Books (note that this Library menu is different from the Library section in the “My apps and games” tab, which lists all your Play Store purchases).
Overhauled settings menu
The other changes are found in the Settings menu, which has been reorganized into four separate sections with various sub-menus:
- General: Includes account preferences, notification settings, download preferences, dark/light mode themes, and other app-related options.
- User Controls: Options for adjusting purchase authentication requirements and whether apps auto-install after purchases.
- Family: Parental controls, parent guide information, and family group management.
- About: View app version, Play Protect certification status, and other licence information
The four sections are collapsed by default; tap the header to see all the preferences and information in each.
Browsing and buying is still the same
As for navigating around the Play Store itself, the experience is largely the same as before: You select between Games, Apps, Movies & TV, and Books from the tabs at the bottom of the screen, or slide between categories like recommendations, top charts, new releases, and more under the search bar, which you can use to find specific products by keyword.
The new Google Play redesign is part of the latest app update and should appear after the new version installs. If it doesn’t, long-press the Play Store app icon from your launcher screen, tap the “i” icon, then select “Force stop.” Relaunch the app and you should find yourself in the Play Store’s new digs.
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