Android users, here's something cool you might want to try out the next time you download an app.
Instead of tapping on the Play Store app on your home screen to download the latest trending game, pop open Google Search, search for the app, and then download it straight from the search results page.
That's the new feature being rolled out to more and more Android users right now. For the most part, this isn't really something new. We've seen something similar before.
A typical search for any app via Google Search has normally led to the said app ranking on the top spot of the results with a green "Install" button next to it. Tapping on the install button would then lead to a redirect and a screen shift opening up the Google Play Store app in a new window.
This latest feature sidesteps that redirect to the Play Store app. Instead, users will see a pop-up window of permissions the app requests for (just like in the Play Store) hovering over the search results page. Tapping on the green "Accept" button opens up another hovering window of a miniature Play Store frame, allowing for the app to be installed.
If you're the type to research an app before downloading it, this trick could save us a few extra taps here and there. It's quite a nifty trick that makes us wonder why Google never allowed for it in the first place.
Though the feature seems to have been out for quite some since late last year, it's only now that it's getting more widespread use across Google's vast ecosystem. Unfortunately, it seems to be limited to the Google Search app only.
So far, we've noticed it doesn't yet work within the Chrome app. For most of us with a default setup on our Android smartphones, typing in the name of an app in the Google Search bar already occupying space on our home screens should work just as well.
Before this feature was released, the Play Store also saw a recent redesign last October along with the ability to accept promo codes as a method of payment for apps.
Photo: Johan Larsson | Flickr
