Google has released a new Play Store algorithm that will reduce the size of mobile app content and provide additional information to help smartphone and tablet users. Google announced the changes in an Android Developers blog post, stating that it would make data costs ‘more transparent’.

The tech giant revealed that Google Play has been growing rapidly in recent years and that Android users had installed a staggering 65 billion apps collectively during the last 12 months. It also claims that developers are now updating their apps on a more frequent basis to push new, meaningful content and patch security vulnerabilities.

While appearing on the first page of SERPs is a critical focus for brands, getting discovered on Google Play search is becoming increasingly important due to the rise in popularity of mobile apps. Google has already listed a few tips and pointers on its Developer Console Help page, where it urges publishers to build a comprehensive store listing by optimising the title, description and promo text, ultimately creating a great user experience.

Relevant, new content

Google’s latest Delta algorithm update will focus on improvements for smaller app downloads on Play. This means that 98 per cent of app updates will now be merged with the existing files to reduce the size, while a further bsdiff algorithm will cut down on the space that they occupy by up to 50 per cent or more.

Google also wants to provide clearer size information to users when navigating the Play Store. This means that there will now be actual real-world download sizes listed rather than the APK file size, and if a user has an app installed on a mobile device, he or she will only see the size of the latest update. The changes are rolling out to users worldwide now.

The changes will be welcomed by Android owners who have limited storage space, as they will now be able to download more content and maximise the capabilities of their devices. In the Android Developers Blog, Anthony Morris, SWE Google Play, added that the changes would also be particularly useful for those using 3G and 4G connections, as they are often more sensitive to data usage due to mobile contracts and limits.