Summary
- The Google Play Store is working on a Collections feature as a central hub for app discovery.
- The feature is still in development but appears to be getting closer to rolling out. Previously, it had been referred to as “Cubes.”
- Collections will first become available in the US, with plans to expand to more countries.
Widgets make the Android experience exciting, with widgets for weather, sports, to-do lists, messaging apps, and more that make up some of the best widgets on the Google Play Store. But what about the Play Store itself?
Last year, Google was reported to be working on a new feature called Cubes, a central widget hub to help you discover new applications across the Play Store. Albeit development on the feature had been sluggish, late last year, we finally started to see it take shape, with placeholder pictures that provided insight into what the fledged-out widget might look like.
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The Play Store’s mysterious Cubes feature is starting to take shape
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Now, thanks to the latest Google Play Store beta, we’re starting to see more hints about the feature, and likely a new name for it too.
First shared by Android Authority, as part of the Google Play Store (version 41.6.26) update, the still-in-development Cubes feature is getting a makeover as it nears release, and it is now called “Collections.”
Long-pressing the Play Store icon with the feature activated via hidden flags now shows Collections as part of the context menu, and opening the widget still shows all the familiar Play Store categories, including Watch, Read, Listen, Shop, Social, and more, allowing you to discover new applications from those categories. The different categories shown will reportedly house applications that have partnered with Google, giving users an “at a glance” app finding experience.
Limited US availability
Source: Android Authority
The app’s APK teardown suggests that Collection will be limited to the US, at least initially. “Right now Collections is only available in the United States. We’ll announce when we expand to more countries and access is available. If you’re in the US, try signing in to Collections with a different account,” suggests the app’s code.
Regardless, the feature isn’t widely available yet, and from the screenshots, the feature still appears to be in-development. It is currently unclear when Collections might roll out.
In other widget-related news, the latest Google Contacts version 4.31 allows users to see and respond to notifications directly from within the widget, while Google’s Weather app is gaining new icons.
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