Starting November 2021, Google will change the ranking system for apps and games available on the Google Play Store, the official store for the Android system. Indeed, the overall rating (rating) of the content will depend on the location.
That is, different people in different parts of the world will see different ratings for the same app or game. The criterion used will become a location criterion reflecting the preferences of each region and its impact on reviews applications.
Biggest change in Google Play Store review policy
Even more significant changes are planned for 2021. Starting next year, assessments will be even more specific based on the type of device underlying each assessment. Google also has to consider other criteria.
Historically, apps, games, and other content featured on the Google Play Store have been ranked by global score. In practice, this is the arithmetic average of ratings posted by users around the world over several years.
However, this system will change significantly this year. In fact, from November 2021, users’ location will affect the score displayed on the Google Play Store. The assessments presented will be disseminated in the same way.
The app’s rating will depend on the user’s location.
This way, a Google Play Store user in Europe will see reviews posted by other users in the same region. Likewise, when an app review is submitted, it will count – be registered – with other European reviews.
The same is true for users in the United States of America, as well as other regions to be determined by Google. Thus, a user in Portugal can see a rating, for example, of a Facebook application, which is different from the rating of a user in America.
This will reflect the different tastes, consumption trends, needs and demands of Android users around the world. The change was announced and explained yesterday on Google (23). via a post on your official blog…
Different cultures, different needs, different ratings on the Google Play Store
Google’s example is respectable and logical. Cultural factors influence reviews submitted on the Google Play Store as they reflect each user’s society and culture. Thus, technology applies the principle of fairness.
Fairness means adapting an existing rule to a specific situation while respecting the criteria of fairness. In other words, treat one and the same as equal and different as different. Not to be confused with the principle of equality – all the same.
Thus, this is the first phase of the changes that need to be applied to reviews in the Google Play Store. Users will feel the impact next November, but there will be even more significant changes in 2022.
In 2022, the format will affect Google Play Store rankings.
Format refers to the type of mobile device. That is, if you are evaluating a smartphone or tablet app. Thus, it is a differentiation and deepening of the criteria applied to reviews in the Google Play Store.
Thus, the Play Store will display different ratings for the same app or game, depending on whether the app is for a smartphone or tablet. At the same time, they will also already reflect differences depending on the user’s region.
Google justifies these changes by the need to adapt its platform to new realities. The foldable format is also mentioned among them, and more and more smartphones such as the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold are entering the market.
Finally, Google did not release exact dates for the start of this second phase, citing only 2022.
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