Google Play Store Search Results Now Shows Ads

Google Play Store ads might get more in your face in the future.

Android users are starting to notice that the search results on the Google Play Store are displaying ads for various apps, preventing them from finding the apps they're looking for immediately.

The chance is hardly unexpected - Google added it as part of its April 2023 System Updates for Android phones.

Google Play Store Sech Bar Ads Details

Google, the popular search giant, generates revenue from many sources. One of them is selling advertisements across its platforms and services, with the Google Play Store being one of the ways it sells ads, per Android Authority.

Unfortunately, the tech giant is making moves to make some changes to the Play Store. People who recently used the Google Play Store on their Android Phones reported that instead seeing of the keywords they used to search an app when beginning a new search at the Play Store, it now shows up to three ads before the keywords they previously used.

These ads consist of "limited time events as well as sponsored suggestions," per 9to5Google, while the search results page will show "useful highlights for some apps/games" that include quotes from other people's reviews.

These limited-time events are an existing tool used to promote streaming apps that could have interesting content for people to watch. They often appear as cards in the Play Store's main feeds. On the other hand, the newly added sponsored suggestions in the Play Store is a type of ad Google uses to promote certain apps within the search bar, per SamMobile.

These ads on the search bar prevent people from seeing the keywords they entered to find certain apps in the recent past, which could be annoying for some who wish to revisit an app they previously found before. Thankfully, these ads will disappear when you start entering keywords for a new search.

Unfortunately, the addition of these ads is planned from the start. Google mentioned in its patch notes for its April 2023 System Update that it would add such apps to the Play Store shortly as soon as Apr. 10.

"When starting a search, you can now see suggestions for apps with limited-time events as well as sponsored suggestions next to your past searches," Google noted.

Google's Revenue

Alphabet, Google's parent company, is enjoying a time of adequate positive growth so far in 2023. According to CNBC, the company exceeded analysts' estimates, with its stock jumping over 4% in extended trading before paring its gains.

The company earned $69.79 billion during the first quarter of 2023 instead of the $68.9 billion analysts were expecting. Meanwhile, its ad revenue slightly increases to $6.69 billion - a $90 million difference from the $.6.6 billion analysts expected from the company.

However, it is important to note that the company's ad revenue fell from the year before $54.55 billion.

To further grow the company, Alphabet could cut more costs to manage a weak online ad market. This cost-cutting could also be why Google wants to implement ads on its Play Store.