Google Play has started down ranking poorly performing apps, making them harder to find on the app store.
Under the new rules, the company will penalise poor quality apps by demoting them in its search rankings.
It will also incorporate app quality signals in its ranking algorithms in order to flag faulty apps.
Apps that have poor reviews and have a history of bad performance will not show up on top of the search results on Play Store.
This will further push these apps down in the ratings. The decision is believed to be part of Google’s efforts to push high-quality applications on its platform.
Earlier, the tech giant announced that faulty apps will be identified using Machine Learning technique, apart from creating a program called ‘Android Excellence’, which will segregate the apps that function well.
As the general perception goes, apps on the iOS platform function better than those on Android. To counter this, Google, using its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning is looking to persuade developers to enable apps with seamless functioning.
However, it is unclear whether developers will be notified of the downfall in its ranking.
“Developers forced to update their apps more frequently”
Michael Allen, VP EMEA at Dynatrace, commented on the move: “The news that Google Play will rank better performing apps higher than those that are plagued by problems such as bugs and crashes really underscores the importance of performance in the digital economy. As the new algorithm takes effect, companies will need to ensure their apps perform seamlessly if they want them to be well-promoted in the app store and get those all-important downloads.
“The challenge is that the insatiable demand for new features and improvements is forcing developers to update their apps more frequently, with some releasing new versions once or twice a week. It’s very difficult to fix bugs and optimise an app with such rapid release cycles, which is why continuously testing performance is so important. At the first sign of trouble, developers need the ability to either quickly roll-back and fix, or abandon the change before it hits users.
“The bottom line is that if they fail to address issues with buggy apps, those behind them will be penalised by Google Play, which will make their apps harder to find. That will have a dramatic impact on usage, customer engagement levels and consequently revenue; so performance must be a priority now more than ever.”