A small revolution of the search interface is coming to the Google Play Store: a filter that allows the user filter results by device class, for example smartphone, TV, or smartwatch. The news was reported in the United States in the last hours, but we already have direct comments in Italy; It seems like as often happens it was a server-side update. It’s not entirely clear how long the news has been around: reports have multiplied in recent days.
Depending on the type of device you choose, the secondary results and suggestions will change radically: for example, if I search for WhatsApp and choose Android TV, where the application is not available natively, the system will suggest other communication platforms and networks. social. For example, Facebook Watch or Google Duo. If I do the same with Netflix, which is on both platforms, the most popular games produced and released by the company will appear on smartphones, while on ATV we find a VPN app to bypass geo-restrictions.
The news does not end there: after the most relevant results, a related search list. It is interesting to note that it is not possible to scroll down to explore the other results: it is necessary to press the corresponding button. This greater attention than in the past towards alternative form factors in which Android is present has already been observed in recent weeks: since the beginning of the month, when you end up on the page of an application available on multiple devices of a user, It is possible open a drop-down menu and start the installation remotely on both your smartwatch and the TV or decoder.
Note that both the drop-down menu on the installation page and the one on the search results page are specifically designed for different classes of devices: if I have two Android smartphones, or a smartphone and a tablet, the drop-down menu does not calculates them.
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