The new look for the Play Store web version will include rounded icons
Google hasn’t put any effort into updating the Play Store’s web visuals for a while. The current look is rather archaic with sharp edges and dull aesthetics overall. All of the apps are housed inside of large rectangles that display their names and their star rating. On the left side, we have the panel which houses additional options, and the category tabs up top. The new look brings the Play Store site to modern times. It incorporates the rounder aesthetic that we see in the mobile app; this should come as no surprise, as the new look is modeled after the app. You see the app icons represented as large rounded thumbnails that are arranged in a grid pattern with lots of space between each icon. Everything is cartoonish and bubbly, as with the mobile version. Under the game’s tab on the web version, instead of small and boxy icons, the games are represented as large rounded rectangular images. PUBG: New State and Final Fantasy are up top, and they take up a lot of space. The other app Store is arranged in a grid pattern below. Movies and books don’t have the large bubbly look to them by contrast. They’re still represented by a dense grid of rectangles. An interesting feature of this new look adds a bit of flair to the Play Store web version. Some apps, when you select them, will show a full-motion trailer in the background. The trailer will play automatically up top while you read the app information. You also have the option to expand the trailer to full screen.
Some may like this look, but some may not
This new look definitely does bring the Play Store up to more modern standards, but it might not be for everyone. A complaint most people will have about this is the same complaint that some people have about Android 12: Google’s use of space. Since everything is larger, more bubbly, and given more space, there’s a lot less information that can be seen on the screen. The older version has a denser grids of apps, but the new look has a lot of wasted space. It looks nice, but it does impact practicality. This new look is being tested in a limited capacity, so we have no idea when it will come to your browser. The screenshots shown were from the Korean version of the store.
