Google Play has changed the way its recommendation system ranks apps, now placing heavier emphasis on quality and engagement than ever before.

Efficiency, stability, engagement

App efficiency and crash rates are already impacting how high an app appears in Google Play Store search and recommendation results. As of the end of June 2018, they’ve become even more significant factors.

To make sure apps you produce are showing up as often as they should, the Android Developers Blog has some recommendations.

Algorithmic optimisation

Without giving away the game, they point app developers and producers back to the quality guidelines to make sure you’re doing the best you can.

Other algorithm tweaks to give higher scores to apps with good retention rates and fewer uninstalls. These two have always been part of the equation, but are now even more important than before.

Console

Much of this can be monitored through your Play Console. If an app’s metrics start trending the wrong way, find out why and fix it quick. Or, you may fall from visibility all together.

Google says that their efforts to put users onto high-quality apps via the Play Store has already translated into more frequent app usage.

Is the effort to optimise an app’s backend worth the extra exposure you might get from discovery via Google Play?

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