What you need to know
- Google Play apps will soon become discoverable directly through Gemini on Android and the web.
- Play Shorts adds TikTok-style vertical videos to help users discover apps before downloading.
- Google is adding AI-powered developer tools for translations, subscriptions, and app publishing.
Google just announced a massive set of updates for Google Play at I/O 2026, and as expected, a lot of them revolve around AI and app discovery.
Google Play apps and games are getting deeper integration with Gemini. Google says apps and games will soon become discoverable directly through the Gemini app on Android and the web, allowing developers to surface their apps to millions of Gemini users.
Later this year, Gemini will also start surfacing apps related to more than 450,000 movies, TV shows, and sports streams, helping users quickly find where specific content is available.
Google already offers an AI-powered feature that lets users ask questions about apps directly from their Play Store listing. The company is now expanding that functionality further into a feature called Ask Play. Instead of typing simple keywords, users will now be able to ask more natural questions and continue the conversation to discover apps and games more easily.
Honestly, Play Shorts feels inevitable at this point. Every platform is chasing TikTok-style discovery now, but the Gemini integrations across Play actually feel far more useful than another endless short-form feed.
Another major addition is Play Shorts, a new short-form vertical video feed designed to help users discover apps visually. Google says Play Shorts gives users a quick look at an app's interface, functionality, and overall feel before downloading it. The feature is currently rolling out in the U.S. and is limited to select developers for now.
Google is also introducing several new developer-focused tools. One of the biggest additions is a new Gemini-powered Google Play Console experience. Developers will soon be able to localize app listings using structured CSV files or Google Sheets, while Gemini automatically pre-populates translated app listings across multiple languages.
Google is also adding new monetization improvements. One upcoming feature will allow low-risk users to temporarily retain access to subscriptions even after failed payments, while Google retries the transaction in the background rather than immediately cutting off access.
And alongside all of this, Google also announced at I/O that developers can now build Android apps directly through Google AI Studio using text prompts.
