As per a new report, Android users should get ready to see more ads in the Google Play Store. The Play Store has now started showing limited-time events and sponsored suggestions right in the search bar. With this move, Google has added one more revenue stream to its tally.
The Play Store will show ads, limited-time events, and sponsored suggestions in the search bar alongside past searches on all Android phones, including the ones from Samsung. Previously, the search bar only showed the last four searches. Now, you will see a maximum of three ‘limited time events along with sponsored suggestions' sitting along with your past searches.
The sponsored ads appear with the Google Play System April 2023 update
Google will use the limited-time events to promote streaming apps with a sporting event on that particular day or as an in-game event. These often appear as cards on the main feed of the Play Store, but now they will also appear in search history along with their app icon, name, rating, and download count.
Furthermore, Google is displaying sponsored suggestions, which is a way to promote certain apps within the search bar. As you start typing, sponsored suggestions and limited-time events disappear from the Play Store search bar.
The bad thing about this inclusion is that your search history is moved down, clearly showing the company's priorities. This change was announced with the April 2023 Google System updates and is now slowly rolling out for everybody.