Google has redesigned the Play Store app for foldable phones and tablets to take full advantage of the bigger screen. The new design will show more content in the same area and look more polished than ever before. It will look great on your Galaxy Tab or Galaxy Z Fold series device.
At Google I/O 2022, the company announced that it would redesign twenty of its first-party apps on (Android 12L and higher) to make them look better on larger screens. As a part of this initiative, the company has already rolled out redesigned Calculator, Clock, Docs, Drive, Lens, Sheets, Slides, TV, and YouTube Music. Google is now rolling out an update to Play Store as well.
The earlier version of the app had “Google Play” written at the top-right corner of the screen with the app icon beside it. There was a navigation bar below, which were shortcuts to different categories (Games, Apps, Books, etcetera) with a corresponding icon and text. This design had a lot of empty space vertically and horizontally.
As spotted by 9To5Google, the new Google Play Store app (v32.5.16-21) just shows the app icon at the top-right corner of the screen, getting rid of the “Google Play” text. The navigation bar below it has also been replaced with a navigation rail. Instead of showing the name and corresponding icon side by side, the navigation rail shows category names below icons.
Both of these design changes save a lot of space, and Google has used the freed-up space to show larger app icons, making them look more appropriate than before for a tablet. Those aren’t the only changes, though. The app now also shows carousels for different categories that have cards for the editorial content, giving the app a more personal touch.
The search bar has also been redesigned. While the older version of the app had a search bar at the top that stretched across the entirety of the screen, the redesign has cut its length significantly, making it look more polished than before. It is worth mentioning that when you use the tablet in portrait orientation, the UI looks similar to that on your smartphone.
The update is most probably being rolled out in a phased manner. Depending on the region and device, you might get the update sooner or later on your Samsung tablet or foldable.
