Google’s current strategy centers on Gemini, and that focus is now shaping how people search for, discover, and use apps on the Play Store. The company announced at Google I/O that a suite of AI-powered features will begin appearing across Play to improve app discovery, increase user engagement, and make the overall storefront more conversational and helpful.
One of the biggest shifts is that Gemini will not remain confined to the Play app on Android. Over the coming weeks, Gemini-driven suggestions and prompts will start surfacing on the web and within Android itself, offering personalized app and game recommendations beyond the traditional Play Store interface. Later this year, Google plans to broaden that AI reach further into the Play ecosystem, expanding recommendations across a larger portion of the store’s catalog, and extending Gemini’s insight to include curated selections from movies and TV shows and live sports streaming information.
The store experience itself is getting smarter. For users who want a more conversational way to find apps, Google is introducing Ask Play, a Gemini-powered overlay designed for deeper search journeys. Ask Play behaves like an assistant overlay that helps narrow results, suggest alternatives, and answer follow-up questions so you can find an app or game that truly matches your preferences. If you’re tired of generic, over-monetized matches and want more meaningful discovery, Ask Play aims to make that process faster and less frustrating.
Ask Play builds on the Play Store’s existing Q&A features, which Google says already handle the vast majority of user queries. In addition to conversational search, Ask Play introduces a Highlights area that summarizes key information at the top of search results — helping you scan for important details about an app without wading through long descriptions or multiple pages.
Once you choose a game, Google wants to keep you engaged with a new in-game assistant called Play Games Sidekick. This Gemini-enhanced overlay delivers AI-generated game tips, reward suggestions, and achievement guidance tailored to your playstyle and progress. Sidekick first began rolling out earlier this year and is now expanding globally with added social features that make it easier to see which friends are playing the same titles and compare progress. By blending personalized in-game assistance with social signals, Play Games Sidekick is designed to increase retention and make gaming sessions more rewarding.
Developers will also receive new Gemini tools intended to simplify localization, marketing, and visibility. Google is offering features that help localize app listings with pre-populated language options, apply popular search trends automatically to improve discoverability, and streamline the way apps present content to different audiences. These developer-focused capabilities aim to reduce the friction of reaching global users and to make it easier for smaller teams to optimize their Play Store presence using AI.
Across these updates, the emphasis is clear: Google intends to weave Gemini into both the consumer experience and developer toolkit on Play. The result should be a more conversational, context-aware storefront that helps users find apps, games, and entertainment with less effort and helps developers connect with users more effectively. As these features roll out more broadly, expect to see AI-driven recommendations and in-app assistance become a regular part of the Play ecosystem.