Ask Play is Google's answer to your app discovery woes

The days when you'd actually have to mindlessly scroll through lists, go through reviews, check if the app you're looking at actually fulfills your needs, and hope that the app you just downloaded isn't full of adware are officially coming to an end.

For reference, Google is already experimenting with the Play Shorts vertical feed to aid discovery. It's essentially TikTok, but for finding apps on the Play Store.

Now, the tech giant is taking things further, and, of course, it's leveraging generative AI.

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At its annual I/O developer conference, Google highlighted several user-facing changes, and the main highlight here is the introduction of 'Ask Play.' Essentially an AI-powered overlay, it aims to turn app discovery into seamless, naturally-flowing conversations.

The tool will reportedly understand the full context of a user's initial and follow-up questions and recommend the right app. For example, you'll be able to ask the tool for a niche sci-fi strategy game with no ads and no paywall. You can then add a follow-up request along the lines of "has an offline mode," and the tool will factor in your requests and find a relevant app for you.

"Plus, with Ask Play highlights, users can get a high-level summary of complex searches directly on the search results page to help find the right apps or games more effortlessly," added the tech giant.

Elsewhere, Gemini is also now ready to surface apps and related content within its own chat interface. Limited to Android and the web, the integration will go live "in the coming weeks." The integration is going to be proactive, which means you don't necessarily need to ask Gemini for apps.

For example, a prompt like "Can you recommend an app that will show me what fish I can expect to see in my upcoming scuba dive trip" will highlight several apps that can help you identify marine life.

Similarly, a prompt like "I've been into the blurry, vintage film look on social media — how can I get that 90s disposable camera aesthetic for my phone" will highlight not just natural ways to capture the retro aesthetic, but also specific apps that offer said filters or shooting modes.