We first saw evidence of a new Google Play re-design last month in the form of a video walk through. But it appears that the new Google Play Store for Android is in the process of being tested by Google Staff in a process known as Dog-Fooding. Last night Google Staff member Eileen Rivera, who is part of the YouTube team and ex-TWIT network NetCaster from the All About Android show has posted – and since deleted – a screenshot of the new interface.
The screenshot shows a very nice clean ‘Holo’ style interface that seems very consistent with the last time we saw the re-design. Gone is the dark theme, replaced with a clean light interface. The screenshot shows the full array of Google Play services, but how the new Play Store layout will look when it hits Australia and other countries where sections of the Play Store such as Music are not available remains to be seen but shouldn’t present too much of an issue.
The only other change to what has been shown when the update is finally released would be the replacement of the Dog Food bowl in the top left of the screen and the addition of Google Play specific promotions.
The next time we see this new Play Store should be when it begins pushing out to Android devices, when this will actually be is the next question.
What do you think of the new layout? When do you think it will start rolling out?
Apparently someone doesn’t understand what Dog-Food is for a programmer.
This is an internal beta or a closed beta (depending on who’s doing the testing), assuming that the app is now features complete.
To dog-food an application, a developer builds something for their personal use. It’s usually something built by an individual and is never substantially complicated.
When it’s finished, the application is monetized for a pittance(ie. Enough to buy dog food). But, that’s secondary to it’s purpose to the developer.
Yeah, Google tends to ”Dog-Food” their applications and also Android builds to staff just prior to release, Eileen did fairly quickly remove it from her Google+ timeline so I think she was probably spoken to
As I developer I’ve never heard of your definition of dog-fooding. Dog-fooding comes from the term “eat your own dog-food”. It means that people working on a product developer, marketing, support, everyone should be using it as their ‘daily driver’ (a much newer term) – if its good enough for paying customers it should be good enough for the company itself to use it. If it too crap to use for the people that actually make the product what does it say about the product. Microsoft in particular got much bad press in the 1990s when they didn’t use their… Read more »
Also a developer, though never knew the origins of the term. What you say makes sense and I don’t think I was too far off the idea – I just had the order of things around the wrong way.
Given that the product is unreleased, I would still consider this an internal beta rather than dog food (by your definition). What you say still suggests a released product, otherwise a really bad QA department.
I’d love the option to be able to see all the apps and filter out things like games.
I don’t have a problem with games, but I’d prefer them to be in their own seperate section. I have an Xbox, a Wii a PC and a SNES for games, not my phone lol 😛
Could there be a separate “Games” section because Google are unifying Android, Chrome and Google+ games? I read about that rumour somewhere – anyone got any more info?
Yeah this is something that has always annoyed me. I know that Games are Apps but they don’t belong under Apps. That’s how you end up with the top free app being Facebook, followed by Candy Crush Saga for example.. it’s stupid.
Hopefully we can finally sort results :/
The preview on I think Android Police showed it was just a graphical update and that there was no extra functionality although he wasn’t able to use it fully.. and it’s possible it has changed since then.