Ads upon ads upon ads
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When I search two dots, it’s the first thing at the top of the results with ads underneath it. Possibly a regional difference?
For me, the first search result started being an ad a few months ago. I accidentally clicked them a couple times before realizing and then paying more attention. Android 13 and Android 11 (2 different devices) both in US
Copying a response I made to a similar comment:
I, too was not able to reproduce the same result again.
When I tried to do the same search again, I had one column more dedicated to non ad space, namely, showing the description of the game. Dont know how I got that particular spread of ads galore at that particular moment.
Screenshot taken later with the same query:
My version of android is, indeed, an older one, and my region is India, I suppose all these factor into what I see when I search for stuff.
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Maybe they don’t have enough info on you to show targetted ads. Lucky you
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That’s… good. Installing an app on more devices is a nice feature.
LMFAO I didn’t even see that in the midst of all the clutter!
Literally 80% of the screen is just useless garbage ads. It takes some effort to actually locate where the real search result is on the screen.
I mean silver lining and all, sure. But did you notice that like 55-60% of the screen is ad-driven “suggestions?”
Wait,…, it’s all ads! I kinda missed it says “Ads”.
It looks bad, but try replicating it.
When I search two dots, I find exactly the matching app, with screenshot previews and details about it. I get only 1/4 of the screen as ad suggestions. The rest of the screen is related suggestions (non-ad suggestions). So about 3/4 is non-ads for me vs. 1/8th from the OP screenshot.
If I search something more generic like “card battle games”, I get a listing of about 7 games, with tags, and zero ads.
I think what’s shown in the OP is what remains after the user has already read the details and approved installing the app. Considering that this is the end of the user story, what else should be on that page?
Or maybe he’s got a different version of play store than me from A/B testing? Anyway, try it out yourself. I don’t have a problem with too many ads on playstore, my main issue is more that the good apps go to apple store first and only sometimes port to android because apple users are more lucrative.
This is Google we’re talking about. If their algorithm identifies you as a high value user in a high value location, they’ll absolutely shove you more ads than usual. This is why ads companies love tracking people to identify such users.
I, too was not able to reproduce the same result again.
When I tried to do the same search again, I had one column more dedicated to non ad space, namely, showing the description of the game. Dont know how I got that particular spread of ads galore at that particular moment.
Screenshot taken later with the same query:
My version of android is, indeed, an older one, and my region is India, I suppose all these factor into what I see when I search for stuff.
Hmm, may also possible that vendor/carrier versions of the app carry more ads. This would nevertheless still be an android problem because I don’t think Apple allows other companies to do that with their apps.
The good apps go to IzzyOnDroid first, then to F-Droid once builds can be verified, and then possibly to the Play Store for the masses.
Luckily I only have F-Droid on mine.
F-Droid for the main stuff, Aurora Store when I’m feeling dirty.
“Thanks for the F-Droid”
- Dirty Mike and the Boys
This ad has features you may not like
What, no love for the Ad Store?
Europeans will be able to take advantage of the DMA early next year. Google will have to allow us to install competing app stores without extra steps. No special security warnings or restrictions. I expect some solid competition soon.
I am really lately hating my android phone and the targeted ads disguised as “Article I might be interested in” in the google now section of my phone.
I’m tempted to switch to an iphone but I realize the same problems exist over there too. We need a new mobileOS…with blackjack
Firefox with ublock and duckduckgo seems to help my android experience. This is my first non apple smart phone.
@Mrmcmisterson i have had iPhones for forever now. The only place i see ads (that Apple has control over) are the one bar in the App Store now, which didn’t happen until what 2 weeks ago. Every other ad is within an app itself or online.
Even Apple News doesn’t have ads. Nor do any of their exercise or music apps (at least not that I’ve seen)
Apple News has ads but only in the articles
@mashi right, but those aren’t apple’s ads, they are the news sources’, since it’s redirecting to their page (afaik).
Since mobile gaming has died for me anyway, i have no reason to browse the store. For what I use it for, it’s fine. It has the apps i need and updates them.
This is the exact same thing I thought a couple of days ago. What the fuck is wrong with the product managers of the Playstore?
I use Aurora store with Google play sign in. So i’ve never noticed any ads lol
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Linux is great! It’s such a zen environment.
Apple’s App Store has some ads. In my experience the first search result is always an ad, and every now and then the Today list features an ad. Not sure how much the normal data/results are skewed. It’s a store so you have to expect some kinda marketing tricks to sell you more. They tend to feature popular stuff.
It’s nowhere near as abhorrent as the post here.
I haven’t run into TikTok unless it has been featured or if it is the top result in the popular (free) apps chart. I wouldn’t dare searching for it 😆
i dont even touch the galaxy store unless i absolutely have to, something about it just feels so… off?
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There are a handful of customisation apps that are only available through the Galaxy store. The ones I use are all Samsung official apps, but the poorly written descriptions on the install pages definitely make me uncomfortable.
It’s like they only intended the apps for their Korean users, and ran the text through Google translate for the English versions.
On the App Store, it’s also under the “essentials” section. The “Must-have iPhone apps”. Lmfao. I hate that state of technology in 2023. Burn it all down.
What would you expect the algorithm to be if not to recommend the apps installed and used the most on their platform?
I don’t use TikTok or FB, but it’s hard to blame them for suggesting apps that they have concrete usage data on saying they are the most used.
I’m not exactly sure when it started, but Play Store now has “Limited time events” that further block what I’m actually looking for. I don’t give a damn about some gacha/loot box promotion some soulless pay2win app is advertising, I just want to browse for apps I might like.
Yo dawg, I heard you liked ads …
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Anyway, what’s the big deal?
You’ve done quite a bit of typing on your touchscreen there. You would enjoy this BT keyboard sold by asabravatechioxnchientopia. Don’t forget AAA batteries.
When I search for two dots in the App Store, I get an ad for two dots and then dots, both top hits. It’s a weird way to deliver the ad, but I’m much happier with that than this bullshit.
It’s even worse for developers… sometimes you push out an app for internal or extenal test and it just… sits there… the users continue to see the old one. Or half of them get the new one and half get the old one, which makes no sense. This has been an issue for years with nothing but shrugs from google when you ask them about it.
OTOH with testflight you push out a build and 20 minutes later all testers get it, automatically, every time (I hate iOS development generally but that bit they got right).
