Google Play announced a range of updates at I/O 2026 focused on three areas: expanding app discovery, streamlining developer operations, and protecting revenue. Discovery improvements include surfacing apps in the Gemini assistant, Engage SDK expansions to tablets and 80+ markets, Play Shorts (short-form video previews), and an AI-powered conversational search called Ask Play. For operations, Gemini models now automate store listing localization, generate custom store listings from keyword trends, and enable agentic catalog management for bulk pricing and SKU imports. Revenue tools include delayed charging for failed payments, extended subscription recovery periods (30 to 60 days, reducing involuntary churn by up to 18%), and a new in-app subscription management API. A new Protected with Play dashboard centralizes integrity and anti-fraud controls, and Play Integrity API latency has been reduced. Reporting enhancements include new reach metrics, cart conversion rates, subscriber churn reasons, and AI-powered Q&A insights across Play Console pages.
Table of contents
Expanding your reach by meeting users where they areScaling your business with less complexityProtecting your successGrowing your business on Google PlaySort: