Google Play Store app hub called Cubes

 Google developing a new feature  Play Store app hub called Cubes

 Google is developing a new feature called Cubes, which may serve as a centralized hub for discovering new apps across different categories on the Google Play Store. Cubes may offer personalized feeds based on users' installed applications or their preferences, and it could potentially allow users to shop directly within the feature. While Cubes is still in development, more details have emerged with the latest version of the Play Store app for Android.

Tech companies can try as they might to hide what they’re working on, but Google has a history of leaving these trails across Android updates and anything relating to the Google Play Store is no different. For example, flags were discovered which gave a tip to Google potentially alerting users about how to use its new security features. Earlier in 2023, alerts were given to tech personalities and groups, to find out about Cubes. Cubes is in its infancy and is nowhere near release-ready, but it does show that Google is cooking up something interesting.

Cubes was first spotted in January and was just a basic skeleton showcasing what Google was working towards. The skeleton was then made inaccessible, but flags in the Android OS code showed that things were being worked on in the background. It was noticed and also showcased a new widget which appeared to be directly related to the concept. Fast-forward to November, and a lot of the framework that Google’s been working on seems to have been finished.

The latest version of the Play Store app contains new breadcrumbs which were discovered by Google News Telegram. Cubes seems like it will be a central hub for discovering new apps across a multitude of categories, but we really can’t say for sure. It may curate a list of app information, deals and updates across customized categories which user requires. There are options for choosing specific apps to include in the feed, so this is certainly going to be a tailored experience for each person with access to Google Play.

Additionally, it appears that people will be able to shop directly from Cubes. For what is unknown, however. Until Google makes an announcement regarding this new feature, a lot of what we or anyone else can say about the widget/app/feed is what has been dug up from specific flags or the user interface (that doesn’t have any content in it because the backend has not been made public yet). It feels like a treasure hunt, where every time someone finds a new clue, Google lets a little bit info out from behind its closed seal of secrecy.

While there is no set time frame for what this could potentially be unveiled by Google, it seems like Cubes will be just another way to get personalized feeds based off of either currently-installed applications or ones yet to be added to users’ accounts. It has the shape of a pretty neat feature, but we feel like that kind of thing is already located on the Play Store. Nonetheless, Google needs some good press after everything the company is facing in the landmark antitrust case. Google had to pay Apple 36% of all search revenue derived from Safari. Additionally, Google tried paying Epic Games $147 million to put Fortnite back on the Play Store exclusively.