Android Google Play Store to Roll Out AI App Comparison Feature (v49.6)

AI

📝 Key Points of This Article

• A new feature is reportedly already being developed for “Ask Play,” which has been officially announced for rollout on the Android “Google Play Store” app.
• The new “Ask Play” feature is an AI-powered app comparison tool called “Compare apps.”
• When a user is considering similar apps, “Ask Play” will generate and present a comparison of their features, ratings, and reviews.

Google has officially announced the rollout of “Ask Play,” an AI-integrated app search feature powered by Google’s “Gemini” AI, for the Android “Google Play Store” app starting with version v49.3 or later.

While the full-scale rollout of “Ask Play” has yet to be confirmed, new features are already appearing. This new functionality is an AI app comparison tool called “Compare apps.”

Following an analysis of the in-app code from the Android “Google Play Store” app v49.6 update released on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, it was confirmed that code has been added for the “Compare apps” feature. This feature allows “Ask Play” to generate and present comparisons of features, ratings, and reviews when users are considering similar apps. Furthermore, the code also includes Japanese language strings.

<string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028a">Compare apps</string>
    <string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028b">Compare features, ratings, and reviews to help you choose.</string>
    <string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028c">Generated by AI</string>

<string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028a">アプリを比較</string>
    <string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028b">機能、評価、レビューを比較して、選択に役立てましょう。</string>
    <string name="_0_resource_name_obfuscated_res_0x7f14028c">AI により生成</string>

Although “Ask Play” itself has not yet been deployed to the Android “Google Play Store” app, its eventual launch could represent a significant evolution in app search functionality.