Hey Google: Android Market Requests!
Here are some suggestions we think would greatly improve the market experience:
Demo Videos. Allow developers to provide a YouTube URL for each application they have on the market. Considering Android’s tight integration with YouTube, a “watch demo” area on the Application listing could not only reduce the number of applications that are purchased and returned, but also provide developers an opportunity to provide a “sales pitch” and show the ins and outs of their product.
Screen Shots. Just like #1, why not allow developers to upload screen shots? The existence of a video might negate the need for screenshots, but if you’re in a quiet place or don’t want to waste battery, etc… it’s a nice alternative.
Donate button. I’ve seen a few apps come out now that are IDENTICAL but one is called “App Title” the other is called “App Title Donate” with the first being a free app and the second being a paid app. This is unnecessary clutter and shouldn’t be allowed. However, the idea of allowing people to easily donate to a developer providing a free app is a great idea. While devs could include this feature themselves, standardizing it would make a lot of sense as the consistency would give consumers a sense of familiarity with how/where to donate.
Recommended Apps. Google is the kind of algorithm, are they not? Just as Amazon can offer recommended products with great accuracy and Netflix lets users know what consumers with similar tastes enjoy, Android Market should offer a likeminded feature. Google knows what we’ve downloaded and how we’ve rated each application. Why not use that data to provide useful suggestions as to what Applications, free or paid, we might want to download/buy?
iPhone 3.0? Yeah, I said it. The iPhone 3.0 software’s ability to sell items from within applications yet following the iPhone App Store policy and system is one of my favorite features of their update. Google should look into bringing this to Android ASAP as it offers a world of possibilities for developers. Not only can they extend their content/offerings to add-ons and bonuses, but it will also help cleanup the clutter. For example the EA Sports Application on the iPhone will sell all the EA Sports games from within their App.
These are just a few of my ideas, not complaints. I realize that Google has their hands full with rolling out Android across the globe, adding new features to the OS (yay cupcakes!), bug reports and lots of other stuff, but I think these additions would make Android Market a better place for consumers to find things they need/want and a better platform for developers to showcase their applications.
What changes would you like to see in Android Market?
UPDATE: Thanks to an eagle eyed commenter we found the following post on Google Groups where Developer Advocate Dan Morrill addressed some of these issues:
Yes, we’ve also noticed the rise in things like themes/skins and similar apps. We are looking into some improvements, such as a new category for themes. (Speaking only for myself, I expected to see us need a category for books, but this theme phenomenon was a surprise to me. :) The other things you mentioned (new types of sorting such as by rising stars, and a desktop/web UI) are also on the roadmap, though we don’t have a timeline for those features yet, or details on how they’ll work.
– Dan