Google Play Store removes version numbers from Android app listings | Hacker News Reader

Google Play Store removes version numbers from Android app listings

9to5google.com

At least Aurora Store [1] still displays version numbers from Google Play, along with other useful information.

[1]: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.aurora.store/

"The version number is gone with version 31.6.13-21 of the Play Store, which is also responsible for widely rolling out the new Google Play icon."

Why would they remove the version number from apps?

Someone in Google Play's management seems to have an ideological opposition to users being able to identify updates, presumably under the guise of simplification.

Details like SD slots, HDMI ports, and microphone jacks are unnecessary because they ruin the sleek lines of beautiful design. /s

Because "I need to leave my mark on the product, and my previous proposal to remove permissions from play store was denied after user pushback"

I just opened the Play Store to check if I already have that version of the Play Store, but it doesn't display the version number :-(

Looks like decision from a non tech guy, because it's cleaner :,D

The version number was really important to me when I recently had to roll back my Kindle app so that I could actually buy books in it. It seriously pisses me off that Google gradually makes my phone more and more unusable.

I can't see how this is a user experience improvement. Sure, version numbers are already deemphasized enough, but at least let us customize update messaging more than we already can.

Well, this is Google so they probably A/B tested a bunch of random things and this one resulted in 0.0002% better monetisation or whatever...

At this point, Google's problem is not "lazy workers", is lack of vision and direction.

>> At this point, Google's problem is not "lazy workers", is lack of vision and direction.

Precisely. This is why Google has a reputation for killing off products after a few years and why they had multiple competing message apps with disjoint features.

Next thing they will reject my app from the store for having the version number on the settings page.

Next up: mandatory updates.

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