Google Play adds AI search tools and private hosting for AI-made apps

In short: Google is adding more AI features to the Play Store, including a new way to search, a game recommender, and private hosting for apps people make with AI.

What happened

Google is expanding “Ask Play,” a chatbot feature in the Play Store. It started in 2025 as a tool that answered questions on an app’s page. Now Google says it will work more like a general search tool, where you can ask questions and get app and game suggestions, sometimes with comparison charts.

Google also announced a new feature called Game Finder. It uses data from how people play games on Android to build a profile it calls “Gamer DNA.” You can adjust that profile by rating games you have played and by adding or removing tags, which are simple labels like “relaxing” or “puzzle.” Game Finder and Gamer DNA are rolling out in the US first.

For people making “vibe-coded” apps in Google AI Studio (apps created with AI help, more like describing what you want than writing every line by hand), Google is adding a private hosting option inside the Play Store. Instead of downloading an APK file (an Android app installer, like a setup file) and managing it yourself, you can send the app from AI Studio straight into a Personal Library in Google Play.

These private apps are only visible to you by default. Google says you will also be able to share them with a “small group” of friends and family, without needing a developer account. If you want to share with the public later, Google plans an onboarding process to set up a developer profile, and the app would then go through normal Play Store review.

Why it matters

This could make it easier for regular people to make small personal apps and install them safely across their own devices, like keeping homemade tools on a private shelf inside the app store. It also raises clear questions about trust and safety, since Google says private apps are not reviewed.

Source: Arstechnica