Google Play Store Gets Convenient 'Collections' App Shortcut

Summary

Update (2/24)

• Rollout of Collections App Shortcut: The new feature is now widely available with Google Play Store version 45.0.21.
• How to Get It: Users can update the Google Play Store from the avatar menu in Settings > About > "Update Play Store." After updating, open the app and long-press the homescreen icon to see the shortcut.
• Impact on User Experience: The new app shortcut might interfere with the existing 'My apps' shortcut muscle memory.

Original Announcement (2/17)

• New Feature Introduction: Google is introducing an app shortcut for Collections, which previously required a homescreen widget to access.
• Collections Feeds: Users can now launch feeds like Watch, Game, Read, Listen, Food, Shop, and Social directly from the app shortcut.
• Widget Replacement: The smallest widget configuration was 2x1, showing up to four shortcuts. Now, Collections can be launched more conveniently without taking up homescreen space.
• Version and Availability: This feature is being tested with version 44.8.15 of the Google Play Store but has a server-side component. Version 44.9 will bring the feature to Android 10-12 users in the US.
• Launch Timeline: Collections was first announced in July and rolled out more widely in September last year.