Let’s talk about these points first – Google Play Points rewards users with points for purchases inside the Play Store. These include in-game purchases, movies, books, and can be redeemed and used for basically the same things – buying in-game merchandise, renting movies, getting books, etc.
Normally, you would earn a point for every $1 spent in the Play Store. There’s a sign-in bonus that gives you a three times multiplayer on your points earned – this promotion lasts for the first week. Now, Google is ramping that up to 10x points but this offer will be active for 24 hours (the start date and hour depends on the country you’re in).
The new Google Play Logo
You’ll be forgiven if you don’t notice the change, as it’s a subtle one – the same “Play” button idea is in place here but the corners are more rounded, and the diagonal lines that divide the colors are done in a way that makes the section better spaced.
Google Play new logo (bottom) vs the old one (top)
Google Play milestones
Finally, to remind us of the great job it’s doing, Google has posted a couple of Google Play milestones that reflect the evolution of the Play Store.
- Launching of Google Play Pass, Google Play Instant, and the aforementioned Google Play Points. According to Google, more than 100 million users are currently enrolled in these programs.
- Announcement of Google Play Games on PC – the company launched a beta version of the program in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, allowing people to play games across different platforms and devices.
- The Annual Best Of Awards – Google celebrates the top apps and games every year, and in the past few years the categories have been expanded to include “Best Hidden Gems” and “Best Apps for Good.”
- The introduction of Google Play Protect – Google’s own built-in anti-spam and anti-malware protection. According to the company it scans and verifies more than 100 billion apps every day.
- The Indie Games program – Google launched this to try and support small studios – helping them grow and bring their products to the Play Store.
- Support for nonprofits: people can make donations through Google Play, use Play Points to support charitable organizations and causes. 100% of these donations go directly to these nonprofits.
- Diversity in Gaming – Google launched Change The Game to give a chance for better representation of women in gaming tournaments. Another such initiative is the Design Challenge which does the same for design and creativity.
- Parental tools and resources – Google launched the Kids Tab in Google Play to help parents and teachers find kids appropriate games and apps. Family Link has been introduced to help parents manage their kids’ digital wellbeing.
- Investment in local economies: Partnering with our developer community has helped bring better apps and games to people around the world, created new jobs and supported local economies. In fact, Google Play and Android have helped create over 2 million jobs in the U.S. alone.
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