IT Home October 14 news: Google announced on local Tuesday that apps created through vibe-coding can now run directly onAndroidsmartphones without first being publicly published on the Google Play Store. A new feature allows users, with an ordinary Google account, to launch their own personal apps on a device via the Google Play Store, with the apps kept entirely private.
Such personal apps will not appear in the Google Play Store's search results or app listing pages, and will not be shared with anyone other than the creator.
The feature comes as more and more people try to use AI to build apps that meet their own specific needs. But previously, to use such apps on their own Android devices, they had to be published on the Google Play Store, making them accessible to the store's roughly 3 billion users. This led many people to build their vibe-coded creations only as cross-device web apps rather than native Android apps.
Google said Android device users can now create apps through vibe-coding in Google AI Studio and then deploy them for their own use only.
These apps still need to comply with the Google Play Store's existing rules, but they let users try Android app development more directly.
The feature is initially only open to users in the US aged 18 and over.
Sam Bright, vice president and general manager of Google Play and developer ecosystem, said at a press briefing ahead of the feature's launch on Tuesday: "This is the future of apps on Google Play — personalized, secure, and created by everyone. That's why the Play Store is the first app store to transform, from 'there's an app for everything' to 'there's an app made just for me.' When Google Play was created, the goal was simple: to help you find apps you love. But starting today, we hope you can see that it has evolved to offer much more value."
Google said that in the coming months, users will also be able to share their vibe-coded creations with a circle of trusted friends. That means an app you make for family, friends, or your child's little league baseball team can be used by a small group without being publicly published on the Play Store.
If the app later becomes highly popular, the developer can complete trust and safety review and convert the personal app into a publicly published app on the Google Play Store for everyone to experience.
Speaking of AI's impact on app development, Google also said it is optimizing the Google Play Store's content recommendation mechanisms. For example, it is using Google AI to build the personalized game recommendation engine Game Finder. This feature launches first in the US in English, and gives recommendations based on users' gaming preferences as well as data accumulated from the platform's 1.2 billion gamer community.
Google will also let users create their own game lists, post game-related questions in a brand-new community posting section, and take part in time-limited 48-hour game challenges called Sprints, along with several other game-related updates.
In addition, the store's built-in AI assistant Ask Play is getting an upgrade with a new comparison feature, letting users view the core differences between similar apps. Apps and games in the Google Play Store will also be more deeply integrated with Gemini conversations.
IT Home noted that also rolling out simultaneously is the Google Play Store's new age-range feature. Parents can provide developers with their child's age range, without entering an exact birth date, to get experiences tailored to that age range.