At the end of 2025, Google announced several changes aimed at improving how users find and install apps on Android. These changes included cracking down on unsigned apps from developers using alternative app stores and highlighting apps on the Play Store for regular battery misuse.
Both measures are presented as pro-consumer, but if Google truly wants to improve users’ lives, it should address the myriad issues that are immediately apparent when opening the Google Play Store itself.
The Play Store is a guaranteed headache, and every time I open the app, I’m overwhelmed by the confusing UI with conflicting visual elements. But this isn’t its only issue. Below, I outline some of the more apparent Play Store problems that Google should remedy in 2026.
What is your primary problem with the Google Play Store? 48 votes Excessive ads. 44 % Poor search functionality. 6 % Lack of useful app information. 6 % Inadequate changelogs. 21 % Unclear pricing details. 13 % Absence of a rollback feature for app versions. 4 % Ineffective user review system. 4 % Other (elaborate in the comments). 2 %
Please, Google — there are enough ads
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Let’s start at the top. It’s no secret that I have a complicated relationship with ads in apps. I’m well aware that developers need to earn a living, and I completely respect that, but there is a point where the sheer number of ads detracts from an app’s usability. The Google Play Store is a prime example of this.
Immediately upon opening the Play Store, I’m greeted by a flurry of ads urging me to download apps I don’t want. Google just can’t help but shove ads into practically every nook and cranny of the Play Store, making finding the app I actually want more difficult than juggling water.
How bad is the ad situation on the Play Store? Well: Open the app: the lion’s share of the first screen is just ads.
Tap on the search icon: there’s an ad.
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