GoKawiilGoogle Play Store to let users search for apps by uploading images
Code inside Google Play Store version 52.8.55-34 reveals that the Ask Play conversational search feature will soon accept image attachments from a phone's camera or gallery. Users could upload a screenshot of a home screen widget or app feature and ask Ask Play's AI to identify it or find similar apps. Google also appears ready to drop the separate 'Ask Play about this app' section, replacing it with scrollable suggested-question chips.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Visual search removes the friction of describing what you want in words, letting users point at something they saw online and immediately find a matching app or widget. It also signals Google is pushing AI deeper into app discovery on Play Store, following the conversational search feature it introduced at I/O 2026, potentially reshaping how developers get discovered.
- Ask Play will support direct image uploads from camera or gallery for app searches.
- Users can identify widgets, features, or app types by attaching a screenshot.
- Google may replace the 'Ask Play about this app' section with horizontally scrollable question chips.
Google Pixel 9 smartphone — If you want first crack at Play Store features like Ask Play's new image-based app discovery, a Pixel is the most natural home for Google's latest Android and AI experiments. Its camera also makes snapping or screenshotting something you want to identify effortless.
See Google Pixel 9 smartphone on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: androidauthority.com, 2026-08-24
Published there as: “The Google Play Store is working on a new way to find apps using images”
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