They’ve started inserting a subtle ad as the first result instead of the actual app you’re searching for.
This has to have been a change over the last month or two I feel like?
I’m having to reprogram myself to view the first result as irrelevant. Really makes me want to increase the F-Droid alternatives that I use.
Ads in any kind of app store search should SUPER NOT BE ALLOWED. Microsoft does it, Google does it, even the Apple app store has it. I don’t want my grandma to be looking for her bank app and download Fast Cash Transfer Free 2024 Edition instead
Omg if you search for Barclays or NatWest you get other apps as the first result.
What options do I have to stop this shit?
Good luck finding your banking app there.
I don’t mind it so much as it makes it hard to find the actual application I’m looking for most of the time. Your case here is a perfect example of this.
Google has done crappy “suggested results” for so many years now that I automatically ignore the top results from any Google search, so all this does is make it harder to find things :-(
Aurora Store works like a charm without ads or tracking.
I mean, it’s literally a store, this is not a space where you’ll be free from ads.
I’m going with–not in the top 10 of terrible things Google is doing lately.
But sure, ok, it sucks.
makes me want to increase the F-Droid alternatives that I use
Just go this way, and if you’re fed up with the Play Store switch to Aurora Store: same apps, no ads.
And/or set up something like Obtainium for those apps you can pull directly from their source.
Gets you updates a lot faster, too
I’ve always been amazed by how unusable the play store was. I’d actually like to browse apps sometimes, but it always was choke full of useless ads pushing the worst apps possible. I only go there once every blue moon when I exactly know what I want, download it and get out of there.
Google is an ad company, what do you expect.
Apple does it too. Not that it’s any excuse.
Just like Google Search results. I don’t even really notice those anymore because my brain ignores them automatically.
I used to think the same thing: first three results or so are always ads, so just ignore. And then recently they’ve changed to be 90% ads even after the initial few. It’s hard to find something that someone hasn’t paid to display :(
