Does Google Inserting Deceptively Placed Ads in the Play Store seem icky to anyone else?

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.

obinice,
@obinice@lemmy.world avatar

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 :-(

xantoxis,

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.

shym3q,
@shym3q@programming.dev avatar

Aurora Store works like a charm without ads or tracking.

spader312,

This has always been the case in Google search (you know the search engine Google started with as a company). Drove me crazy when I would see an old person click the AD link instead of the actual search result

Not_Alec_Baldwin,

It’s not a subtle ad. Google has sold the top slots of your search to companies in exchange for money.

When your search for “Excel”, Google doesn’t try to find you the most relevant result. They find you the highest paying ad, and then what you’re searching for.

synceDD,
@synceDD@lemmy.world avatar

So icky.😱

Lunachocken,

I literally just prioritise f droid, and a Google App search tool I found a bit ago that let’s you sort such to show no Inapp etc

playsearch.kaki87.net

Where it came from: reddit.com/…/my_advanced_google_play_search_engin…

bulwark,

Thanks for that playsearch link. I’d never heard of that and detest the wasteland that is the Google Play store. Fdroid is good but I use droidify.

AceFuzzLord,

Can’t think of a singular time that type of stuff hasn’t been icky and absolutely disgusting.

flop_leash_973,

Yes it is gross, it Apple does the same thing in their app store. So it is nothing that can be avoided with using the major players.

jvrava9,
@jvrava9@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Google is an ad company, what do you expect.

rivalary,

Apple does it too. Not that it’s any excuse.

Inept,

TBH, Google itself is kinda “icky” and has been for awhile.

Not_Alec_Baldwin,

Don’t be evil.

robbankz,

since they were manifested they been icky

mojo,

If you’re against this kind of behavior, you should advocate that Android/iOS are platforms and not products, so that centralized app stores are a medium for developers and not a proprietary product under one company.

dynamojoe,

It’s about as icky as looking at my bank account and my bank highlighting a transfer to an investment house and suggesting its’ own in the same line.

robinj1995,

Please tell me this is in the US

FederatedSaint,

The digital zeitgeist is a fuckin dystopia.

alphapuggle,

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

soggy_kitty,

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?

alphapuggle,

f-droid.org

Scrollone,

Good luck finding your banking app there.

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