Google Play's editorial pages put a human touch on finding high-quality apps

The App Store and Google Play have led the way for folks to install applications on their mobile devices, but both have had their issues with organization and app discovery. Google hopes to minimize some of those headaches with an updated Editors’ Choice section that now features curated app lists.

These app lists are organized by category, so you will find hand-picked lists for fitness apps and puzzle games, along with many others. When you dive into a list, each app is accompanied by a short write-up and reasons why the editors liked it. As typical with other curated lists, Google Play’s will be refreshed from time to time, so do not expect the same assortment of racing games in a few months from now.

The curated app lists will not eliminate the problem of app discovery, but it should help those on the hunt for high-quality apps and want some guidance as to how to cut through the garbage. Partly due to the sheer number of apps found on Google Play, it feels as if it is more difficult to find great apps when the majority of them are relatively low-quality.

By comparison, the App Store features very similar problems, with Apple planning to minimize those issues with its App Store redesign for the upcoming iOS 11 release. The redesign will feature curated and personalized app lists and blog posts, though the redesign will not arrive until iOS 11 also arrives this fall.

Meanwhile, Google Play’s curated app lists are now available for mobile and desktop in the US, as well as Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, and South Korea. The editorial pages will expand to other countries “soon.”