Google to Android developers: Cut the crappy apps, or else
Apps that are crash-prone or battery hogs are now demoted in Google Play search results so you'll be burdened with fewer one-star duds.
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Android mascots aplenty at the Google I/O show.
Google is relegating poorly behaved Android apps to obscurity, making it harder for you to find them when you're searching the Google Play Store.
"We recently enhanced our search and discovery algorithms to reflect app quality," Google Play Product Manager Andrew Ahn said in a blog post Thursday. "This results in higher quality apps being surfaced in the Play Store more than similar apps of lower quality (e.g. apps that exhibit more frequent crashes)."
Ahn offers some tips to programmers on making their apps snappy, easy on batteries and more stable. If you're frustrated, though, take heart that Google is watching who's getting the one-star ratings.