How Google can fix the broken app store for indie-game devs — and leapfrog Apple in the process

Google recently introduced an important new rule prohibiting deceptive promotion of apps on its Google Play store. It’s great that Google is clamping down on spammy advertising. However, the new requirement doesn’t really address a core, underlying cause for the practice: broken app discovery. With more than two-thirds of apps failing to break even, it’s no surprise that some indie devs desperately turn to sketchy ad practices or bot farms that manipulate rankings. Of course, Apple’s App Store struggles with the same woes as well, but given that Google’s core competency is content discovery, it’s fair for the market to expect much more from Play.

Fortunately for Google, it has a number of means to quickly gain the edge on discovery over Apple. In the process, the search giant can greatly help the independent developer community. (Which, after all, makes up the majority of app developers.)