This year, I’ve been amazed by the resilience and dedication of everyone throughout the Android and Google Play app and game ecosystem. In a year of unprecedented challenges, we saw how your apps and games helped people learn new skills, stay connected with family, and take much-needed breaks to relax and play. I want to thank you for your flexibility, hard work, and commitment to making the Play Store such a valuable resource for people everywhere.

While there were less opportunities to meet in person, progress continued. There was a brand-new Google Play Console and enhancements to the Android App Bundle. We expanded the training offered in the Google Play Academy and provided insights through Medium articles and the Apps, Games, & Insights podcasts. Many events went virtual, such as Google for Games Developer Summit and 11 Weeks of Android.

We are closing the year by celebrating some of the best apps and games of 2020. Congratulations to all the winners!

For 2021, we have great things in the pipeline, with new and enhanced tools and resources to help you improve the performance of your app or game to reach a wider audience.

We look forward to seeing you again next year to continue our journey. Until then, from everyone on our team to everyone on yours, stay safe during the holiday season.

Purnima Kochikar

VP, Google Play Partnerships

Product releases

This year, we introduced several new products and features to support your apps and games. Here are the highlights:

The new Google Play Console

Google Play Console was completely redesigned with a streamlined interface and new features to keep up with your changing needs. Now you can easily find, discover, and understand Play Console features; get guidance on policy changes, your release status, and user feedback; better understand performance insights with new acquisition reports; and more.

Android App Bundle

The Android App Bundle now includes Play Asset Delivery, which brings the benefits of app bundles to games. It enables larger games to replace legacy expansion files (OBBs) and offers flexible delivery modes, auto-updates, compression, and delta patching, all for free. Now that the app bundle has been widely adopted by the ecosystem, it will be required to publish all new apps and games starting August 2021.

Modern Android Development (MAD)

The Android team has collated a recommended list of the latest development tools, APIs, language, and distribution technologies under the umbrella of MAD. Recommendations include Kotlin for simpler and safer code, Android Studio for efficient building and testing, and Android Jetpack for tried and tested code for common use cases, all to help you be more productive and create better apps. What’s your MAD score?

New business best practices

This year we continued investing in programs to help you get discovered and grow, such as the Indie Games Festival and a number of events around the world. We also published a wealth of best practice resources such as articles, case studies, videos, and more. Here are some of the highlights:

Google Play Academy

The Google Play Academy added new learning paths and courses designed to help you build better apps, and find and keep more customers. New courses included Games Business Fundamentals, Optimize your app for sustainable business growth, What’s new with policy status and app content, and Understand Google Play's payments policy.

Apps, Games, & Insights podcast

After kicking off in March, the Apps, Games, & Insights podcast returned for its second season a few weeks ago. Covering accessibility and inclusion, green gaming, privacy, and more, the podcasts have brought insights from some of the ecosystems leading lights.

Featured 2020 Content