Google Play Now Lets You Run Private Apps You Build With AI
Android users in the U.S. can launch apps made in Google AI Studio on their own phones without publishing them to the Play Store.
Google said on Tuesday, October 13, that Android users can run apps they build with AI on their own devices through Google Play without making them public, according to TechCrunch. The apps do not appear in Play search or listings, and only the creator can use them.
You build the app in Google AI Studio, then launch it on your Android device while signed in with a standard Google account. The apps still have to follow Google Play's policies. The launch is U.S. only at first, and users must be 18 or older. TechCrunch's article did not mention a price.
Google also plans to let people share these apps with a small circle of trusted people in the coming months, such as family or a sports league. If an app takes off, it can move to the public Play Store after trust and safety reviews. Google Play's Sam Bright described the shift as going from "there's an app for that" to "there's an app for me."
If you have a small, repeat task that no off-the-shelf app fits, you can now try building one just for yourself without a developer or an app store listing. Treat it as an experiment first, and keep customer data out of anything you build until you understand what it stores.
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