Work-in-progress update to Google Play Store app has slide-out menu

Google has fallen into the habit of routinely updating its apps on Android without needing updates to the entire operating system, and it looks like the Play Store is next in line. AndroidPolice has gotten their hands on an early build of the new Google Play Store, which is numbered at version 4.4. It is worth noting, however, that the version number is specifically for the app, and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with KitKat. The new version of the app is still a work-in-progress.

Google Play Store is getting an update (image credit: AndroidPolice)

In the new version, Google seems to be opting for a slide-out menu from the left edge, much like on almost all of its other apps. This streamlines the UI on the Play Store quite a bit from its current version, which is numbered at 4.3.11 and put in all of the UI elements in a single menu. The options from the menu, which earlier used to have options like My Apps and My Wishlist, now only has Settings and Help. All of the other options have been moved to the slide-out menu.

The slide-out menu has options for Store home, My apps (or My movies & TV, depending on which part of the Play Store you’re in), Shop, My wishlist and Redeem.

The update to the Play Store is expected to hit Android smartphones around the same time as KitKat. Google has presumably already started testing the app on their test KitKat devices. The Play Store will remain backwards compatible too, so even if you have an old Android running on Gingerbread, you’ll still be able to get the update.