While getting people to install your apps on their devices was easier in the past, since last year, developers started to notice app fatigue: people are not that interested in installing and trying new apps because they are already tired. To get app installs higher, Microsoft announced Playable ads for Windows 10 yesterday.
This new feature will allow you to see how an app works without needing it to be installed from the Windows Store at all.
As per the announcement, the preview launched last week in Windows Dev Center, and once advertisers have started taking advantage of it, you will be able to stream any app or game for three minutes for free.
Playable ads are very similar to Google’s Android Instant Apps project, which enable’s users to stream some apps directly to their phone without requiring any installation from the Google Play Store. However, both are a bit different considering, converting an App into Instant App for Android requires a lot of modifications while Microsoft is sure that developers will not have to make any significant change to the app for it to be ready for Playable ads.
I don’t think Playable ads will be an alternative for Installing Apps locally because they are -after all- called ads and one can only be used for 3 minutes. But these streaming apps will help users deciding if an app is worth their money or not, which is great for users.
Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft made no announcements about availability dates and the new feature is in Limited Preview, but you can expect to see more ads for Windows Apps in upcoming months.
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