Play Store ‘Sponsored’ badge, more

Among other changes in Android’s Google System Updates for August, the Play Store is changing all of its ads to now read as “Sponsored.”

Update: The latest patch notes point to improvements in emergency situations and an expansion of Google Wallet.

Many of the best parts of Android – whether running on your phone, watch, tablet, or car – are handled by a core set of Google apps and services that the company has dubbed the “Google System.” The Play Store delivers apps and updates to your device and is also responsible for the occasional Play System Update that keeps core Android components updated without a major system update.

Meanwhile, Google Play Services handles the “smarter” side of smartphones, from background services for notifications and security to user-facing things like Google Wallet. More recently, Google has also lumped other apps into the Google System collection, adding the Android System Webview and the Pixel-only app Adaptive Connectivity Services. Each month, the company publishes a changelog for these apps, gradually updating it as the month goes on. Throughout August, we’ll keep an eye on these Google System Updates and explain what they mean for your Android device.

The easiest way to check whether you need to update Google Play Services on your phone is to follow a direct link to the app’s Play Store listing and update from there, if available. To update the Play Store, tap your avatar in the corner, then “Settings.” Under the “About” section, you’ll see an option to “Update Play Store.” Meanwhile, Google Play system updates can be found through the Settings app, under About phone > Android version > Google Play system update.

With August now underway, Google has started up its listing for the August 2023 Google System Updates, albeit with only a few actual patch notes for now. Currently, the most notable detail is that the Play Store is changing the way it displays advertising content. Where there would previously be a small badge that says “Ads,” this is being updated to show “Sponsored.” This should make it even more visually clear that you’re looking at paid content rather than a traditional suggestion or search result.

The Play Store is also set to make it easier for users to report “illegal content” and for developers to track “user sentiment” – a broad look at how an app’s users feel about the app based on reviews – across Android Auto, Android TV, and Wear OS. All of these Play Store changes are set to roll out with version 37.

Update 8/24: Google’s updates for August have cropped up quite a bit slower than in months past, but that may have something to do with the upcoming launch of Android 14, which could happen any day now.

First up in this batch, the latest Google Play Services update should make it easier for first responders to locate Android phone/watch users in emergency situations, with the goal of ensuring a rapid response time. This same update should also bring a new “Recommended” tab in “Google Settings,” which will feature a “static” list of options you may be looking for or that Google has chosen to highlight.

Meanwhile, your phone’s “Security and privacy” settings page should have recently gained “Unknown tracker alerts” – a precursor to Android’s upcoming Find My Device network – along with easy access to Google’s Password Checkup feature.

In Google Wallet news, the service should be launching soon in more countries and regions of the world, though the company did not specify which.

Additionally, as my colleague Abner Li explained in detail, the “Guest mode” of Chromecast devices has been disabled.

Google Play System Updates for August 2023

Account Management

• [Auto] Bug fixes for Account Management related services.

Device Connectivity

• [Auto, PC, Phone, TV, Wear] New developer features for Google and third party app developers to support Device Connectivity related processes in their apps.
• [Phone] Guest mode setting in Cast is now deprecated.

Google Play Store

• [Phone] Change ads badge text from “Ads” to “Sponsored” across all of the Play Store surfaces.
• [Auto, TV, Wear] Improve your ability to report illegal content and enable user sentiment tracking for apps and Play reviews.

Safety & Emergency

• [Phone, Wear] Improvements to Android Emergency Location Service to help call takers and first responders reduce emergency response times.

Security & Privacy

• [Phone] Integrate Password Checkup and tracker alerts into Security and privacy settings.

Support

• [Phone] Relevant snippets from help articles will now be shown directly in the Feedback flow.

Wallet

• [Phone, Wear] Adding wallet to additional countries.

System Management

• [Auto, PC, Phone, TV, Wear] Bug fixes for System Management & Diagnostics related services.
• [Auto] Updates to system management services that improve Privacy.
• [Phone] Improve the profile creation flow for a subset of Google accounts.
• [Auto] When TOS acceptance is required to use Google apps and services, guest users must also accept TOS at least once every 24 hours.
• [Auto, PC, Phone, TV, Wear] Updates to system management services that improve Privacy.
• [Auto] Updates to system management services that improve Media Support.
• [Phone] New “Recommended” tab with static feature recommendations in Google Settings.