What you need to know
- Google is said to be testing a new “Search reviews” feature in the Play Store, allowing users to look up specific keywords inside app reviews.
- Instead of sifting through random or generic reviews, users might soon be able to pinpoint feedback on specific topics.
- The feature isn’t live yet, and there’s no confirmed rollout date, but it's safe to assume it might debut gradually in select regions before a broader release.
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Google might finally make browsing reviews of Play Store apps a whole lot easier, if a new report is any indication.
As spotted by the folks at Android Authority, a new “Search reviews” string has appeared in the Play Store's latest version (48.7.17-31), suggesting that Google might soon introduce a long-overdue feature allowing users look up specific topics within app reviews.
If this change makes it to a public rollout, you’ll be able to search for exact terms to find user feedback relevant to what you're trying to figure out, instead of scrolling or relying on broad filters like “critical” or “positive."
Code spotted in the Play Store app has also surfaced a new flag called AllReviewsPage__enable_search_bar. Although it’s not live yet, this seems like a practical upgrade to the way users make use of reviews. Rather than sorting through random feedback, you could narrow down on what's important, like performance on your phone or offline features.
Currently, the Play Store only lets you sort reviews by star ratings or a few general categories. This setup often leads to long hours of scrolling through many unrelated posts.
It's a game-changer for decision making
The search feature could save users a lot of time and frustration. For example, if you're looking for the best photo editing apps on the Play Store but couldn't decide which one to download, you could type certain topics like “offline” in the search field to see if others confirm it works without internet.
That said, it remains unclear when or if this capability becomes public. It’s possible this feature could show up first for select users or regions as part of a staged release, which is standard for Play Store updates.
It’s also not clear how advanced the search will be. We don’t know if it will scan reviews in different languages or offer advanced filters. As noted by Android Authority, the interface hasn’t shown up yet, so it’s currently unknown where we'll potentially see the search bar.
While the Play Store’s review system is a great source of actual feedback, some users may find it hard to use in its present state. This might change with a search tool, so users can find useful answers, like whether a game works on their device.
