What the new block of apps on top of the Google mobile search results means

As you have probably seen, when you try to search for an app recently on Google from your mobile device, you will see something like this:

Of course, it’s not labeled as an ad nor it is an organic result, so WTF is it?

Basically, it means that Google Play cannot compete into the organic results. A site like Upotodown.com is more usable, more accesible and much more open. So they thought:

Google: «Shit, too many people are clicking outside of our own market!»

Google: «Let’s put a fucking ugly huge block of apps on top of the organic results.»

If this is not enough, Google is flagging other sites as «dangerous» in Webmaster tools, despite their own service, @virustotal, saying they are completely safe. So, if it is not Google Play, it is bad. This is the strategy to force users to move to their service, as we have seen in other Google products, like G+.

Luckily, more than 60 million users still trust Uptodown every month to get their apps and believe that Android should be open, diverse, accessible and not another Apple Store.

Thanks @google, @Android, @GooglePlay for your fair play and openness.