Google Play Starts Listing Streaming Game Trials With 'Try Now' Option

Google Play appears to be testing a new feature that will allow Android users to try out apps before reaching the decision to buy them. This feature is live only for a select audience right now in the US, and there is no official word from Google about it.

Few game apps are showing the 'Try now' button, right next to the Buy Now button, and pressing it gives you access to the game for ten minutes. In these ten minutes, you can stream the game on your smartphone and test it. This will allow you to then make an informed purchase decision. It tries to eliminate unnecessary buying, and to potentially persuade users to shell out cash after being tempted by the ten minute trial. Google has been working on similar features for a while, and app streaming was last seen in ads on Google Search.

As mentioned, a few users in US are able to view this feature in Google Play game apps, and the tech giant will presumably shed more light on this feature at its event in San Francisco in a few hours. According to a report by Android Police, this feature is still nascent and buggy and throws back unexpected errors. There is no limit to trials, and a user can do the ten-minute trial as many times as they want. However, once they exit a trial, they cannot pick it back up from where they left off, and will have to restart their trial from scratch. There is a floating menu in the trial stream that allows you to exit, get more info, and see the remaining time left.

It remains to be seen if Google makes this a widespread feature across all categories and regions. At the event tonight, Google is expected to make a slew of announcements, with the big highlight being the two new Pixel smartphones. Apart from that, Google Home smart speakers, new Chromecast Ultra, Daydream VR headset, and the new Google Wi-Fi router are also expected to be unveiled.