Google Play Chrome Extension

Pros

• Puts all your media and apps in one place
• Easy to navigate interface
• Very strong editorial curation

Cons

• Only works in the Google Chrome browser
• Not much value for non-Android users

If you want to download apps, movies, games, or music on your Android device, there's no better option than the Google Play storefront, and this extension gives you access to Google Play directly through your browser window. This is the official download portal for Android devices, and it's carefully curated by Google to make sure that it meets a decent bar of security and feature quality standards. That means that your selection might be a little more limited than other, third party, storefronts, but you can download apps and games with a lot more confidence. Anything available on the Google Play storefront is guaranteed to work just fine on Android devices, and it even filters out apps that aren't compatible with your particular version of Android.

Of course, if you want to make the most of Google Play, you're going to need to use Chrome as your main browser. While there's a lot of positive things to be said about Firefox and especially Microsoft Edge, you unfortunately can't access the Google Play store through them. But given just how good a browser Google Chrome is, you shouldn't need to worry too much about it. Of course, how much value you get out of Google Play is really going to come down to what you're looking to do.

For instance, do you plan on using Google Play Music to build your local collection? Or Google Play Video for renting or purchasing TV shows or movies? There's definitely an advantage here insofar as Google packs together pretty much all the entertainment you'd want to download into a single extension, but a lot of users might not find much use for video and music hubs. That's not to say that there's not value here, but streaming apps like Netflix, Kindle, and Spotify have definitely had a significant impact on the value of it. The app store, by contrast, is going to be significantly more valuable to anyone with an Android device. Unless you're looking for some specific app that isn't officially certified, you'll find it here.

In fact, that certification process is one of the biggest selling points of Google Play. Each of the major segments have a whole editorial team that tracks the best new releases as well as highlights on old classics, and the organization process makes it really easy to figure out anything you might be looking for. And since this version of the Google Play Store runs straight in your browser, you can browse comfortably on your computer and just add apps, music, books, or videos to the download queue for your smartphone. The fact that this store gives you access to all the media you wants is a pretty clear selling point, but it's further bolstered by how good the editorial team is. Google will even track the sort of downloads you've made in the past so that it can provide you with smart and algorithm driven suggestions for what you might want to download next.

The editorial reviews have an obvious appeal, but they only provide you with one view on what you're looking at. The good thing is, there's a really robust community of fans who provide better context to the quality of apps and media. Even if you're looking at an obscure title, you can be confident that there will probably be at least one review. And while some fake reviews will slip through the cracks now and again, Google does a pretty good job of verifying reviews to make sure that everything's on the up and up with review quality.

Adding more value to the Google Play extension is Google Play Pass. This subscription service allows a whole library of free games 24/7, with new options added to the catalog with some regularity. As the mobile alternative to services like XBox Game Pass and Playstation Now, it's well priced, and the Google Play extension makes it easier for you to pick out the games and applications that are best suited to you. Even cooler, some of these apps have cross compatibility, so you can readily sync them up on both your computer and your phone at the same time.

That cross compatibility is easily one of the biggest advantages we think that Google Play has to offer. All of your devices can have access to the same pool of downloads, rentals, and purchases, and you can expand that even further by making the most of your family library. Here, you're capable of sharing your downloads with your entire family, as long as they're linked to your account. Since you can readily manage all of your subscriptions through the Google Play extension, it's much easier to handle all of your app and media management through a single hub.

If you aren't already invested in the Google ecosystem, the Google Play extension probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But if you find management through your phone to be overwhelming - or you're looking for a single hub that can handle all of your media - it's one of the most sensible choices around.

Pros

• Puts all your media and apps in one place
• Easy to navigate interface
• Very strong editorial curation

Cons

• Only works in the Google Chrome browser
• Not much value for non-Android users