Now you can pre-register for upcoming Android apps in the Play Store
Google's latest Play Store tweak lets developers build interest before an app or game is released
In the gaming world, PC and console digital storefronts often have avenues for advertising upcoming games – and in many cases, you can go ahead and pre-order a downloadable game. Now Google is starting to take steps in that direction for Android apps.
Google now offers the ability to “pre-register” for an upcoming app or game via the Play Store, which essentially amounts to declaring your interest in the release. You’ll receive a notification when the app is available to download, letting you be among the first to grab it.
The first app in question is actually a licensed game: Terminator Genisys: Revolution from Glu. It’s a cover-based third-person shooter that looks a lot like last year’s Robocop reboot tie-in game, albeit with a bit more visual flash.
It’s a free game, so there’s no money changing hands, and there’s no commitment: you can unregister at any point. At this point, all you’re signing up for is a release alert, but we can imagine more advanced options down the line. For example, it’d be ideal if the app automatically downloaded once available, or if you could even pre-load the content and have it unlock at the right time.
For now, though, it’s just a painless process and a notification, although Google hasn’t yet started advertising this feature; if you didn’t search for Terminator Genisys, you probably wouldn’t know that pre-registration was possible. But hopefully this will lead to better discovery features in time – and not just for big developers and name brands, either.
[Source: Android and Me]
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Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
