Google Play adds new metrics to help developers improve app quality

Google has unveiled a significant update to its Play Console, introducing a redesigned dashboard and new metrics specifically focused on app quality and performance. The announcement, made just two weeks ago on April 14, 2025, aims to provide developers with more actionable insights to enhance their applications across the Android ecosystem.

The update marks a substantial change to how developers can monitor their apps. According to Dan Brown, Dina Gandal, and Hadar Yanos, Product Managers at Google Play, the redesigned console "puts the most essential insights front and center," organizing metrics into four core objectives: test and release, monitor and improve, grow users, and monetize with Play.

This reorganization comes at a time when mobile app competition continues to intensify across global markets. For developers struggling to gain visibility and maintain user engagement, these changes could prove crucial for understanding performance issues that may be negatively impacting their applications.

The most immediate change users will notice is the completely revamped app dashboard. Rather than presenting metrics in a generic format, the new interface groups data according to specific developer goals, making it substantially easier to track the metrics most relevant to particular objectives.

For each of the four core objectives, the dashboard highlights three key metrics, giving developers a quick overview of app performance. This approach allows for more efficient monitoring and comparison of data over time.

According to the announcement, developers can now easily compare the performance of their latest production release against overall app performance. This feature aims to help quickly identify potential issues that might require attention. In one example provided, developers could see that their latest production release had a crash rate of 0.24%, representing a significant improvement over the 28-day average crash rate.

The redesigned console also prominently displays the status of the latest release changes at the top of the page, making it immediately clear when updates have been reviewed and approved. For teams using managed publishing, this provides clear visibility into when changes are ready to be published.

Personalized metrics and improved notifications

Beyond the default dashboard configuration, Google has added functionality for teams to track specific key performance indicators. The "Monitor KPI trends" section, located at the bottom of the app dashboard, allows users to select and monitor trends most important to their specific business needs.

This customization feature enables different team members within the same developer account to create personalized views focusing on metrics relevant to their particular roles and responsibilities. The system aims to reduce the time spent searching for specific data points across multiple console sections.

Notification handling has also received significant improvements. The newly introduced notification center, accessible from every page in the Play Console, consolidates important updates about developer accounts and apps. Particularly noteworthy is the ability to group notifications about similar issues across multiple applications, reducing clutter and making it easier to identify problems requiring immediate attention.

According to the announcement, notifications that are no longer relevant will automatically expire, ensuring the dashboard remains focused on current issues. Additionally, notifications will now appear within the relevant objective sections on the app dashboard, creating a more contextual alert system.

New quality metrics target app stability and battery consumption

A substantial portion of the update focuses on providing developers with deeper insights into technical quality issues that impact user experience. Google has introduced several new metrics and checks specifically aimed at improving app stability and performance.

One significant addition is the new "low memory kill" (LMK) metric in Android vitals and the Reporting API. This metric addresses a particularly challenging problem for developers: app terminations caused by memory constraints that occur without generating logs, making them exceptionally difficult to diagnose.

The LMK metric provides device-specific insights into these memory-related terminations, helping developers identify and address these issues more effectively. This improvement is especially valuable for games and other memory-intensive applications where unexpected terminations can severely disrupt user experience.

In addition to memory metrics, Google has partnered with major Android OEMs, including Samsung, to establish consistent benchmarks for technical quality across the Android device ecosystem. The first metric from this collaboration, excessive wake locks, has been launched in beta through Android vitals.

Wake locks represent a critical aspect of app performance, as they can significantly impact battery life when implemented incorrectly. According to the announcement, excessive wake locks are "a leading cause of battery drain, a top frustration for users." This new metric aims to give developers clearer visibility into how their apps are affecting device battery life, ultimately helping them create more efficient applications.

Google has also introduced pre-review checks for layout issues on different screen sizes, addressing a common challenge for developers. These checks help identify problems with edge-to-edge rendering and assist in preventing layout issues on large screens caused by letterboxing and restricted layouts.

Release dashboard improves issue prioritization

The release dashboard in Play Console now displays prioritized quality issues from the latest release alongside existing monitoring features like crash reports and ANRs (Application Not Responding errors). This integration creates a centralized view of issues affecting users, complete with instructions for resolving critical problems.

The quality panel at the top of the release dashboard provides a prioritized view of issues affecting users on the latest release, helping developers focus their attention where it's most needed. This approach aims to streamline the process of identifying and addressing the most impactful quality issues, ultimately improving user experience.

New metrics for store performance and user engagement

Google Play has also introduced new metrics focused on store performance and user engagement, according to Simon Thillay, an ASO (App Store Optimization) and App Growth specialist. In a LinkedIn post last week, Thillay described the introduction of "one and three quarters new metric" to the Developer Console.

The fully new metric, called "Opens," is defined as "the number of installed users on the latest version who opened your app from your store listing at least once a day." This metric provides insights into how effectively a store listing encourages existing users to reopen the application.

The "three quarters new" metric, "Store Listing Visitors," represents a refinement of existing analytics, specifically focusing on installed users who visit an app's store listing. This differs from the current "Returning Store Listing Visitors" metric available in the Statistics tab of the console.

Thillay suggests these new metrics will be particularly valuable when paired with Custom Store Listings and Deeplinks, enabling developers to better understand which store listings are seen by already installed users and craft more effective messages for re-engagement.

Upcoming improvements and platform focus

Looking ahead, Google plans to introduce new overview pages for each of the four core developer objectives later this year. These pages will help developers quickly understand performance in specific areas, showcase relevant tools and features, and list recommended actions to optimize performance, engagement, and revenue across all their apps.

To keep developers informed about these and future improvements, Google has created a "What's new in Play Console" page, where updates can be filtered by the four developer objectives. This resource aims to help teams more easily find and implement changes relevant to their specific workflows.

The overall direction of these updates suggests Google is increasingly focused on helping developers create more stable, efficient, and user-friendly apps across the Android ecosystem. As Kobi Gluck, Director of Product Management at Google Play, stated in a separate announcement on April 18, these updates are about "helping Google Play developers deliver better user experiences through improved performance insights."

Market impact and significance for developers

For marketing professionals working with mobile applications, these updates represent a significant shift in how app performance can be measured and improved. The new metrics and organizational structure provide clearer visibility into technical issues that directly impact user experience, retention, and ultimately conversion rates.

The focus on memory usage, battery consumption, and layout problems addresses some of the most common reasons users abandon applications. By making these metrics more accessible and actionable, Google is giving marketing teams additional tools to address technical barriers to user acquisition and retention.

Particularly valuable is the new ability to track how installed users interact with store listings, potentially opening new avenues for re-engagement campaigns. Understanding which store page elements drive existing users to reopen applications could help marketing teams create more effective update announcements and feature promotions.

The improvements to notification systems and the ability to customize dashboard views will likely increase cross-functional collaboration between marketing, product, and development teams. With different stakeholders able to monitor metrics most relevant to their specific objectives, organizations can more effectively align technical improvements with marketing goals.

For ASO practitioners, these changes reinforce the industry's movement toward more granular, audience-specific optimization. As Thillay noted, the updates indicate "the direction towards which Google is trying to nudge app marketers" – being "specific in who you talk to and what you tell them."

Timeline of Google Play Console updates

• April 14, 2025: Google announces redesigned Play Console dashboard and new metrics focused on app quality and performance
• April 18, 2025: Kobi Gluck, Director of Product Management at Google Play, publishes additional information on the updates
• Later in 2025: Planned introduction of new overview pages for each of the four core developer objectives
• Ongoing: Development of additional metrics and benchmarks in partnership with major Android OEMs

Google continues to expand its suite of developer tools, with these latest updates representing a significant step toward more actionable insights and improved app quality across the Android ecosystem.