The Google Playstore and other App stores are hosting a variety of third-party apps ranging from games, utility Apps, configuration Apps, and messengers (IMs) among others. Usually, we want to download an app to solve a particular problem, enhance our device’s utility, connect with friends or better still entertain ourselves.
With so many Apps to choose from, in a particular category, it’s often very difficult to tell which one will be perfect in suiting our needs or which one is compatible with our Android devices.* The truth of the matter is that we can never tell with certainty which ones will be of use unless referred by a sincere friend who has used the app before.
*The information presented in this note is particularly written for Android apps from the Google Playstore. However, it is still useful in the case of selecting and installing apps from other app stores or platforms.
What about the case where nobody closer can testify to the app’s real ability and compatibility? That will be a challenge to select from many, an App that will just be perfect the way we need it. Don’t worry, app stores usually come with good systems (features) that always assist users in choosing the best Apps. Below, I am highlighting five (5) useful ways to select a good App on Google Playstore (which of course can be similarly useful, if not equally, on other app stores):
Search the target app
Do you need a particular game, messenger or any other app which you have not used before or added to your list of favourite apps (Wishlist)? There’s a Search section on top of the Google Playstore App when launched. Enter a keyword or phrase that forms part of the App’s name and search, the store gives feedback on the top Apps whose names contain a keyword or phrase that you searched. Take it from there.
Check the app user reviews
User review (star-rating) is an important feature in Playstore that allows app users to review an app based on the users’ experience. Users can always rate up to a maximum of five (5) stars (*****) on Google Playstore. According to Google Playstore, a one-star (*) rate means a user hates the app for one or more reasons while a five-star (*****) rate means the user loves the app based on a good performance. An app’s featured star rating is always an average of the total star ratings reviewed.
An app with an average user rating of 4+ stars will do well while those with 3- stars won’t help (according to my own experience). While the number of stars counts, the number of reviews also plays a very important role in determining the app’s performance as it determines the average stars earned by an App according to the number of users who installed the app.
What of the user comment?
Comments often come attached to user ratings where the apps; good abilities, compatibility issues and related problems are highlighted. These help the app developers to know areas of their app that need improvement. While this is more useful to developers, they also help new (future) users of the app get more information on the app’s performance before deciding whether to download (or install) the target apps. Always read the comments.
Read the app information
App developers (publishers) include useful information plus screenshots (which will be covered in the next point). These help new (future) users to learn more about the features of the app. Such information includes notes on the app’s makeup, usage, tutorials, size of the app (storage required to hold an installation of the app) and other useful links related to the publishers. Learning such information will tell you a lot about the app, helping you make installation decisions.
Don’t ignore the screenshots
Another useful feature of an app is its User Interface (UI). The UI is the app’s front-end interactive graphics. It is made up of how the app displays (presents) its content and depends on how the app was designed. The beauty of an app depends on a good UI.
Of course, the content and other important features are the primary concern but how they are aesthetically presented goes a long way to spicing up the user’s interest and experience. Checking the app’s UI screenshots will help you gain insight into the beauty of the app—an important feature too.
With these effective strategies and tips, you are good to go. If you have other tips to suggest, please feel free to add them to this article. Let’s read them in the comments section below.
