There’s a new little text box for Android app developers to worry about now, with Google set to add an extra tab to the Android Market listings. The box will inform Android users what’s new, different and less broken in the newest version of the app, telling us if we need to hurriedly install the update immediately – or if it can wait until we’re at home on the wi-fi.
A changelog, basically. The Android Market will soon feature a changelog. At the moment all we get is the little version number details and an estimate of download numbers. Here’s Google’s explanation of the change:
The recent changes feature provides an opportunity for you to add notes about the changes specific to the newest version of your application. Use the recent changes field to inform your users about the changes in your application.
Recent changes are linked to each app version, so with each update, you must submit items to the recent changes field. We recommend that each recent changes update is specific to the app version; previous changes will not be displayed to the user at this time, but may be visible in the future. Furthermore, the recent changes field (unlike the app description) have no impact on the search index, i.e. it will not impact the search results for your app.
In the Market app, these notes will appear under the app Description as “Recent changes”.
So don’t expect to see it on every app straight away – it’s something for app-makers to insert when they next push out an upgrade, like the old SD card app-saving tool. Thanks to the ever-reliable Mr Chaz for the tip.
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