Google lets US users install personal AI Studio apps via Google Play without publishing

AIGoogle is expanding Ask Play into a general AI search tool that generates app and game recommendations, including comparison charts. A new Game Finder feature builds a Gamer DNA profile from Play usage data and matches users with players who have similar profiles. Google also plans to let users privately host and share their own AI-built apps in the Play Store.

AIGoogle says users in the US can now launch personal apps made with AI Studio directly through the Google Play Store, without connecting a phone to a computer. Google says these personal apps remain secure, private, and separate from the public store catalog, and that a shareable option for select people is coming soon. Google's Sam Bright, vice president and general manager of Google Play, says developers who want to share publicly can graduate to a professional developer account with the same Trust & Safety reviews.

AIGoogle says Android users can build an app with Google AI Studio and run it privately through Google Play, without listing it in the Play Store. The feature starts in the U.S. for users aged 18 and up, and the apps must still follow Google Play policies. Google plans to let creators share these apps with trusted friends later and to move popular ones to public listings after trust and safety review.

AIGoogle announced that anyone with a standard Google account can build personal Android apps in Google AI Studio without coding experience. The apps run on the creator's own device, launched from a private part of Google Play, bypassing the public Play Store, and can be shared directly with others. Building is free, and the author says she plans to use it to replace an ad-heavy medication tracker app.