“Google is constantly optimizing and tweaking its apps through various A/B tests, and the latest one for the Play Store has us scratching our heads quite a bit. We’ve noticed that the familiar and handy install button is disappearing for some in the Play Store’s search results, which means that you actually have to tap through to the full app listing to install an app. This behavior isn’t in place for all results and apps, though, making the tweak feel arbitrary and random…”
I’m in favour of this. When you search the Play Store, you need to skip the sponsored results before you can find what you’re looking for. This makes installing apps a much more deliberate action.
Plus, this way at least people have to navigate to the result page before being able to install trash on their phones. It increases the chances of users figuring out they’re looking at malware marginally, but every little bit helps.