Security is, as it should be, a prime motivator when it comes to the addition of new features concerning any Google product or platform. When that platform is the Google Play Store, however, security takes on an even more critical role in protecting 2.5 billion users from the potential of malicious threats within 2.25 million available apps. Now, the investigative snoops at Android Authority have noticed a change in the code for the Google Play Store app that suggests a new filter could be coming soon which could see apps disappearing from search results and recommendations. The question, and one we have not got an answer to as of yet, is why?

As first reported by Stephen Schenck at Android Authority, the Google Play Store app for Android users has revealed some interesting secrets deep within the Android application package, or APK, code for version 43.7.19-31. It should be remembered, before I go any further, that such code is only indicative of forthcoming features and is no guarantee that they will end up in production.

It should be remembered, before I go any further, that such code is only indicative of forthcoming features and is no guarantee that they will end up in production. However, that said, such first-look leaks do often find themselves in the apps we actually use, and not before long, so it's intriguing to consider what could be behind this latest feature: the filtering of apps that link to external apps. According to the menu item that the leaked code revealed, this would enable users to apply to a Google Play Store filter that would remove apps from search results and recommendations if they meet the criteria.

Unfortunately, beyond "link to external apps" it's not at all clear what the criteria involves, how that linking is determined or, even, what the purpose for the Google Play Store app filter might be. There is no support documentation available, according to Schenck's code teardown, to give any concrete clues to the motivation behind this feature.

I have approached Google for a statement and will update this article in due course. However, in the meantime, I have to speculate that this could be a Google Play Store security feature. After all, executing an app that then redirects to an external source, another app, is a well-trodden path of malicious actors. There's a problem with this theory though, and it's a big one: if this were security-related move why would Google make it an option filter setting in the Google Play Store app rather than a mandatory one? Indeed, going further down this road, why would Google not bring in additional guidance to developers around such a security risk along with applicable consequences of falling foul of the rules? I suspect we are going to have to wait for either Google to get back to me with that statement or for the feature to appear in a future Google Play Store app release and follow the support documentation to find out.