The Google I/O logo is seen on the stage prior to the keynote speech at the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco
The Google I/O logo is seen on the stage prior to the keynote speech at the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco June 25, 2014. Reuters/Elijah Nouvelage

The new Material Design theme that Google spoke of at length at its I/O Conference in June has started to make its presence felt in the Play Store. The change has been introduced as part of the update that bumps the Play Store to version 4.9.13. However, the changes are to be seen on only the app pages and the details section and does not imply to the length and breadth of the Google Play Store. This is more evident in the home page where changes, if any, are minor at best.

Among the changes introduced include heavier reliance on animations and images that now have been pushed to greater prominence, claims AnandTech. What becomes evident right away in the app page is the change of background colour from grey to white. The various sections of the app pages, too, have been re-arranged with the idea to provide the user maximum information that earlier would have required a few more clicks, AnandTech further revealed in its report.

With the changes incorporated, users can now view app description in full screen mode. The change log is visible, too, though for now, this is applicable to only those apps installed in users' devices. Other information that are included within the full screen mode include the version number, last update time and number of time the app has been downloaded, mentions 9to5Google.

The first thing that catches the eye when in the app page is the greater prominence of images associated with the app. The same goes to video trailers that are now prominently displayed a the top whenever applicable. Overall, the page is also more colourful with the ratings now being colour coded, something that also aids in easy comprehension. Similarly, +1s now have greater prominence than before, as 9to5Google points out.

However, it's still a work-in-progress thing, so there could still be some changes introduced before the final Material Design makeover arrives, warns AnandTech. The report also speculated it could be closer to the launch of Android L sometime this autumn that users can expect things to emerge in its concrete shape.