Google Testing Ads That Let You Try Mobile Games Before Downloading Them

Sometimes, a mobile game may catch your eye — all bright, blinking, beguiling colors — but after you’ve downloaded it, it turns out to be rather… meh. Yes, you can simply delete it from your phone easily enough — but if wasn’t a free game, that might smart a bit. In an attempt to defeat downloader’s remorse, Google is playing around with ads that would allow folks to try games before they’ve taken the leap to install them on their mobile devices.

The launch of “Trial Run Ads” follows Google’s earlier announcement that it would allow search engine users to stream content from inside apps on their phones with a new “app streaming” feature. The new ads would let users play a game for about a minute before deciding whether or not they’ll download it, the company’s director of mobile ads Sissie Hsia and product manager Pasha Nahass wrote in a blog post.

Advertisers will only pay once someone has clicked on the install button, instead of every time someone tries the demo game, a Google spokesman told AdAge. And it’s a win-win for those in the game business as well as customers, Google says.

“The immersive demo increases the likelihood that an install is coming from someone who enjoys playing the game,” the post reads. “Users get a taste of the game before going through the download process, and the app developer attracts better qualified users who’ve chosen the game based on their experiences in the app.”

While having the ability to keep your phone’s storage free of clutter with apps you’ve regretted downloading could be a plus for users, those concerned about eating up cellular data will want to make sure they’re on a WiFi connection when streaming the demos.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist