We’ve all come across apps on the app store that seems great at first glance. Alas, we make the mistake of installing them and, after a few minutes of use, we inevitably uninstall them for not fulfilling the task you wanted to perform with them. Microsoft is hoping to solve this problem by allowing users of Windows 10 to test apps before installing them on their devices via playable ads.
Microsoft just announced the support for Playable Ads to Windows which will let users click a promo to test the app. The full app will then be streamed to the user’s device for three minutes, a time period Microsoft believes should be enough to verify the app’s usefulness without actually completing all the tasks you need it for. If you like what you saw in those three minutes, you can click a Windows Store link after the trial period to install the app.
Currently, a preview of the feature is available on the Windows Dev Centre. Playable ads have many advantages over regular ads, including letting users experience the app live before installing it. Furthermore, users will not leave the current app context after an ad click since these are inline expandable ads. Users can also abandon the app stream at any point of time based on the quality of the app. When it comes to gaming, developers can create an engaging experience during the first few minutes of a game to better explain its capabilities compared to the usual screenshots we see on the app store.
Furthermore, developers won’t have to go to any extra steps to create playable ads, other than clicking the “try now” button in the creative section of a new campaign on the Windows Dev Center.
Microsoft isn’t the only technology giant to introduce this feature. Google utilises a similar scheme with its Android Instant Apps feature. Android Instant Apps were revealed at the 2016 I/O conference, before launching publicly in January of this year.
