Google Play is about to look a lot nicer on your Android devices

Google Play Store
A sneak preview of the new Google Play Store.

Google engineer Kirill Grouchnikov has spilled the beans on a major new visual overhaul coming to Google's Play Store on mobile - and reports suggest the refreshed look is now rolling out to users across the world.

As well as a slick new style inspired by Google's Material Design principles, the updated Play Store is going to make it easier for you to switch between apps (and games) and everything else on offer from the digital marketplace.

One of the most noticeable changes is the introduction of a highlights banner at the top of the screen, where Google will show off popular movies, games in a particular category, and so on. It looks like the colour scheme is much more obvious as well.

The Android Market, 2015 version

From the experiences of users who've seen the update go live, it looks like the change is happening on Google's side rather than as part of an app update - so if you don't have it yet just sit tight a little while longer.

The new look also includes the recently revamped Google logo and a switch to a horizontally scrolling navigation system, which presumably is going to make it easier to find all the stuff you want whether you're looking for Crossy Road or the first series of The West Wing.

Google hasn't said anything official yet but it seems likely that Grouchnikov got permission of some kind before leaking the shots online. How this is going to affect the Google Play Store on the web remains to be seen.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.