But if you happened to miss both the 7.0.12 and 7.0.16 updates, then you’ll definitely want to take advantage of this new APK download. Likewise, if after downloading one of these two versions, you started experiencing a new issue with your Google Play Store, there’s a chance that the issue has been resolved in the Play Store 7.0.17 APK.
What’s new with Play Store 7.0.17?
We haven’t been able to find any noticeable changes for ourselves, and so far no one is reporting anything they’ve noticed online, either. So it’s fairly safe to assume that Play Store 7.0.17 is one of those updates that are released after only a few minor “behind the scenes” changes have been made, usually bug fixes or other changes to improve the app’s performance.
That being said, there are some interesting things changing in the Play Store and Google as a whole which do not appear to be directly related to the version of Play Store (although there is likely a minimum version required to see these changes). The biggest news is for Android users in India, where Play Store has made two very significant changes: a data saving modification for Chrome and Google Play Store, and the addition of a music section to Google Play.
Significant changes of Play Store in India
Data saving modification
This first change for Indian users will be very useful if you live in an area where Internet connections tend to be spotty. Both Play Store and Chrome are apps that can be data-hungry, and in the absence of a stable Wi-Fi connection, the costs can add up quickly.
So Play Store 7.0.17 (and possibly other recent updates) will give these users a new data-saving feature, which will make Play Store and Chrome download certain static pages in the app while Wi-Fi is available so that it doesn’t have to reload them again after the connection has been lost.
Addition of a music section to Google Play
Android users in many countries worldwide have enjoyed Google Play Music for years, but India was not one of those countries – until today, that is. Finally, Android users in India have access to their own Play Music store, although the streaming/radio features that come with a paid plan have not been implemented yet.
It’s not entirely clear whether this music store will automatically appear upon installing the Play Store 7.0.17 APK or if it’s a server-side change that will be rolled out gradually.
Other Google Play Store news
We also reported a couple weeks ago that the Play Store appeared to be experimenting with a new feature in its app reviews section designed to give users more specific and valuable information before deciding to download a new application.
This change, now being called “Top Features”, was not officially announced by Google and it was assumed to be in beta and could potentially disappear at any moment. But it seems that it is growing, and more and more users are reporting having access to this in their Play Store.
Basically, “Top Features” asks a few “yay or nay” questions to users when they go to review an application in the Play Store. The percentage of thumbs-up responses to each of the features asked about will be displayed on the app’s page so that other users can easily see whether the app will suit their needs or not.
This feature does appear to be server-side, so downloading the Play Store 7.0.17 APK is no guarantee that you’ll get access to it, although I suppose there’s a chance that it will increase your odds.
How to download Play Store 7.0.17 APK
If you’re interested in downloading the latest version of Play Store, all you have to do is check that “Unknown sources” is enabled in your Android security settings, download the Play Store 7.0.17 APK file using the link in this post, save the file, and then open to install.
This is the unmodified, original app file straight from Google, exactly as if your device had gotten it through its own automated updates.