Google Play store listing reports: clicks, CTR and the 2026 changes
Since mid-2026, Google Play Console reports store listing performance as <strong>unique clicks</strong> on the Install, Open or Pre-register button rather than completed acquisitions, and shows a <strong>click-through rate</strong>: the share of store listing visitors who clicked one of those buttons. Google also changed how it counts visitors, which it says lowered visits on average from <strong>July 10th, 2026</strong>. If your visitor numbers dropped in July or acquisitions disappeared from the listing report, this is the likely reason. Completed installs are still reported, on the Grow users overview page and in Statistics.
Store listing reporting before and after the 2026 update
From Play Console Help 9859173 and 6263332 and Google Play Console «What’s new», read 28 September 2026.
| What Play Console reports now | |
|---|---|
| Main metric | unique users who click Install, Open or Pre-register on your listing (from June 2026) |
| Rate | click-through rate: share of store listing visitors who clicked one of those buttons |
| Report focus | user intent (clicks) rather than successful outcomes (acquisitions), from July 2026 |
| Visitors | counted once per day and per dimension; new methodology lowered visits on average from July 10th, 2026 |
| Indirect clicks | each piece of content a user interacted with on the way gets a click |
| Completed installs | on the Grow users overview page, in Statistics and in downloadable reports |
| Time zone | acquisition and retention data in Pacific Time, refreshed daily |
What changed in 2026
Google’s help page says that from June 2026 the primary store listing metrics are based on unique clicks: unique users who tap Install, Open or Pre-register on your listing. From July 2026, the store listing performance reports focus on that intent rather than on completed acquisitions. Google’s announcement adds two things: a click-through rate is now the interaction metric across all content, store listings included, and indirect clicks are counted, so if someone interacts with several pieces of content before converting, each gets a click. In short, the listing report now measures whether your page persuades people to tap, not whether the install finished.
Why your store listing visitors dropped
Google says it improved its visitor methodology, and that this lowered visits on average, visible in Play Console from July 10th, 2026. A drop starting around that date is therefore not by itself a sign that your listing or ranking got worse; compare periods after the change with each other rather than with June. How a visitor is counted matters too: a user is counted once per day and per dimension, so someone who arrives through search and later the same day through a direct link counts twice when you split by source. Store listing visitors are users who opened the listing on the Play Store app and have not installed the app.
Reading click-through rate and traffic sources
Click-through rate is the percentage of store listing visitors who clicked Install, Open or Pre-register, so it is the number your icon, screenshots, short description and feature graphic move directly; see the Google Play feature graphic, screenshot sizes and short description limits. The listing conversion analysis page can be filtered by traffic source, store listing, country, language, UTM source and campaign. Play Store (Organic) covers people who found you by searching or browsing the Play Store; Tracked channels (UTM) are visitors from a UTM-tagged link; Third-party referrers are visitors from an untagged deep link. Tag every link you control so it lands in the tracked bucket.
Where to find completed installs
Acquisitions did not vanish: Google points to the Grow users overview page, Statistics and downloadable reports for completed actions such as successful acquisitions. Acquisition and retention data use Pacific Time and refresh daily, and Google hides figures below certain minimum thresholds, so a small app can see gaps on quiet days. To test what lifts the click-through rate, run store listing experiments; to give one audience its own page, use custom store listings. The iOS side of the same questions is in App Store Connect analytics.
Where Censuus fits
A tracked link shows you which outside source brings visitors to your listing. Censuus is one such source: it ranks apps by the real visit traffic they draw, and adding your app is free on the submit page. Sponsorship raises placement and adds a followed link to your website; details are on the sponsor page. For the full plan, see how to market an app. We do not promise installs or store rankings.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my Google Play store listing visitors drop in July 2026?
Google changed how it counts visitors; it says the new methodology lowered visits on average, visible in Play Console from July 10th, 2026.
What counts as a click in Play Console store listing reports?
A unique user tapping Install, Open or Pre-register on your store listing. Since mid-2026 these clicks, not completed acquisitions, are the primary store listing metric.
How is store listing click-through rate calculated?
It is the percentage of store listing visitors who clicked Install, Open or Pre-register.
Where are acquisitions shown in Play Console now?
Completed actions such as successful acquisitions are on the Grow users overview page, in Statistics and in downloadable reports.
Guides for app developers
- How to market an app: a stage-by-stage plan
- Free app promotion sites, checked for dofollow
- App store optimization checklist: what Apple and Google actually say
- App launch checklist: iOS and Android, step by step
- How to find beta testers for your app
- How to get more app reviews without breaking the store rules
- How to get your app featured on the App Store and Google Play
- App Store and Google Play screenshot sizes: what you must upload
- How to promote an app on Google Play with Play Console’s own tools
- How to promote an iOS app with App Store Connect’s own tools
- App Store keywords: how to fill the 100-character field
- How to market a fitness app: what Apple and Google let you claim
- How to market a kids app: the store rules that shape it
- How to market a finance app: the store rules to know first
- How to market a dating app: the store rules that shape it
- How to market a subscription app: what the stores require of your offer
- How to market a mobile game: the store rules that shape it
- Apple Ads MCP: connect an AI assistant to your campaigns
- How to promote an app on TikTok with creators
- How to promote an app on YouTube with creators
- How to market a VPN app: the store rules to know first
- How to market an AI app: the store rules that shape it
- How to localize your App Store and Google Play listing
- Android vitals and Google Play visibility: the thresholds that hide apps
- App Store and Google Play age ratings: what drives them
- App Store privacy labels and Google Play Data safety: what to declare
- Common App Store rejection reasons and how to avoid them
- How to get the first users for your app
- App preview video specs: App Store sizes, length and rules, and the Google Play video
- App Store custom product pages, and the Google Play version
- App icon size for the App Store and Google Play
- App Store phased release and Google Play staged rollouts
- App Store subtitle and promotional text: limits and how to use them
- Google Play feature graphic: size, placement and rules
- TestFlight public link: set it up, limit it, and fix it when it does not work
- App Store promo codes and offer codes: how they work and their limits
- App Store A/B testing: product page optimization and Google Play experiments
- App Store in-app events: limits, badges and media sizes
- App Store Connect analytics: what each metric means
- Google Play target API level requirements for 2026
Put your app in the ranking
Censuus ranks apps by the real visit traffic they draw, no bots. Listing is free; sponsorship raises placement.