> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://serpapi.com/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Google Play Store: How to Research the Market - URL: https://serpapi.com/blog/google-play-store-how-to-research-the-market/ - Published: 2025-04-15T22:09:06.000Z - Updated: 2025-04-15T22:09:06.000Z - Description: Step-by-step guide how to scrape Google Play Store to extract the app's permissions, version and so on with SerpApi’s latest features. - Author: Alex Kruglov - Tags: Google Play ## Introduction The Google Play Store is the most popular application marketplace for Android devices. It suggests thousands of different applications. Therefore, creating a new app that is better and more popular than existing ones has become much more challenging. Luckily, with SerpApi, you can conduct market research and refine your strategies for better success. ## Setting Up a SerpApi Account [SerpApi](https://serpapi.com/) offers a free plan for newly created accounts. Head to the [sign-up](https://serpapi.com/users/sign%5Fup?plan=free) page to register an account and complete your first search with our interactive [playground](https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google%5Fplay). You can make requests programmatically using your [Api Key](https://serpapi.com/manage-api-key). ## Find your competitors You're developing a new flashcard app that could transform the education market. But have you considered your competition? Use our [Google Play Store Api](https://serpapi.com/google-play-api) to find them. Simply visit [Playground](https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google%5Fplay&q=flashcards) or send a request directly from your IRB console. > For the rest of this guide, all examples will use Ruby 3.4.1 ```Ruby require 'net/http' require 'json' url = URI::HTTPS.build({ host: "serpapi.com", path: "/search.json", query: "engine=google_play&q=flashcards&api_key=#{API_KEY}" }) response = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(url)) applications = response .dig("organic_results") .flat_map { it["items"] } .tap { puts it.count } # => 20 ``` A lot of applications, right? And this is just the first page! Check out the [serpapi\_pagination](https://serpapi.com/google-play-api#api-parameters-pagination) values to get more. ## Extract details You've already gathered a lot of information here. You can group applications based on `rating`, `downloads`, and `price`. ```JSON { "title": "Flashcards Deluxe", "link": "https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.orangeorapple.flashcards", "product_id": "com.orangeorapple.flashcards", "serpapi_link": "http://serpapi.com/search.json?engine=google_play_product....", "rating": 4.5, "author": "OrangeOrApple.com", "category": "Education", "downloads": "100,000+", "price": "$3.99", "extracted_price": 3.99, "thumbnail": "https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/....", "feature_image": "https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/...", "description": "Flashcards Deluxe is an easy to use yet...." } ``` The good news is that SerpApi makes it easy for you to dive deeper using the `serpapi_link`. You can find the complete result description [here](https://serpapi.com/google-play-product-api). ```Ruby # lazy enumerator helps you avoid sending all requests immediately # and only fetch data when you actually need it # In the future, you can experiment with Threads to speed up scraping applications = applications.lazy .map { URI(it["serpapi_link"] + "&api_key=#{API_KEY}") } .map { JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(it)) } ``` ## About this app ![about_this_app.webp](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/2025/03/about_this_app.webp) With the latest update, you can now use these parameters: - `version` \- Research not only when and what updates were made (check `what_s_new`), but also determine whether it's a major or minor update. - `released_on` \- Check when the application was first released. - `requires_android` \- Find out the minimum Android version required. - `permissions` \- Review the permissions the app requires. ```JSON "about_this_app": { "snippet": "Flashcards Deluxe is an easy to use ....", "version": "4.72", "requires_android": "5.0", "released_on": "Nov 26, 2012", "updated_on": "Jan 28, 2025", "downloads": "100,000+", "content_rating": "Everyone", "interactive_elements": "Users Interact", "offered_by": "OrangeOrApple.com", "permissions": [ { "type": "Microphone", "details": [ "record audio" ] }, { "type": "Other", "details": [ "view network connections", "full network access", "control vibration", "Google Play license check" ] } ] } ``` > Sometimes, the `version` or `requires_android` keys are missing, which means the values are "Varies with device" ## Save the result While you can access your searches later using `search_metadata.json_endpoint`, keep in mind that we store this data for only 30 days, which may not be sufficient for in-depth research. > If you want to avoid your searches being stored, check out our [ZeroTrace](https://serpapi.com/zero-trace-mode) mode. Let's save our results to files forever! I suggest saving the entire results, as they contain a wealth of information you might need in the future. ```Ruby require 'date' require 'fileutils' # `Dir.home` returns the absolute path to your home directory base_dir = "#{Dir.home}/google_play_research/flashcards" applications.each do |application| app_name = application.dig("product_info", "title") app_dir = [base_dir, app_name].join("/") # Helpful when you need the scraper to execute daily timestamp = Date.today.to_s file_path = [app_dir, timestamp + '.json'].join("/") content = application.to_json # All necessary directories will be created if they don’t exist FileUtils.mkdir_p(app_dir) File.write(file_path, content) end ``` ## Run daily ### Launchd > You can also explore one of our [NoCode](https://serpapi.com/blog/making-a-hotel-price-tracker-with-google-hotels-and-n8n/#scheduling-searches) integrations, or even deploy your code to [AWS](https://serpapi.com/blog/scrape-google-search-results-with-python-and-aws/) using CloudWatch Events to schedule your Lambda function. For simplicity, this example will show how to schedule the job directly on your MacBook. [Launchd](https://www.launchd.info/) is Apple's recommended tool for managing background services and scheduled tasks. ### Test script Let’s create a simple test script to verify everything is working correctly before we start sending any real requests. ```BASH touch ~/google_play_research/scraper.rb ``` - `touch` creates a new, empty file. - `~` is a shortcut to your home directory. Now, open the file and paste in this small Ruby script: ```Ruby `osascript -e 'display notification "#{Time.now}" with title "Time"'` ``` This command will show a macOS notification with the current time. To test it, run the script from the terminal: ```BASH ruby ~/google_play_research/scraper.rb ``` You should see a notification pop up in the top-right corner of your screen. ![Screenshot 2025-04-07 at 01.44.57.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/2025/04/Screenshot-2025-04-07-at-01.44.57.png) ### Test Agent Let’s create our `Launchd` agent. Agents run on behalf of the currently logged-in user and will be responsible for scheduling our script. User agents should be placed inside the `~/Library/LaunchAgents` directory. We’ll use nano to create and edit the file: ```BASH nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/local.google_play_research.scraper.plist ``` Paste the following XML configuration into the editor. ```XML Label local.google_play_research.scraper EnvironmentVariables API_KEY e2653... ProgramArguments /opt/homebrew/opt/ruby@3.4/bin/ruby /Users/krugloff/google_play_research/scraper.rb StartCalendarInterval Hour 1 Minute 0 ``` > Initially, set the time to 5 minutes ahead of your current time. This will help you test if everything is working as expected. If the test doesn't work, try adjusting the `Hour` value. I've noticed that `Launchd` on my laptop uses a timezone that's 3 hours behind my local time. Once done: - Press `CTRL+O` to save the file - Press `ENTER` to confirm the filename - Press `CTRL+X` to exit the editor Don’t worry - nothing will run just yet. To run the job, use the following command: ```BASH launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/local.google_play_research.scraper.plist ``` At the scheduled time, you should see a notification appear in the top-right corner of your screen. > You can check the list of loaded jobs by running: > `launchctl list | grep local` ### Scraper Let's return to our scraper file and add the final script inside. ```RUBY require 'net/http' require 'json' require 'date' require 'fileutils' API_KEY = ENV["API_KEY"] url = URI::HTTPS.build({ host: "serpapi.com", path: "/search.json", query: "engine=google_play&q=flashcards&api_key=#{API_KEY}" }) response = JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(url)) applications = response.dig("organic_results") .flat_map { it["items"] } .lazy .map { URI(it["serpapi_link"] + "&api_key=#{API_KEY}") } .map { JSON.parse(Net::HTTP.get(it)) } base_dir = "#{Dir.home}/google_play_research/flashcards" applications.each do |application| app_name = application.dig("product_info", "title") app_dir = [base_dir, app_name].join("/") timestamp = Date.today.to_s file_path = [app_dir, timestamp + '.json'].join("/") content = application.to_json FileUtils.mkdir_p(app_dir) File.write(file_path, content) end ``` Then we will need to update scheduled time and reload our config. ```BASH launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/local.google_play_research.scraper.plist launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/local.google_play_research.scraper.plist ``` At the scheduled time, you should see the `~/google_play_research/flashcards` folder being created. This indicates that the scraper script ran successfully and produced the expected output. ## Research Imagine how valuable this information can be! You can refine the script to send notifications whenever the data you care about changes. Alternatively, you can collect data over time and create insightful charts to track trends. There are many questions you can find answers to, such as: - How often do your competitors update their apps? Do they release frequent small fixes or occasional major updates? - How quickly does an app reach 1 million downloads after its release? - Is it worth supporting Android 5.0, or is the user base too small? - How many permissions do popular apps require? Is it true that users prefer apps with fewer permissions? - Do your competitors frequently update their app descriptions to improve their marketing impact? - and more... ## Why SerpApi? ### Residential Proxies The biggest advantage is that SerpApi bypasses blocks from Google. It removes the need to figure out how to uses proxies, CAPTCHAs and which providers are good, and there's no need to maintain the parser if Google Play updates again. ### Speed Our goal is to extract information as quickly as possible, and with our [Ludicrous Speed](https://serpapi.com/ludicrous-speed) technology, we make it even faster (approximately 1-2 seconds per request!). > To meet the needs of applications requiring the highest possible performance, we have introduced a new feature: [Ludicrous Speed Max](https://serpapi.com/ludicrous-speed-max). ### US Legal Shield At SerpApi, we provide a "Legal US Shield": > SerpApi will assume liability of scraping and parsing search engine results for both domestic and foreign companies (— “Legal US Shield” —) unless your usage is otherwise illegal. You can read more about our Terms of Service and what is in included in the Legal US Shield [here](https://serpapi.com/legal). ## Relevant Posts You may be interested in reading more about our Google Play API, and other integrations we have. [Scrape Google Play Store App in PythonHow to scrape Google Play Store App information and user reviews data in Python without using browser automation such as selenium or playwright.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/icon/serpapi-favicon-61.png)SerpApiDmitriy Zub![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/thumbnail/ghost_thumbnail.jpg)](https://serpapi.com/blog/scrape-google-play-store-app-in-python/) [Scrape All Google Play App Reviews in PythonA step-by-step tutorial on extracting all Google Play App reviews in Python.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/icon/serpapi-favicon-62.png)SerpApiDmitriy Zub![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a5/00/a5004977-0dd2-4bcd-9292-dd0e05d4c59e/content/images/thumbnail/ghost_thumbnail-1.jpg)](https://serpapi.com/blog/scrape-all-google-play-app-reviews-in-python/) Go ahead and grab some ideas from them as well!