Google to Take Aim at App Install Interstitials

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) said in a blog post that starting November 1, 2015, mobile web pages “that show an app install interstitial that hides a significant amount of content on the transition from the search result page” will no longer be considered mobile friendly.
As the post explains:

… sometimes a user may tap on a search result on a mobile device and see an app install interstitial that hides a significant amount of content and prompts the user to install an app. Our analysis shows that it is not a good search experience and can be frustrating for users because they are expecting to see the content of the web page.

Meanwhile, Wired has broken down the announcement in layman’s terms:

You follow a link on your smartphone to a website; LinkedIn, say, or OpenTable, or any of countless examples. Instead of the pleasant mobile interface you were expecting, you’re greeted by a prompt that asks if you’re sure you wouldn’t rather download the app. A tap makes it go away, but only until the next time you visit, at which point the assault continues afresh. This is bad. Google wants to make it stop.

Click here to read the full Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) blog post.