Google has started rolling out a new update to the Play Store recently. The update, as per the official changelog, introduces visual improvements in the apps and games categories within the search tab. However, there is one functionality that will be retiring soon. As mentioned by Google, the Share apps feature on Play Store is set to go away.

The Share apps feature is powered by Nearby Share and lets users share apps installed on their phones directly with others, without requiring an internet connection. It enabled quick app and game sharing functionality between Android phones. The feature can be easily accessed by navigating to Play Store > Profile > Manage apps & device > under the "Overview" tab look for "Share apps" button.

Notably, the feature only worked with free apps or games and not with paid ones or those requiring licenses. Also, both Android devices had to enable the Nearby Share feature and have the latest version of Play Store installed. Cut to now, the feature is retiring, and the official changelog for Play Store v44.1 says "Share apps feature on Google Play will be retiring."

It should be noted that features mentioned in the official Google System Release Notes don't arrive or get removed instantly. It may take weeks or several months for the changes to get implemented. In our testing, the "Share apps" feature is still available. Also, if the feature get removed soon, users will still be able to use the Files by Google to share Android apps in a similar way. All they will need to do is head over to Categories > Apps > then open the overflow menu and select which app they want to share.