# Google Play App Search API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/google_play/app-search)

> Returns a unified AppList of Google Play apps matching a keyword — title, icon, developer, rating, price/is_free, and store URL on every item, on the same canonical `App` shape used across every app marketplace (`app.store` = "google_play"). Detail-only fields (description, screenshots, installs) are null on search items; fetch /v1/google_play/app-info for the full record. Sourced from DataForSEO's task-based App Data API (first calls ~7-15s, then cached).

TL;DR: `GET /v1/google_play/app-search` costs 5 credits per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Search keyword (e.g. 'photo editor'). |
| `country` | no | Storefront country as a DFS location name ('United States') or numeric location code ('2840'). Defaults to the US. |
| `language` | no | Language code (e.g. 'en'). Defaults to 'en'. |
| `depth` | no | Number of results to retrieve (default 30, rounded up to multiples of 30, max 300). |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/google_play/app-search?query=photo%20editor" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I search Google Play apps with an API?

Send a GET request to /v1/google_play/app-search with a query parameter (e.g. query=meditation). The response is a unified AppList — each item has the title, icon, developer, rating, price, and the package name you pass to app-info.

### What fields does Google Play app search return?

Each result includes the package name (app_id), title, icon URL, developer name, score (average rating), rating count, price, and a free flag — enough to render a results grid or feed package names into the app-info endpoint.

### How is app search different from the listings endpoint?

App search runs a live keyword query against Google Play and returns ranked matches, like the store's own search box. The app-listings-search endpoint queries a stored, paginated database with filters and a platform-wide total instead.

### How much does Google Play app search cost?

App search runs on the advanced tier at 5 credits per call, since it fetches a fresh ranked result set from Google Play. New accounts get 100 free credits with no card, and an empty result is refunded automatically.

### Can I search Google Play by country or language?

Yes. Optional parameters set the storefront location and language, so you can search the same keyword across regions. Pass the package name from any result into app-info or app-reviews to fetch deeper detail.

See the full Google Play API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/google_play

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to search Google Play apps with an API
- What does the SocialCrawl Google Play app search API return?