Have you ever read about a cool new app that just got announced, and thought it would be really cool to be notified when it becomes available?

Well, Google is apparently making that happen, as according to Android Police some eagle-eyed Android users spotted functionality on Google’s Play Store that will let people register their interest ahead of upcoming app release dates.

The first Android app that will allow users to pre-register their interest is Glu Mobile’s Terminator Genisys: Revolution, which is due to come out on 1 June – the same time as the new film.

Users are not actually pre-ordering or pre-downloading the app like they can with console and PC games. Rather, they are setting up an internal Android Play Store notification as to when the app becomes available – a reminder to download, if you will.

“You are about to pre-register for (insert game name). Pre-registering means that you will receive a notification on your device when the app is released. You can unregister by clicking the ‘Unregister’ button,” is the message users will see.

Not all apps in the Play Store will have the pre-register functionality, as it will be entirely up to the individual publishers to include it. There is also no obligation from the user to actually download or purchase the app once it is available.

But why the functionality, you might ask? Well, by getting users to pre-register for a particular app, publishers will be able to gauge the level of anticipation and ramp up marketing closer to the actual release date.

[Source – Android Police]