It turns out that the Google Play Store was updated in the released/leaked version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, though not as the rumor and supposed ‘leaked’ photo originally indicated. Version 3.7.11 of the Google Play Store is not a complete overhaul, but it does include a feature that allows for the purchase of more content such as magazines, movies and TV shows directly on your device. Unfortunately, this content is not available in all regions. If the new content is not yet available to you, the upgrade won’t be entirely pointless: Supposedly the new version of the Google Play Store is also faster.

As the Jelly Bean ROM was dumped, developers from the XDA forum were able to extract the APK package updated store, which seems to work on devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. All you need to do is install the APK package, as you would normally sideload apps. You can download the package here (original link).

While it is possible that a future version of the Google Play Store will include a design overhaul, Google made the right choice in not copying the design and terminology of Apple’s online stores. The supposedly leaked picture looks like a last-generation phone UI, and would be a step backwards for Google.

I’d be a little wary of the prospect of installing a bootleg version of Google’s Store, of all things, but I have never heard of Google banning someone from their services because of a phone modification.

Did you install the updated version of the Google Play Store, or are you going to wait for the official release? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.