Google has announced “a significant update” to the Android Market, including changes for developers and a new handset client which will roll out to all devices running Android 1.6 or higher over the next few weeks – the lion’s share of Android devices. Against a backdrop of criticism about ease of use of the store, the changes are said to “introduce important features that improve merchandising of applications, streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, and make it easier for developers to distribute their applications.”

The update sees the introduction of a new carousel on the home and category screens, enabling users to “quickly flip through the carousel to view promoted applications and immediately go to the download page for the application they want.” The company has also introduced new categories for widgets and live wallpapers, stating that developers have been “very active” in creating these types of products. Android Market is also to gain more categories for popular applications and games, and the app details page now includes a “Related” tab, making it easier for users to find similar products.

Another widely discussed update has been changes to the refund policy, with Google now stating that it will reduce the refund window for apps to 15 minutes, from the 24 hours supported previously. It said that most users requesting a refund do so “within minutes of purchase,” and the new model also stops users from buying apps, using them for a period of time, and then requesting a refund.

In order to improve the “browse-to-purchase” process, users can now access information about an application from a single page, without the need to navigate across different tabs. The company is also introducing content rating, to provide users with more information about apps.

Other features introduced include support for device targeting based on screen sizes and densities, as well as on GL texture compression formats. The maximum size for .apk  files on Android Market has been increased to 50MB, “to better support richer games.”

The company also promised further developments “in the coming weeks and months.”