Tag: google play store

App Store Publishers Reportedly Earn 60% Higher Than Android Developers

According to a new report by Sensor Tower research group, a significant gap was observed in the revenues generated between iOS and Android app publishers. This income disparity was noticeable by a large margin. In Q1 of 2019, the top 100 application developers for Apple’s App Store on an average earned 64% higher than its Android counterpart Google Play.

Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence uncovered App Store publishers earning an estimated amount of $83.8 million (approx. Rs.584 crores), whilst Android studios only garnered $51 million (approx. Rs. 355 crores). This survey was taken over the top 100 apps the Apple and Google platform. Both of these platforms have seen an annual growth of 12% from last years figures.

Gaming Apps

In the field of mobile gaming, the revenue gap was much smaller. However, App Store developers still held a large margin of lead with 48% over Android mobile game studios. Apple’s platform under this segment made $70 million (approx. Rs. 487 crores) to Play Stores $48 million (approx. Rs. 334 crores). This segment of gaming combined is still the largest revenue stream for the industry with the rise in popularity of mobile gaming.

Non-Gaming Apps

Furthermore, non-gaming apps paint a grim picture for Android. The gap between the App Store and Google Play app publishers is a massive 232% difference. Users from Apple spent an estimated $23.3 million (approx. Rs. 162 crores) in comparison to Android’s mere $7 million (approx. Rs. 49 crores). There is a revenue discrepancy of more than three folds. Notably, Apple does have a great advantage considering that Google services and Play apps are banned in China, the largest consumer of smartphone services

Also Read: Apple Recalls Older MacBook Pro Citing Battery Hazards

This essentially makes App Store a more profitable business venture regardless of the fact that Android is the more popular platform. It is reported that Android currently holds an estimated 75% of the OS market share whilst iOS holds just about 23%. Hence, although it should’ve been the other way around, various factors such as user preferences, demographics, and availability should be taken into consideration.

June 21, 2019
Google To Redefine App Ratings On Play Store, Emphasise On Latest Reviews

Google’s Play Store is a digital distribution service which houses millions of applications, games, books, movies and music files. It is used globally by several users of Android-enabled smartphones to download the aforementioned media. Now, in a bid to promote transparency in the ratings available for the applications on the Play Store, Google is changing how they work. At Google I/O 2019 developers conference, the search engine giant has announced it will now give importance to the latest rating given to an application to showcase its evaluation.

Google Play Store Ratings

According to a senior Google executive, the move is being done due to high public demand. She is further noted saying that the current system of rating in the Play Store uses the collective lifetime value of an application’s rating. The system is scheduled for a change later this year, wherein more emphasis would be given to the latest ratings for the application. The company claims this will reflect the developer’s hard work and efforts as any update can change how an app is perceived among users. For example, if an app that has had negative reviews gets updated and the experience is more refined, the ratings will give weight to the latest ratings, which were given after the update. A similar feature was provided by Apple around two years ago when it gave the developers of the App Store a choice; to refresh the ratings of an application after each update.

Also read: Upcoming Redmi Flagship To Feature An In Display Fingerprint Scanner & Great Battery Life

The latest update to the Google Play Store is expected to be a great change for the developers. However, in the last few weeks, reports of fake ratings on an app by a significant number of people have surfaced online. With the updated version of the Play Store, this can mean the ratings of the app would plummet significantly. While Google has not provided a release date for the feature, it will roll out by the month of August. For Android developers, the feature should be available for preview in their Play Store Dashboard starting May 8.

May 9, 2019
Google Will Require Android Apps To Support Android Pie In 2019
Google’s operating system Android has been really popular because of the millions of apps available on the platform. What also helps its case is the level of customisation Android devices offer. This includes the ability to sideload apps from third party sources. But, some of these sources have been known to spread spyware through bypassing the app permissions as they support older Android’s Application Programming Interface(API). Google in a bid to counter the problem, has announced that all the new apps submitted to the Play Store in the year 2019 will have to support the latest API level 28, that is Android 9 Pie.

What Does This Mean?

According to Google, over 150,000 applications have added support for runtime permissions in 2018. Shockingly, the feature was introduced back in 2016 with Android Marshmallow, which had the API level 23. This meant that these apps were capable of bypassing permissions altogether, creating a security risk. Google tackled this by mandating all new apps to support API level 26, which was in Android 8.0 Oreo. Updates to the existing apps also had to support the same API.

Google is updating these restrictions up a notch by mandating the app developers to update these apps to the latest API. Google Play Protect which was launched in 2017 is a security suite integrated into the Play Store. This service will be used to warn users of the apps not supporting the latest API. Here are the new timelines for the developers:
- August 2019: New apps will be required to target API level 28 (Android 9 Pie).
- November 2019: Updates to existing apps on the Play Store will be required to target API level 28(Android 9 Pie).
- By 2020: The target API level will increase annually.
Android will also use the Google Play Protect to warn the users if the app they are about to sideload targets to an API level older than Android Oreo (API level 26). It has also gotten the major Chinese application markets to comply with the new API levels on their app stores. These are from companies like Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Alibaba, and Baidu.

Also read: Samsung Will Finally Allow Users To Remap The Bixby Button

Google has said that 95% of the spyware target API level 22 (Android 5 Lollipop) or older, which creates a host of security issues. Notably, the Android platform gets monthly security patches, but some devices take a long time to be updated because of their respective OEMs. This leaves these devices vulnerable to new security threats. Therefore, this move is expected to make Android more secure.
February 22, 2019
Android Users Can Now Try Out Apps Before Installing Them With Google Play Instant

Google has launched a new service called ‘Play Instant’. It essentially allows users to try out apps and games before downloading or purchasing them. Users don’t have to download a separate app for this service as it blends in with the new Play Store app. The feature will be compatible with all Android devices.

This is another step by Google to save data and storage. The company recently announced Android Go as well. It is a much more toned down version of Android, meant to work on devices with less than 1GB RAM. The new service means that users can now try out new apps before wasting a lot of data. For people who are low on storage, they can analyse an app and decide whether they should free up space on their smartphone or not.

Android Go

While it sounds archaic to have a smartphone running out of storage, there are still a lot of people who use entry-level Android devices that have 8GB of onboard storage. For such people, Play Instant is a great service. Interestingly, there are a few games that are a part of this service right now. At the time of writing, Google had listed six games that can be tried out without installing.

Simultaneously, Google has also introduced the new Play Games app. While it doesn’t have a UI overhaul, it now features an ‘Arcade’ tab. This is where users can discover new games by watching trailers of new and old games. The idea is for Play Games and Play Instant to tie in together and allow users to try out every game. That, however, is still in a distant future.

March 21, 2018
Google To Brand Certified Android Devices With Play Protect Logo

Android security has always been a priority for Google and in order to offer a more secure and stable experience to the users, the company has introduced a Google Play Protect logo. Although, Google has been certifying Android devices for a while, but now Google will make it easy for potential buyers to identify Certified devices.

Today, Alphabet inc. announced that in a bid to make it easier for users to spot a Google certified Android device, Google Play Protect logo will be put on the boxes of smartphones which are certified to adhere to Google’s Android security and permissions model.

Google certified Android devices come with latest security updates, automatic virus scanning and support Google’s Find My Device feature. Many Android devices are already Play Protect-certified, but this program will ensure additional safety and security. To identify the Google certified device,users will just have to look for the Google Play Protect logo on the packaging.

The company blog stated that , “When you shop for a new Android phone or tablet, we recommend asking for a certified device or looking for the Google Play Protect logo on the box, to make sure it brings the benefits of certification and additional layers of security provided by Play Protect.”

Google Play Protect runs compatibility tests to verify that the authenticity of the pre-installed Google apps. Furthermore, Play Protect is trained to look for harmful apps based on scans of 50 billion apps each day. Each and every app is analysed before being available on the Play Store. Google previously offered the same feature within Android, labelled as “Verify Apps”.

Google has also released a list of certified partners, which, besides manufactures like Samsung, OnePlus, Nokia, LG, etc. include a number of lesser brands out of China. By rolling out the Play Protect branding, Google is making it easier for customers to recognise the devices that have been certified by the company.

August 29, 2017
Google To Launch Play Store In China Next Year

Google wants to launch a special version of its Play Store in China next year. Reports suggest that the company wants to launch a stand-alone version for the country in order to comply with their government’s censorship requirements.

Google has had a short and somewhat tumultuous relationship with the country. It left China in 2010 as a reaction to the Chinese hacking attacks and the government’s censorship requirements. However, with the new turn of events, it seems like the company is agreeing to comply with content censorship request, but will keep the Chinese version of the Play Store separate from the existing app store. This will be done so that the rest of the users located outside the country won’t have to comply with those specific censorship guidelines.

Even with Android being the most used operating system in China, many users do not have Google apps on their phone because of the above mentioned reasons. They currently use web browsers like Tencent and Baidu in order to access app stores from mobile phones. Therefore, hopefully with the introduction of the Google Play Store, things might change for the ‘techizens’ of China, and will inversely even help Google expand towards more areas of influence.

This app store can be expected to launch during the first half of 2016, sometime after the Chinese New Year in February.

November 21, 2015
A Revamped Google Play Store Coming Out Soon

Google is revamping its Google Play Store. A redesigned version of the Play Store began rolling out on Thursday and the changes are quite evident. The homepage has a whole new look to it with horizontal scrolling and improved search features.

One of the first things you’ll notice on opening the new Play Store is the two clearly divided sections: Apps and Games and Entertainment. Previously there were six categories, but now they will be found under these two major sections, which makes it easier to navigate. In the Apps and Games section you’ll find all your social media apps and games, and basically all your chart topping apps for your smartphone and tablets. In the Entertainment section you have your movies, TV shows, news, music, books, and more.

Image: Google

The search and discovery features also come with improvements. You’ll now get better recommendations and more relevant results based on what you’re looking for. Google promises an impressive selection and richer apps in the new Play Store.

The revamped Play Store also comes with a new header that gives room for latest and popular apps, games, movies, books, and more. You can scroll through the suggested apps right from your homescreen and find out what’s trending. It is likely that the apps will also show tailor-made suggestions based on the users Play Store downloads.

Current Version

The new Play Store update will roll out gradually to Android users over the next few weeks.

October 16, 2015
YouTube’s New Kid-Friendly App is Coming to Android Devices on 23 February

Google’s video-sharing service, YouTube is attempting to expand its user base by including the tech generation kids to its audience. The company announced in a statement that it would launch an app for kids called YouTube Kids app, which will have children specific content to create a safer environment for kids.

The new app will be an entirely separate division of the main YouTube service and will include age-appropriate content (videos, channels and playlists). YouTube Kids will feature a homescreen and will have eight options including kids TV shows and more. Kids can search for videos by typing in the standard search bar and can even browse through their voice.

Richard Goldsmith, Executive Vice President, Global Distribution and International Consumer Products at Jim Henson Co. said –

The app is extremely kid-friendly and features a variety of content, including several of our series such as Sid the Science Kid, Pajanimals, and Fraggle Rock.

Google has partnered with many content providers like DreamWorks TV, National Geographic and The Jim Henson Co. to provide content. Earlier this month, it acquired mobile application maker Launchpad Toys Inc., the developer responsible for building Toontastic storytelling tool, to help provide kids with more games and services.

YouTube Kids allow parents to have a control over the content and for how long will your child be watching a particular channel. The free app will be available on Android devices through Play Store from February 23, and meanwhile, it’s limited to just US kids. The company is expected to extend the service to other nations as well. The app would be appreciated by the parents who wanted to keep their kids away from the massive inventory of non-kids friendly content on Youtube.

February 20, 2015
Rovio Rolls Out Angry Birds Transformers for Android

As expected, Rovio Entertainment, makers of once-popular Angry Birds, has released Angry Birds Transformers for the Android platform. This means, the new Angry Birds game, about 129 MB in size, is now available for download via Google Play.

Announced back in June, this new mobile game is very different from the previous Angry Birds games, and features the popular Angry Birds characters running and using a range of different weapons hitting targets in the background including pigs, buildings and more.

In the latest title by Rovio, the birds and pigs have been transformed into ‘Autobirds’ and ‘Deceptihogs’ (inspired by Transformer’s Autobots and Decepticons), respectively. More of a run-and-gun shooting pastime, the game accomplishes what it sets out to do – provide Android users with an easy pick-up-and-play time killer. You control the attack of a chosen transformer which will blast the pigs in the background, as they balance on physics-based platforms.

The Angry Birds Transformers for Android is compatible with devices running on Android 4.0 and higher. The game also comes with in-app purchases. Last month, the company launched Angry Birds Stella globally, available on Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, BlackBerry 10 OS and NOOK platforms. In the Angry Birds Stella, Stella and friends try to save Golden Island from the villains, Gale and the wicked green pigs.

October 31, 2014
Nexus 9 Listed on Google Play Store in India for Rs. 28,900

Google on Wednesday announced three new devices, all attempting to enter a space which competitior Apple has enjoyed monopoly over the past years. Now, Google’s Nexus 9, the HTC-made tablet is “coming soon” to India.

The tablet has been listed on Google India’s Play store. It is not yet available but once it does, it will cost Rs.28,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and Rs. 44,900 for the 3G version with 32GB memory. Three official origami-inspired leather covers for the tablet have also been listed. They will be available in three color variants, Black, Mint Intiqo and Lime stone.

Google describes Nexus 9 as a tablet that “is for work and play, with its just-right 8.9-inch screen and front-facing stereo speakers”. Now according to insider sources, the company will be bringing the Nexus 9 to India by the 2nd week of December, which come in line with this listing.

Nexus 9 is a slim, sleek and sexy looking tablet. Its processing might is taken care by a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor clocked at 2.3GHz. It comes with 2GB RAM and is available in 16GB and 32GB storage variants. The device has an 8.9 inch IPS LCD display with 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a resolution of 2048×1536 and is covered in Gorrila Glass 3.

The camera at the rear will not do 4K video because it is just an 8 MP snapper, but its a wide lens and a great module. The aperture is f 2.4 and the sensor is a BSI sensor. For power you get a 6700 mAh battery, that should last you through the day and then some.

It weighs only 425 gm for the Wifi only and 436gm for the LTE variant, keeping it light and extremely portable. The tablet is easily held with one hand and the back panel feels great as well. The device is one of the first devices to run the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS along with the Nexus 6.

October 18, 2014
Google Play Store 4.9.13 with Material Design Comes To Your Phone

We saw material design at Google I/O and it was impressive with its minimalistic and clean user interface. Now Play Store Version 4.9.13 has been rolled out by Google and it has got the material makeover.

The new Play Store gets a visual makeover and this one does look more appealing. The app view especially looks much cleaner and better organized than its predecessors. The books, album and movie listing pages are much easier to move around in.

The material design elements, with drop shadows, add dimensional features to the interface which is fun to move around in. There is a lot of moving around that needs to be done as the bigger cover designs introduced by this update so that’s a tiny downer. Though the new animations and introduction of a lot more color, covers up that flaw.

Overall, this is a great new update from Google and we can’t wait for material design to now come to our phone and the entire Google ecosystem.

Our latest update is rolling out right now! We’re excited to share a sneak peek of what you’ll get in the coming days pic.twitter.com/k5BidxR4Vu

— Google Play (@GooglePlay) July 23, 2014

July 23, 2014
Google Play Store Version 4.0 Leaked

Google Play, previously known as the Android Market, has over 700,000 available apps and has seen over 25 billion downloads. The Google Play app design has come a long way over the years and it looks like a refresh is once again in the works. Droid-Life has posted some images and a video of the upcoming Google Play 4.0 app (4.0.16). While it seems that Google is still working on the fine details, the UI has been completely overhauled in a Holo-focused design with brighter colours (now matching what’s on Google Play), bigger icons and bigger pictures.

The settings pane has also been slightly changed around, making it slightly simpler to customize how items are displayed and downloaded.

The update is expected to be unveiled at this year’s I/O event, alongside an update to Android itself, either 4.3, or maybe even 5.0.

According to Distimo’s year-end review, Google Play experienced an aggregated daily revenue growth of 43 percent across 20 of the largest markets where the store is available.

To celebrate its success, and its first birthday, early this month, the Android shop offered users limited-time deals on music, movies, books, magazines, TV shows, and games.

The guys over at Droid-Life were kind enough to record a preview of Google Play Store 4.0, so without any further ado check out the video below.

[Droid-Life]

March 22, 2013
Google Allows Developers to Respond to Play Store Comments

Big news for small developers: regardless of size, presence or popularity, all devs can now respond to comments in the Play Store.

Way back in June of 2012, Google began letting developers reply directly to user comments in the Play Store. The one catch with that, this was made available only for a select group of developers, those sporting a “Top Developer Badge.” And well, flash forward back to the present day and it looks like this is now rolling-out to all developers.

Not only will this help establish better relationships between app developers and their customers, but it will also allow developers to provide feedback and answer questions to critical comments or concerns. Trevor Johns, developer programs engineer at Google, previously said that “conversations are meant to be two-sided, and facilitating discussion between developers and users will ultimately yield better apps, to the benefit of everyone.”

The feature doesn’t seem to have rolled out in full, though it should only be a matter of time before your complaints can be heard, and dealt with, in one fell swoop.

Google+ integration was also recently added to the Play Store, forcing members of the social network to post comments under a real name, opening up richer commentary and preventing troll culture from taking over.

January 11, 2013
Google Play Revenues Leap 311% In 2012, But iOS Apps Still More Profitable

Google Play seems to be going on one heck of a growth spurt. According to new stats, the Android app store is catching up to iOS fast.

Even though the Apple App Store is four times more profitable than Google Play, iOS can’t match Android’s revenue growth of 311 percent since January and 17.9 percent in the last month. These numbers are misleading, however, since Google started the year with next to nothing in its Play Store coffers, while Apple had already earned $4 billion from App Store revenue.

Most app revenue, on both platforms, unsurprisingly came from game publishers. Zynga and EA, along with Gameloft and Halfbrick (makers of Fruit Ninja) were among the top 10, but Japan and Korean owned eight of the top ten places for app revenue sorted by publisher on Google Play. iOS was more Western-focused, with Electronic Arts leading the way, though with over 950 titles on the App Store their lead is anything but shocking.

Though Apple still outstrips Google in terms of free app downloads by 10%, it’s interesting to see developers such as Go Launcher, makers of the insanely popular launcher alternative for Android, sitting at number four, ahead of big names like Twitter, Skype and WhatsApp.

Overall, the situation doesn’t look as grim for Google as it did a year ago. Users are paying for apps, although most are games, and total numbers of downloads are approaching App Store territory quickly. People are beginning to understand that Google has built itself a versatile and potentially profitable portal for app developers, and users are beginning to see the value in investing their money into it.

December 2, 2012
Scam! Fake Apple Apps Show Up On Google Play Store

In case you were browsing the Google Play Store and found supposedly Apple-made mobile apps inside, apps that would be usually found in its own App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch use, then you should probably stay away from them.

A said “Apple Inc” developer has uploaded a series of popular iLife and iWork applications in our beloved Google Play Store. These include Garage Band, iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers and Pages. The “apps” were just released in the Play Store with no announcement from Apple, making it seem like a very well-elaborated scam.

Not only does the developer’s name take Apple’s identity, but the developer’s website directs you to Apple’s homepage, the email is [email protected] and the descriptions seem rather convincing. To the unexperienced Android user, this may very well seem legit. But do you really think Apple would release such apps in their largest competitor’s app store? No way.

It seems some users have already paid for and downloaded these apps, so please beware.

Somebody at Google must have been tipped off because all of the fake apps have been removed. But the real question is, how did they get into the Google Play Store in the first place?

This is where Apple strict monitoring of the Apps they put up in the App Store is appreciated.

November 18, 2012