The Play Retailer is formally 10 years outdated, and Google is keen to mark the event. On high of a brand new emblem consistent with the tech big’s present aesthetic (see above), there is a promotion beginning July twenty fifth that gives 10 instances the same old Play Factors to rewards program members who make purchases.
Google launched the Play Retailer in 2012 to unify all its on-line shops of the period underneath a single umbrella: Android Market (apps), music, e-books and movies. You would successfully purchase something Google provided by means of one web site or a handful of apps. For some time, you may additionally store a digital newsstand and {hardware} merchandise like Nexus gadgets and Chromebooks. The service has unsurprisingly been fashionable given its significance to Android, with over 2.5 billion folks utilizing the shop each month throughout 190 international locations.
The anniversary comes because the service is evolving. The corporate rebadged Play Newsstand as Google Information in 2018, and wound down Play Music in 2020 because it completed transitioning to YouTube Music. This yr, Google is pulling the Motion pictures & TV part to place its content material within the TV app. The Play Retailer remains to be intact, however it’s significantly extra targeted than it was a decade in the past.
The Play Retailer has additionally endured its share of controversy. Whereas the Play Shield anti-malware system and information security listings have made the shop extra reliable than in its early days, there are nonetheless occasional cases of shady apps dodging Google’s screening system. Google has additionally drawn flak for its insurance policies. Fortnite creator Epic Video games and others have accused Google of stifling the usage of third-party fee programs, and even blocking producer offers. Google even tightened its insurance policies this June, requiring {that a} host of apps use the Play Retailer’s billing system.
The European Union partly reversed that strategy with laws requiring entry to third-party fee platforms. Different regulators have demanded comparable modifications. As necessary because the Play Retailer has been to Android and Google as a complete, there’s an opportunity it should lose a few of its clout within the years forward.
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