Topic: google play store
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Google Play Store opens to third-party billing in US, UK, and Europe next week
Starting June 30, Android developers in the US, UK, and European Economic Area can offer third-party billing in Play Store apps, with a reduced 10% service fee on the first $1 million in annual earnings. After the $1 million threshold, fees increase for non-subscription transactions based on new ...
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Google Play Store now allows outside payments
Google is rolling out new billing options on the Google Play Store, replacing the flat 30% commission with a variable fee structure. The new "decoupled fees" depend on factors like when the user first installed the app, the developer's earnings, and whether Google's billing system or a third-part...
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Android app reviews now searchable in Play Store
Google has introduced a searchable review function to the Android Play Store, allowing users to find feedback on specific app features or issues by entering keywords. This feature addresses the previous difficulty of manually sifting through lengthy reviews, enabling more efficient assessment of ...
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NoVoice Malware Infects 2.3M Android Downloads
The "NoVoice" malware infected over 50 apps on the Google Play Store, which were downloaded more than 2.3 million times, hiding in utilities, games, and photo apps to steal data and install other software. Google states devices with security updates since "May 2021" are protected, and its G...
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Google gets 7 days to fix Play Store antitrust issue
A federal judge has ruled that Google is not complying with the spirit of its antitrust remedy order, citing unnecessary "anticompetitive friction" in how the Play Store surfaces third-party app stores, and has given the company seven days to fix the issue. The ruling stems from Google's 2023 ant...
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Fortnite Returns to Google Play Store on Android
Fortnite is now available for direct download on the Google Play Store in the U.S., ending a five-year period where users had to sideload the app. This reinstatement results from Google complying with a U.S. court injunction related to Epic Games' lawsuit against its app store policies. The retur...
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Judge orders Google to make rival app stores easier to install
Judge Donato ruled that Google must remove "anticompetitive friction" from installing rival app stores, including fixing Play Store search results that failed to show third-party stores and changing the "view" button to a direct "install" button. The judge ordered the removal of the "are you look...
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I ditched Google Play for apps - here’s what I use now
Google Play Store has issues with flawed app reviews, aggressive AI promotion, and ad-heavy apps, leading the author to prefer open source Android apps for their reliability, privacy, and lack of ads. SafeHaven is a privacy-focused alternative app store that solves the discovery problem for open ...
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Google Buys Play Store Developer Code to Train AI
Google is approaching select Android developers with a confidential offer to purchase their Play Store code for AI training, promising additional revenue while developers retain full intellectual property rights. The initiative, revealed by 404 Media through an anonymous developer, indicates Goog...
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Google Pixel's 'Now Playing' App Launches With Limited Access
Google is developing a standalone Play Store app for its Now Playing song identification feature, moving it out of the Android System Intelligence service to enable faster updates. The new app, currently exclusive to Pixel devices, will centralize settings and song history, mirroring Google's str...
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Google and Epic end battle, third-party Android stores launch next week
Epic Games and Google have abandoned their joint effort to retroactively settle the antitrust lawsuit, forcing Google to allow competing app stores within Google Play starting July 22. The court-ordered changes open the door for Microsoft to launch its long-awaited Xbox game store on Android, byp...
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Google Play adds Venmo payments in US, tests cash elsewhere
Venmo is now accepted as a payment method on Google Play in the US, allowing users to pay for apps, subscriptions, and tips using their Venmo balance, bank accounts, or linked cards, joining existing options like PayPal and card networks. Google is testing "Pending Transactions" in select markets...
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Google Updates Timeline for Android Developer Verification
Google will begin enforcing developer verification for apps distributed outside the Play Store on September 30, initially targeting Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand to combat rising malware and scam threats. The new system requires developers to pay a $25 fee and verify their identity; ...
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Google Pixel's Now Playing Launches as a Standalone App
The Google Pixel's Now Playing feature has been released as a standalone app, offering a refreshed interface and greater user control while remaining exclusive to Pixel devices. The new app allows for on-demand manual song identification and maintains a search history, moving beyond the original ...
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Samsung App Uses Sound to Reduce Motion Sickness
Samsung has launched a free Android app called Hearapy, which uses sound to alleviate motion sickness symptoms during travel. The app plays a 100Hz tone to stimulate the inner ear's vestibular system, aiming to synchronize conflicting sensory signals that cause nausea. It offers customizable sess...
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Sony Removes Low-Quality Games From PlayStation Store
Sony has removed another batch of low-quality games from the PlayStation Store, targeting publishers known for producing asset-flip and AI-generated titles that mimic popular indie games. This purge is part of an ongoing platform curation strategy, following a similar large-scale removal earlier ...
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Dozens of "Nudify" Apps Discovered on Google & Apple Stores
A report reveals dozens of dedicated "nudify" apps on major app stores, using AI to create nonconsensual sexualized imagery and amassing hundreds of millions of downloads. Both Google and Apple have removed some flagged apps, but enforcement is inconsistent, as platforms like X with similar AI ca...
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Google Admits Android Sideloading Is Now 'High Friction'
Google is developing a new, intentionally "high friction" process for installing apps outside the Play Store, featuring prominent security warnings but allowing knowledgeable users to bypass mandatory developer verification. The company frames this as an "Accountability Layer" to combat scams, ai...
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Google's Pixel Chargers Get Firmware Updates
Google's Pixelsnap wireless chargers will soon receive firmware updates via the Pixel Stand app, enabling ongoing performance, compatibility, and security improvements. Code in the latest Pixel Stand app reveals new firmware management features, including version checks and status messages, thoug...
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X Launches Rebuilt Android App After Year-Long Overhaul
X has launched a completely rebuilt Android app built from scratch, offering major improvements to loading speeds, scrolling fluidity, notifications, and overall reliability. The overhaul, described as one of the company's largest engineering projects, aims to accelerate feature development for n...
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