As of 2017, developers in more than 150 locations could distribute apps on Google Play, though not every location supports merchant registration. After Google purged a lot of apps from the Google Play Store, the number of apps has risen back to over 3 million Android applications.

Since 2018, Google has gradually sunsetted the Play brand: Play Newsstand was rebranded as Google News in 2018 Play Music was discontinued in favor of YouTube Music in 2020 and Play Movies & TV was rebranded as Google TV in 2021.Ĭatalog content Android applications īy 2017, Google Play featured more than 3.5 million Android applications. Following their rebranding, Google has expanded the geographical support for each of the services. Google Play was launched on March 6, 2012, bringing together Android Market, Google Music, Google Movies, and the Google eBookstore under one brand, marking a shift in Google's digital distribution strategy. It has been the subject of multiple issues concerning security, in which malicious software has been approved and uploaded to the store and downloaded by users, with varying degrees of severity.

The Google Play Store had over 82 billion app downloads in 2016 and over 3.5 million apps published in 2017, while after a purge of apps, it is back to over 3 million. Applications utilizing the hardware capabilities of a device can be targeted at users of devices with specific hardware components, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling). They can be downloaded directly on an Android device through the proprietary Google Play Store mobile app or by deploying the application to a device from the Google Play website. Content that has been purchased on Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Books can be accessed on a web browser and through the Android and iOS apps.Īpplications are available through Google Play either for free or at a cost. Google Play has also served as a digital media store, offering games, music, books, movies, and television programs. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating system and its derivatives, as well as ChromeOS, allowing users to browse and download applications developed with the Android software development kit (SDK) and published through Google. Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. Online music store (closed in December 2020) March 6, 2012 11 years ago ( ) (as Google Play)ģ3.6.16 / December 14, 2022 3 months ago ( ) ģ3.5.16 / December 8, 2022 3 months ago ( ) ģ3.2.42 / November 28, 2022 3 months ago ( ) Īndroid, Android TV, Wear OS, ChromeOS, Webĭigital distribution, App store, Mobile game store, Video on demand, Ebook store October 22, 2008 14 years ago ( ) (as Android Market)

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