Google Play Store

Given its more open ecosystem, Android has become notorious for the rampant operation of all kinds of malware. Some of those even get past Google's own scrutiny in reviewing apps for the Google Play Store. Those covertly try to hide their less than innocent behavior but it seems that a certain class of software has been operating out in the open under Google's nose. Starting today, however, stalkerware apps are banned from the Google Play Store, except in cases when they're allowed.

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While the matter is still being debated in the US, both inside and outside of courts, Russia is already starting to take steps to cut down what has been an unwritten business practice when it comes to digital content distribution, especially in apps and games. A lawmaker has proposed reducing the amount that app store owners are able to take from sales and in-app purchases from the usual 30% down to 20% but adds one more requirement that Apple and Google might not be so keen on obliging.

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In just a few hours, the mobile app and gaming market exploded into a flurry of news, removals, and two lawsuits, all revolving around a single game: Fortnite. Epic Games, who has spoken out and moved against the status quo in the game and app store markets, made a daring move to implement its own direct payment system to bypass Google's and Apple's revenue split system. It isn't surprising that both Apple and Google have quickly removed Fortnite from their respective app stores but it's rather curious that Epic Games quickly sued both afterward.

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Apps, be it native or web-based, are the bread and butter of the smartphone experience, making app stores the gatekeepers to that mobile world. These stores have lately come under greater scrutiny, for their alleged anti-competitive practices, unfair revenue splits, or unreasonable decisions. The European Union has just published new rules that will make app stores give developers fairer treatment or at least a fighting chance at appealing their case.

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There are many operating systems available today, from Windows to macOS to Linux to Android to iOS, a bit far too many for developers, especially lone ones, to support equally. There is also no shortage of frameworks and tools, like Qt or Google's Flutter, designed to make that a little less painful but the one platform for that truly permeates all of these is the Web. That is basically the appeal of the new generation of web apps, called Progressive Web Apps, and two of the world's larger software vendors are working together to make PWAs more like first-class citizens of the Google Play Store.

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Although Android apps are naturally optimized for running on mobile devices with more constrained resources than even laptops, their packages traditionally weren't. Because Android apps often have to account for the myriad of configurations and Android phone hardware, those packages or APKs used to hold and download all of those different configurations and assets, regardless of your specific hardware. It was for that reason that Google introduced its Android App Bundle format and it is now extending that to Android's biggest space and bandwidth consumers: game assets.

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Despite the many updates and new features that have been pushed out in the past few months, it sometimes feels that Chrome OS is still Google's proverbial red-headed stepchild. Google has opened up the OS to both Android and Linux apps but, aside from an educational focus, some might still find it hard to fathom what Chrome OS and Chromebooks are really good at. Now it seems that Google is adding yet another spin to Chromebooks and turning them into viable gaming computers, at least depending on what games you like playing.

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Epic Games is one of the biggest names in the gaming market, not just for its published titles but also because of its Unreal game engine that's used in hundreds if not thousands of games. That reputation has definitely given it enough clout in the industry to make its voice heard on certain contentious topics like revenue splitting and app stores. Although it has practically thrown in the towel on the latter to get Fortnite on Google Play Store, it may be moving to strike back even harder by bringing the Epic Games Store itself to mobile.

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The Google Play Store currently offers very simplistic search filters, ones that essentially just help narrow down apps based on how much they cost and what category they fall in. That is changing, however, as Google rolls out more advanced filtering options to its app store, enabling users to look at only apps that have specific score ranges, ones that have been newly added to the platform, and more.

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Chromebooks and Chrome OS have always been designed with a "web-first" experience in mind. Back then, however, that experience was less than ideal due to the lack of apps and immaturity of the web app ecosystem. Fast forward to today, Progressive Web Apps or PWAs have made significant headway into creating an experience almost on par with native Android apps. That, in turn, seems to have made Google confident enough to start making PWAs the default when you try to install an Android app from Google Play Store on Chrome OS.

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Smartphones have become an essential part of modern life but getting stuck at home made them even more critical. But as more and more people rely on the Internet and mobile devices, the importance of keeping these places safe from not just malware but also misinformation is becoming just as critical. Responding to the global situation, Google is making a few changes to its Google Play rules, especially when it comes to apps that relate to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

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The COVID-19 pandemic isn't just an opportunity for some to finally embrace the work from home life, it is also an opportunity for hackers to exploit people's newfound dependence on the Internet and apps. Of course, it does seem that it's business as usual for Android users as news of yet another malware sneaking into Google Play Store surfaces. Given how it has targeted even children's games, it's a worrying precedent that needs to be nipped at the bud immediately.

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