Google Play Store

The industry practice of "70/30" revenue cuts between developers and app store owners have been put under a microscope in the past few years, especially after Epic Games made some big noise about it. It did force a few platforms to make changes to their policies, usually reducing the so-called "developer tax" under certain circumstances only. In general, however, storefront owners still take 30% of the profits by default, but Google is making a significant change in that policy to push subscriptions to the forefront.

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Privacy has become a hot topic in tech in the past few years, especially on mobile. Apple has even made it an important selling point for its products, especially iPhones and iOS. Google has been working to change the image of Android as a Wild West for privacy-violating apps, and it is introducing a new section on the Google Play Store to give users a clue on what apps are doing with their data. Of course, that doesn't happen by magic, and Google is now pushing developers to start submitting the required information before 2022 deadlines.

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With the court ruling on Epic Games lawsuit against Apple, you probably thought that the drama over Fortnite on mobile has finally come to an end. Apple, however, wasn't the only one that the Fortnite creator sued last year since it also accused Google of anti-competitive behavior over the same game on Google Play Store. That case still hasn't been resolved, but Google is turning the tables on the game publishing giant with a breach of contract suit that reveals a rather curious situation unique to the Google Play Store only.

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The flip or clamshell phone design has gone the way of the dinosaur, but there is still at least one company that makes them. Not only has Samsung been launching a flip phone for China and South Korea year after year after year, its Galaxy Z Flip even puts a modern and hi-tech spin to the old school form factor. Compared to those, the rugged CAT S22 Flip looks almost negligible, but it has a few important perks that make it worth a second look, especially if you're in the market for tough-as-tanks phones.

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App ratings are an important way for consumers to support others in their search for the perfect app, but these ratings aren't always useful for everyone. Someone who has a low-end tablet, for example, may experience issues running an app that someone who has a high-end phone wouldn't experience. To address this, Google says it will soon adjust app ratings to reflect the types of devices relevant to each user.

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Epic Games' legal spat against Apple may have been the headlines of many tech news in the past, but the Cupertino-based company isn't the only recipient of the game publisher's complaints. Epic Games also sued Google over alleged monopolistic practices with Fortnite at the center of it all. New details have surfaced that reveal the extent to which Google was willing to go to keep Fortnite from ruining its Play Store ecosystem, including an outright acquisition of Epic Games.

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Google Play Store is home to many apps. Some might say it's actually home to far too many apps. Android's official app marketplace is better known for the quantity of apps available rather than the quality of those apps, and it might be long-overdue some trimming. It seems that a great culling is finally coming to Google Play Store as Google announces new policies that will clean up developer accounts and apps that have barely been used.

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Today's civilization revolves around software and data to the point that some even say that today's products are people. Specifically, the data associated with people are the products. Security and privacy have become huge and controversial topics in the tech world and have even been used as advertising points used by some companies. In that light, Google has been working hard to remove the stigma of being one of the biggest violators of privacy and has implemented changes to secure the safety of its users. Its upcoming changes to Google Play promises to make it easier for Android users to see and understand what all these safety features mean for them.

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Amazon's Appstore has been around for a long, long time, but it recently came under the spotlight with Microsoft's Windows 11 announcement. It will be the platform that will enable installing Android apps on Windows PCs, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions, especially regarding technical implementations. The Amazon Appstore itself hasn't exactly been renowned for its advanced features, but the e-commerce giant is now making a public commitment to bringing it up to speed with Google's next-gen Android App Bundle format.

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The business models of many app stores have come under fire in the past year or so, escalating with Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple. At the heart of the matter is how platform owners are using their position to implement mechanisms and policies that force developers to give up as much as 30% of their profits. To be more specific, even small in-app purchases are required to go through Apple's or Google's billing systems, which means giving them a cut of the revenue, but Google is now postponing the strict enforcement of that policy until next year.

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Even while the row between Apple and Epic Games remains unresolved, the other big app store will soon get its time under the legal spotlight. It's really no surprise that Google would eventually be the target of an antitrust lawsuit but the bigger question is if it will be able to stick. As many as 36 states in the US have finally filed a complaint alleging that Google used its position to impose a 30% tax from developers on Google Play Store.

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Ever since they became popular, app stores have become one of the most common and highly advised ways to get apps for various platforms. Official app sources like Apple App Store and Google Play Store offer a selection of software and games that have passed their scrutiny, offering a sense of security that these apps are safe for use. Unfortunately for Google, the credibility of its sanctioned Android app marketplace has been put into question time and again, and a recent incident shows how popular apps can still pose a security risk for users.

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