Google Play Store

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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What once may have been a fad is now one of the most expected features on any mobile platform and even desktops. It may still be debatable how much darkness is needed or how truly effective it might be, but Dark Mode support for apps is often requested or even expected to be there from day one. Despite Android 10 actually getting the feature, Google has been a bit slow in pushing it out to its own apps on other versions of Android. The latest to get that is Google Play Store and, fortunately, it isn't being forced on anyone.

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Apps get kicked out of the Google Play Store regularly for this or that policy violation. While some do end up being erroneous, most are valid cases of misbehaving or downright malicious apps. Few of those have had the audacity to return and repeat their offenses as much as Chinese app developer Cheetah Mobile, forcing Google to purge the store off any and all apps associated with the company. Unfortunately, that seems to have included one of the most popular benchmarking tools, whether or not it's actually warranted.

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It has been almost a year since Huawei came under the US government's ban hammer, effectively barred from doing business or making new acquisitions from most US companies. Over the course of the months, some of its partners, like Microsoft, have either voiced support for the embattled Chinese giant while others, like ARM, have found ways to circumvent the rather encompassing but still US-only directive. Huawei's biggest partner in the mobile market has been curiously mum but Google is now breaking its silence and it isn't looking good for Huawei.

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Google recently boasted that Google Play Store has netted $80 billion in revenue for developers. Those figures are, of course, only from the legitimate ways app developers earn money, either from outright app purchases, in-app buys, subscriptions, or even ads. The last source of income, however, is rather problematic even for Google who manages the sanctioned apps these apps can use. This is mostly due to less than savory advertising methods which the company has now given the boot from Google Play Store.

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Things have been quiet on Huawei's side of the mobile market lately, partly because of the attention that the likes of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip are getting. It's also partly because of the tension between the US and China have mellowed down a bit. That could end up getting the ban on Huawei lifted which puts it in a rather unusual position. Refuting an earlier report, Huawei clarifies that it isn't abandoning Google's apps and services for good but still leaves the door open for that possibility.

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