Google settles Play Store antitrust lawsuit

Google has reached a settlement in the antitrust lawsuit filed by 36 US states and the District of Columbia, including announcing changes that will impact users and developers.

As part of the settlement, Google will cough up $700 million. The breakdown includes $630 million earmarked for a settlement fund benefiting consumers and an additional $70 million directed towards a fund for the states, with distribution details yet to be disclosed.

Developers can also expect...

19 December 2023 | Android

Epic Games wins monopoly case against Google

In a landmark decision, the jury in the Epic Games vs Google case has unanimously ruled that Google Play and the Play Billing service constitute an illegal monopoly.

The verdict comes three years after Epic Games initiated legal action against both Apple and Google, accusing them of maintaining unlawful app store monopolies.

The jury – after just a few hours of deliberation – affirmed that Google holds monopoly power in the Android app distribution and in-app billing...

12 December 2023 | Android

Mobile game ‘mortality rate’ hits 83% within three years

A new whitepaper titled "Good Games Don't Die" reveals that 83 percent of launched mobile games fail within three years.

The study, conducted by revenue growth engine SuperScale, polled 500 developers across the US and UK to uncover issues plaguing the $96.2 billion mobile gaming industry.

The report unveils a catch-22 where 78 percent of developers prefer building new games despite a critical 43 percent failure rate during development alone.

This trend...

22 November 2023 | Android

Play Store set to integrate AI-generated FAQs

Google looks to be gearing up to incorporate even more of its AI capabilities into the Play Store.

TheSpAndroid, in its deep dive into the Play Store's 38.4.12 version, stumbled upon strings hinting at a new AI feature that involves generating Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for developers’ apps.

The discovered strings indicate Google's intentions to introduce AI-generated FAQ sections on the details page of "Apps & Games." One notable string from the APK...

21 November 2023 | Android

Google Play introduces policies to boost app quality

Google Play has announced a series of initiatives aimed at bolstering the platform's overall experience and steer users away from low-quality applications.

Verification requirements update

Earlier this year, Google Play introduced an expanded set of verification requirements for all developers, a move to empower users to make informed choices, combat malware, and reduce fraud. The company has now provided details on how developers with existing accounts can comply with these...

13 November 2023 | Android

Google scraps controversial Web Environment Integrity API

Google has officially scrapped its controversial Web Environment Integrity API proposal, which was likened to digital rights management (DRM) for the open web.

The API, which was at the proposal stage, aimed to allow websites to verify the authenticity of users and their devices or browsers.

Google's intentions behind this initiative were to enhance user trust in online environments and combat issues such as social media manipulation, phishing campaigns, non-human...

3 November 2023 | Android

Google prepares Android for the RISC-V era

Google is bolstering its support for the RISC-V open instruction set architecture (ISA) in Android.

RISC-V – developed a decade ago at the University of California, Berkeley – has rapidly gained popularity in various spaces, from embedded systems to servers and mobile computing. Google's move towards integrating RISC-V into Android signals a new era of collaboration and innovation in the hardware ecosystem.

At the RISC-V Summit in 2022, Google revealed that it had...

1 November 2023 | Android

Android finally checks sideloaded apps for malware before installs

In response to growing cyber threats, Google has introduced an update to bolster Android security. This enhancement focuses on strengthening malware detection before app installations, ensuring a safer Android ecosystem.

With this update, Google Play Protect now conducts real-time scans at the code-level during the app installation process:

By providing users with immediate feedback about the safety of the apps they are installing, Google empowers its users to make...

19 October 2023 | Android

Mozilla is launching Android support for Firefox extensions

Mozilla has announced its plans to introduce an open ecosystem of extensions for Firefox on Android, offering a range of possibilities for developers to optimise their desktop extensions for mobile usage.

The exact launch date is set to be revealed in early September, with expectations of the rollout occurring before the close of this year. Firefox will then become the sole major Android browser to support an open extension ecosystem.

While Firefox for Android has been...

14 August 2023 | Android

Play Store loses over 260K apps following Google’s quality push

Android’s app ecosystem has experienced a significant decline in the number of available apps in recent years, according to data from Statista and AppBrain.

Three years ago, Android users had 295 million apps to choose from. However, by the end of 2021, that number had dropped drastically to 2.7 million, and the decline continued.

In January 2022, there were 2.64 million apps available—representing a staggering drop of 260,000 apps in just two years. Although the...

17 July 2023 | Android