Google Play Store

Both Google and Apple have been the target of several anti-trust suits and complaints in the past couple of years, and this week the UK is progressing further towards attempting to intervene with the two tech giants. A new report released today shows that the UK takes issue with the “duopoly” Google and Apple have over the mobile space.

Google’s Android TV platform is picking up steam with bigger commitments from the company itself as well as exciting new hardware releases. Now, Google is making it easier for those with an Android phone to install apps on their Android TV remotely.

As December approaches, it’s time for annual recaps, and Google Play is ready with the best Android apps and games of 2021. These lists — including Users’ Choice — are localized, and you can browse your country by tapping the “Best of 2021” banner at the top of the Play Store.

To help even more people take advantage of their Android phones, Google has added a further 17 languages to the “Look to Speak” accessibility app.

It’s always been nice that the Play Store has been accessible not just from smartphones and tablets, but also the web. The functional website offers up the ability to remotely install apps, manage payment methods, and more. However, it’s been out of date for ages. Finally, though, Google is giving the Play Store a design overhaul on the web.

In late August, South Korea passed a law requiring alternate in-app payment systems in Google Play and the iOS App Store. Google today detailed what steps it will be taking to comply. 

As the penultimate month of this year gets underway, the Google Play Store is opening Users’ Choice voting for the best Android content and media of 2021.

After Microsoft announced that Android apps would be natively supported in Windows 11, it was only a matter of time before the Google Play Store was enabled on the OS. As it turns out, that time was just a couple of weeks, as a clever workaround has already enabled the functionality.

Back in March, Google Play announced that it was cutting commission fees to 15% on the first $1 million in revenue from paid apps and in-app purchases (IAPs) for all Android developers. Google announced today that next year, the Play Store will only take a 15% cut on all subscriptions from day one. 

Back in May, Google announced a new Play Store requirement to have Android apps detail how they collect and use personal information. The Google Play “Data safety” section will go live in February as developers will soon be able to fill out the necessary information.

Last year the hit game Fortnite was briefly available on Android through the Google Play Store, until Epic Games kicked off its war against app store fees by adding its own payment system to the game behind the backs of Google and Apple. Now, Google is launching a countersuit against Epic Games for that breach of contract.

Google’s Material You rollout continues with the Play Store over the last 24 hours, but this redesign is not too visually encompassing ye and availability is quite limited.

Google’s wearable platform is seeing a big push in the coming months with more new devices expected to accompany the revamped OS. As part of this, a “Health Services” app for Wear OS is now available in the Play Store.

The next version of Google’s wearable platform has now properly arrived and it will be experienced by more users in the coming months. Ahead of that, Google is introducing updated app quality guidelines for Wear OS 3.

Google officially announced the Play Store’s Material Theme in August 2019, while a dark mode came that October. Since then, pages like “Manage apps & devices,” settings, and navigation have been significantly revamped. A Material You redesign with Dynamic Color is what’s next for the Google Play Store, and here’s an early look.