Google Play

638 'Google Play' stories March 2012 - February 2016

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google play store

Before the unified Play branding, Google had the Android Market, Google Music, and Google eBookstore. Google decided to merge and rebrand its individual digital offerings into the Play Store in March of 2012.

The Play Store is now the default place to purchase apps, movies & television, music, books, and news subscriptions for all Android devices. The latter four offerings having their individual Android and iOS apps to watch, listen, and read purchased content. Most content can also be accessed through the web.

In April of 2016, the suite of icons were redesigned in a similar style to provide a consistent look across all devices and the web.

After over two years, Google quietly ends the Google Play for Education program

Stephen Hall Feb 16 2016 - 1:53 pm PT

CRN reported over the weekend that Google is quietly shuttering its Google Play for Education program, and now we have confirmation of the plans via a statement made to TechCrunch. According to this statement, Google will no longer be selling Google Play for Education licenses effective March 31st of this year. That said, existing customers should not be seeing an interruption of services…

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Final Fantasy IX is now available for download on Android w/ special launch pricing

Justin Kahn Feb 9 2016 - 9:42 am PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Late last year, Square Enix announced that a re-releases of Final Fantasy IX would be coming to Android, iOS and PC. At the time, there was no specific word as to when North American gamers would actually get their hands on it. However, this morning we noticed a listing for the Android version of the game go live on Google Play.

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Paid Google Play Newsstand subscritpions expand to eight Middle Eastern countries, app receives UI tweaks

Abner Li Feb 8 2016 - 2:10 pm PT

Play Newsstand has a surprisingly large user base due to the fact that it is pre-installed on most Android devices. Earlier this month, the app was updated with some visual tweaks to the main feed and article layout. Today, users in eight Middle Eastern countries will be able to buy paid content from the app.

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Google seemingly kicking standalone ad-blockers from the Play Store

Cam Bunton Feb 4 2016 - 3:17 am PT

Update: VentureBeat received information from a source, shedding a little more light on the situation.

A source close to the situation indicates that Google considers this a “unique case” because two apps are required to invoke the ad blocking. Furthermore, the source adds that Google has no problem with browsers which can block ads within themselves via built-in functionality (like Adblock Browser) or via plugins.

Earlier in the week, Samsung’s new browser API meant developers, if they wanted to, could build ad-blocking apps to work alongside the browser. It’s similar to the ad-blocking feature Apple introduced in iOS 9 with Safari, which lead to a number of ad and tracker-blocking apps become popular within the first few weeks of iOS 9’s arrival.

With this feature added, more developers could develop standalone ad-blockers for Android which work with Samsung‘s mobile browser. It turns out however, that Google has pulled some apps, and rejected updates for others. It seems the company isn’t keen on having standalone apps — designed to work alongside browsers to block ads — on the Play Store…

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Google Play Music showing new Podcasts interface for some users

Cam Bunton Feb 3 2016 - 5:13 am PT

It wasn’t that long ago that rumors predicted that Google was planning to bring a new podcasts feature to its popular Play Music app. This would see Google add yet another media platform to its already large list of options available in the Play Store. With it already offering books, movies, music downloads and streaming, apps and games, it would mean Google would now offer virtually every kind of popular media. Popular podcaster, Bill Simmons confirmed the move on Twitter before taking down his tweet earlier today.

Thanks to Android Police, we now have a good idea as to what the podcasts user interface will look like and the features it’ll bring along with it…

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Yahoo Mail Android app gets customizable swipes & other enhancements in latest update

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2016 - 9:16 am PT

Following an announcement for a revamped news discovery and commenting experience for its homepage and Yahoo mobile apps, the company is also rolling out an updated Yahoo Mail Android app today.

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Play Games announces automatic sign-in, no longer requires a Google+ account

Abner Li Jan 25 2016 - 8:43 am PT

Over the weekend, Google announced changes to Play Games permissions that are mostly meant for developers, but regular users who game on Android will also see a benefit. Players no longer need their Google accounts upgraded to Google+ to use Play Games and can now automatically be signed-in with a standard Google account.

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Play Store sees 2x as many downloads as iOS App Store in 2015, but still lags in revenue

Chance Miller Jan 20 2016 - 7:11 pm PT

According to a new report out of app analytics company App Annie, Apple’s trend of bringing in more revenue via its App Store than Google does via the Play Store continued in 2015. Google, however, continued to see far more app downloads than Apple…

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The Google Play Store now supports promo codes for apps and games

Chance Miller Jan 14 2016 - 4:03 pm PT

Google at long last has added support for promo codes to the Play Store. This is a feature that has been available in the iOS App Store for ages now, but only today has the feature made its way to Android. Developers can now create promo code links for apps and games via this section in the Developer Console.

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Google Play Books comes to Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and 5 more new countries

Stephen Hall Jan 13 2016 - 10:34 am PT

This one’s a quick one. Google has today launched Google Play Books in 9 new countries, bringing the total number of locales that have access to the service to 75. Those residing in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates will find that they can use Play Books effective immediately.

On a related note, Google updated Play Books this time last month with a new Night Light mode that lets you read in the dark without killing your eyes. Hopefully they’ll bring this feature to the OS as a whole soon, just like Apple is planning to do with the launch of iOS 9.3. Most of us have been using this on our desktops with F.lux.

Skype bringing free group video calling to Android

Jordan Kahn Jan 12 2016 - 12:22 pm PT

Skype today announced that it’s bringing free group video calling— a feature it’s long had available on the desktop—to mobile devices including Android users.

Yes, it really has been a decade since Skype changed the way people connect with their loved ones. 6 years ago, we innovated again with one-to-one video calling on mobile phones. Today, we are excited to announce the next evolution – group video calling on Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows 10 Mobile.

The feature will officially launch in the coming weeks, but you can pre-register through Skype’s website here starting today.

And keep an eye out for updates to the Skype for Android app. In the latest update to the app, Skype also introduced to the ability to “Send video messages to groups directly from group chats.”

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t20MzFcwWVM]

Lenovo chief: Google Play Services will be in China this year

Cam Bunton Jan 11 2016 - 2:31 am PT

According to a report by Tech.Sina, Google will finally bring its services in to China. Lenovo chief, Chen Xudong claims Google is on track to bring its Play Services to the nation at some point in 2016, and that its desire to do so isn’t a secret. Google wants its services back in China, but has faced strong opposition from the government in the past, heavily restricting its presence there.

While Android has long been the dominant smartphone platform in China, Google’s presence there is still very limited. In fact, Google Play Services are practically non-existent. Before the Nexus 6P was built, it was rumored by a reliable publication that Google had chosen Huawei specifically because of its influence in China. With Huawei being a Chinese brand, and the biggest seller of smartphones in the country, its influence is huge. What’s more, Google also recently partnered with (and took a minor stake in) Mobvoi, one of the most widely-used and advanced Chinese AI and voice recognition companies.

Clearly, with Android being the most widely-used smartphone OS in China, Play Services aren’t required or critical to the platform’s success. Bringing Play Services in to China would mostly be an effort to help end fragmentation in a country where multiple app stores exist for Android.

No specific timeframe was given in terms of when we might see Google Play back in China. One can only assume getting the service approved takes multiple jumps over political hurdles and cutting through endless miles of red tape. We’ll keep you updated when/if there’s any more to share on the issue.

PSA: Make sure you haven’t installed any of the 13 malicious apps now banned from the Play store

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2016 - 6:19 am PT

ArsTechnica reports that Google has pulled 13 malicious apps from the Play store after they were found to make unauthorized downloads. The apps (listed below) are particularly dangerous in that they attempt to gain root privileges that would allow them to remain installed even after a factory reset.

The malware used a clever technique to make the apps appear safe, giving them high download numbers and positive ratings.

The apps are capable of using compromised devices to download and positively review other malicious apps in the Play store by the same authors. This helps increase the download figures in the Play Store.

Although the family of malware known as Brain Test has been around for a while, affected apps have previously only been found in third-party app stores. This is the first time Brain test apps have been found in the Google Play store …

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The Beatles music will be available to stream from Christmas Eve on Google Play, Spotify, Apple Music, many more

Cam Bunton Dec 23 2015 - 4:17 am PT

At long last, The Beatles music is going to be available to stream on many of the most popular music streaming services from tomorrow, December 24th. Whether you prefer to use Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music, Rhapsody or one of many others, you’ll be able to sing along to the Fab Four’s most popular tunes anywhere you like, without having to pay to download individual songs or albums …

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Google Play Discounts: Save 75% on a movie rental or 50% off one music album

Jared Weintraub Dec 22 2015 - 9:00 am PT

Update: You can also grab a 3-month trial of Google Play Music Unlimited for $1. That’s access to over 35 million songs on demand and ad free plus you can try out YouTube Red with this offer as well. Google regularly charges $9.99 a month for this service.

For a limited time Google Play is taking 75% off one movie rental of your choice. That’s the largest discount we’ve seen on rentals from Google Play. To redeem this offer go to the movies page then scroll down and click on the red banner. All the popular movies above are available for this promotion plus a slew of other titles. The offer expires January 4th. Terms & Conditions

Also, Google Play is offering any one music album of your choice at 50% off the regular price. This special year-end savings is good until midnight January 4, 2016. Your discount will be shown at checkout. Just look for the orange banner on the music page to redeem this offer.

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Take 50% off any album purchase from Google Play

Chance Miller Dec 21 2015 - 8:22 pm PT

Google Play is offering 50% off any album purchase to celebrate the end of the year. Go through this special link to activate the coupon and then the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. With so much new music having recently come out, this deal comes at a perfect time. Popular choices may include Coldplay’s new album, Adele’s new critically acclaimed album, and much more. Deal expires at midnight on January 4, 2016. If for some reason Google Play does ask you for a coupon code, just enter ALBUM2015.

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Nexus 6 32GB is $250 at Amazon, stuff your stockings with Marshmallow phablets

Seth Weintraub Dec 21 2015 - 5:29 am PT

From 9to5Toys:

If you are looking for a last minute deal for Android-loving Christmas recipients, Amazon has matched the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the Marshmallow Nexus 6 phablet at $249.99 shipped in Cloud White or Midnight Blue.

Until very recently, this was Google’s flagship phone and it still has enviable specs and gets the first updates. Whether you use this as your main phone or a burner/development/extra/kids/parents phone, it still holds up very well and includes fast charging Micro-USB, a huge 6-inch display, front stereo speakers and much more.

You can get it with plenty of time for wrapping and putting under the tree. Prime will get it there by the 23rd.

If you want to got full bore, the 64GB is also available for $299.99, also an all time low. If you are after something smaller, grab the Moto X Gen 2 leather for the same price.

Of course, if you are looking for the latest and greatest, You can grab the Nexus 6P for $50 off here.
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With Google Play offers and holiday deals, new Chromecasts are practically free

Jared Weintraub Dec 14 2015 - 6:45 am PT

From now until January 2nd, if you buy a 2015 Chromecast you also get $20 to cast TV shows, movies and more on Google Play. Factoring in the credit, that’s the lowest offer we’ve seen for the new Chromecast. After you make your purchase you can get your $20 Google Play credit here.

You can also find a 2-pack Bundle with $12 Google Play Credit at Costco for $49 shipped. Or save $5 on one at Best Buy today as well.

Enjoy a world of entertainment with Google Chromecast (2015). Just connect to your HDTV’s HDMI interface and your home Wi-Fi network to get started. You can stream your favorite apps from your compatible phone, tablet or laptop, plus use your phone as a remote to search, play and pause content.

Note: You need to wait one week after you register for the Google Play credit to appear.

Full Terms & Conditions:

Must purchase a Chromecast device and complete initial set-up between Dec 13, 2015 and Jan 2, 2016 to qualify for the promotional credit. Not reloadable; no cash value.
Credit must be added to a Google Payments account by January 31, 2016 and used on Google Play by January 31, 2017. Certain devices (including Chromecast Audio) and subscriptions excluded. Offer good in US only. Must be 13+ years old, US resident, have Internet access, and have or activate a Google Payments account. Limit one per Google Payment account.
See Promotional Balance Terms for more information.
To redeem, go to chromecast.com/offers

Google Play Movies & TV on iOS updated w/ AirPlay support, cellular streaming, more

Chance Miller Dec 10 2015 - 6:05 pm PT

Google today has pushed a beefy update to its Play Movies & TV app on iOS that bumps it to version 2.0.7910 and brings several new features. The update gives the app a refreshed interface, AirPlay support, recommendations, and more.

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Yahoo’s new Video Guide app offers universal search across streaming services

Jordan Kahn Dec 10 2015 - 9:36 am PT

Yahoo today released a new “Yahoo Video Guide” app for mobile devices that acts as one central location for users to find content from across a long list of competitive video services and networks.

The app allows users to search from one place and then offers links to buy or start streaming the content in other apps like Amazon, Netflix, HBO GO, and many others. So you’ll still need to be a subscriber, have the app downloaded, and or purchase the content once the Yahoo Video Guide app redirects you.

And while you can just search for something you’re looking for, the app also has a Mood Picker feature that lets users pick a from GIFs to search through curated lists.

Yahoo of course has its own Yahoo Screen app for mobile devices, but it also links to content on iTunes, Amazon Video, Hulu, Netflix, HBO GO, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, Xfinity, YouTube, A&E, BET, Cartoon Network, Cinemax, Comedy Central, Disney, Food Network, and others. In total it says it’s promoting over 30 video services through the new Video Guide app.

The Yahoo Video Guide Android app is available to download for free in the US.

Google Drive gains search improvements on Android, iOS, and web

Jordan Kahn Dec 9 2015 - 1:35 pm PT

Google has highlighted new features for Google Drive apps today that it says make it easier to search for files on Android, iOS, and web.

Among the improvements to search in the app, you’ll now be able to narrow your search by file type and open advanced search from the search box. For iOS specifically, users can now get quick access to recent files and search from the Home screen icon using 3D Touch and the ability to search from iOS’s Spotlight feature.

Here’s a full list of improvements courtesy of Google:

Narrow your search to a file type from the search box on Android, iOS, and the web.
Open advanced search instantly from the search box.
Access recent files or search Drive from the home screen using 3D Touch on iOS.
Search Drive using the iOS search bar without opening the Drive app.
Search for shared files by file owner using their name or email address.
Use advanced search options like the date a file was modified, words it contains, or who it was shared with.

Google says the improvements for Drive will roll out to the Android and iOS apps over the coming weeks.

Google Play Music family plan now available, $14.99 gets 6 people unlimited streaming + YouTube Red

Cam Bunton Dec 9 2015 - 9:22 am PT

Having announced its intention to do so earlier this year, Google is now rolling out its up-t0-6 person family plan for its popular music streaming service. Starting today, you can sign up to the Google Play Music family plan for $14.99 per month and you and your family can listen to as much music as you like without ads. Over the next few days, Android devices in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France and Germany should see the option to sign up become available in the Play Music app.

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Google Play Music now available in South Africa & Serbia

Chance Miller Dec 8 2015 - 5:10 pm PT

Google today has revealed that it is expanding its Google Play Music service to two additional countries. Starting today, the service is available in South Africa and Serbia. The launch in South Africa marks the first time the streaming service has been available in Africa.

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Songza shutting down in January, features will be folded into Play Music

Abner Li Dec 2 2015 - 1:00 pm PT

Google acquired music streaming service Songza in June of last year, and Songza’s unique recommended playlist feature was integrated early on into Play Music. Today, the Songza team has announced (via The Verge) that the rest of the service will be shut down on January 31st, and that Google Play Music’s free tier will soon be coming to Canada…

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