After being forced to facilitate the use of unofficial app stores in the Indian market at the end of January, Google now plans to integrate these new rules globally for Android 14.
After Apple, it’s Google’s turn to facilitate access to alternative app stores. As noticed by the news site XDA Developersthe American giant plans to simplify the use of application stores other than the Play Store in the next version of its operating system, Android 14. Whether it is the Samsung Galaxy Store, the Amazon Appstore, the AppGallery from Huawei or even F-Droid.
A decision that echoes Apple’s plan to allow App Stores other than its own in an upcoming European version of iOS on the iPhone.
Softer updates
If Google had already relaxed the rules related to these application stores with Android 12, the official Android 14 development platform mentions three new APIs that should simplify their operation.
Google first plans to allow third-party app stores to launch ” sweet updates“. Concretely, these unofficial stores will be able to check if a user’s device meets certain criteria before launching an automatic update. ” For example, an app store might delay updates if it finds that the user is using the app.ยป, Specifies the page dedicated to this new API on the Android Developers platform.
No revolution, but a simplification
Another new feature: an alternative app store may be the only one able to update an application. Today, if it is also available on the Play Store, nothing prevents the Google app store from updating it automatically.
Additionally, Android 14 will also allow an external app store to request user consent before installing a particular update. A useful option if a new version of an app wants to access more user data, as notedXDA Developers.
Although these three features are already accessible to unofficial app stores, these new APIs make them easier to use and require less access to user data. In short, it is not necessarily a revolution in the use of alternative applications to the Play Store, but it can facilitate their daily use.
Not-So-Benevolent Changes
As in the case of Apple, Google does not change its operating system only by benevolence. In October 2022, the Indian Competition Commission accused Google of abusing its dominant position on the Android platform, in particular forcing the firm to open its operating system to outside players. Google did try to challenge it, but the Supreme Court dismissed it on January 20.
Enough to convince the Californian giant to review its rules on a global scale for Android 14, even if, according toXDA Developersthese new features should not see the light of day before the first stable betas, starting in June 2023.
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