After being forced to make it easier to use 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 up to Google to facilitate access to alternative app stores. As noted 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 Huawei AppGallery 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.
smoother updates
If Google had already relaxed the rules related to these app stores with Android 12, the official Android 14 development platform mentions three new APIs that should simplify its operation.
Google first plans to allow the launch of third-party app stores ” sweet updates“. Specifically, 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 discovers that the user is using the app.», specifies the page dedicated to this new API in the Android developer platform.
There is no revolution, but a simplification
Another new feature: an alternative app store may be the only one capable of updating an app. As of today, if it is also available on the Play Store, nothing prevents the Google application store from updating it automatically.
Additionally, Android 14 will also allow a third-party app store to ask for user consent before installing a particular update. A useful option if a new version of an app wants to access more user data, as indicatedXDA Developers.
While 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 its daily use.
not so benevolent changes
Like Apple, Google doesn’t change its operating system out of benevolence. In October 2022, the Competition Commission of India accused Google of abusing its dominant position on the Android platform, in particular by forcing the company to open up its operating system to outside players. Google tried to challenge it, but the Supreme Court threw it out on January 20.
Enough to convince the Californian giant to review its rules on a global scale for Android 14, although, according toXDA Developersthese new features should not be released before the first stable beta versions, starting in June 2023.
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