A revolution in application installation? Google Play’s status is at stake

February 4, 2022 Bary Howards

In the world of smartphones, one very important decision is coming. Due to the increasing pressure from competitors and dissatisfied developers, as well as a number of ongoing lawsuits, there may be breaking the existing taboo about direct download and installation apps from stores other than the Play Store on Android and the App Store on iPhones. The US Senate Legal Committee passed a bill that would order Apple and Google if passed by law significantly change the rules of the game.

At the moment, the two mentioned phone shops have a privileged position, from which they flow giant financial benefits. Especially thanks to the shares of several tens of percent of the earnings that companies demand from developers. These rules some time ago, among other things, motivated the Epic Games studio to submit lawsuitswhich certainly added a lot of oil to the fire. And also pushed to the loud activity of other dissatisfied subjects, whose the Senate may quite intend to hear the complaint.

If the proposal passed in its current form, the situation would change dramatically. In both systems, they would have to receive mandatory space also third-party stores and in addition they should the right to make money through applications as well as the Play Store and the App Store. In both environments, this would be a significant change, but end users of Android mobile phones would feel the change a little less. Android is much more open in this regard and, for example, installing files from alternative sources is not a problem for it. But the same option would be in the case of iPhones, a turning point.

The so-called “Open App Markets Act” has now moved from the committee (20 out of 22 members voted in favor of it) to senators and they will see how they decide. A possible approval would directly affect the US market, however, it can probably be expected that it would then serve as an inspiration even for the European Commission. So even for us, a real revolution in downloading and installing applications on mobile phones may be approaching.