2012/12/04 12:45:02

Android app stores

Google Play is not the only place where you can download and install games or applications for devices based on the operating system. Android There are alternative versions of the official service, a number of which create more flexible conditions for developers, which allows you to find software here that is not available on the official market. In addition, their use may be relevant when the device model is not supported. Google Play

Content

Google Play Store
RuStore
NashStore
MTS AppBazar
RuMarket
Huawei AppGallery
Amazon App Store
AndroidPIT
AppBrain
Firefox Marketplace
GetJar
Handango
Opera Market
SlideMe
Soc.io
Yandex.Store
See also

The Android ecosystem is quite open and allows you to install applications not only from the official market from Google - Google Play. To make it possible to use third-party markets, you need to put one check mark in the "Applications" menu in the "Unknown sources" item in the device settings.

Many third-party markets are already available, the most famous of them are:

Amazon App Store
AndroidPIT
AppBrain
GetJar
Handango
Opera Market
SlideMe
Soc.io

Google Play Store

Main article: Google Play Store

App security in the Google Play Store

Google Play Store is the official market for Google's Android operating system. Previously called Android Market. The service allows owners of devices based on this OS to search for and download music, books, videos and applications distributed through this platform. The service was rebranded on March 6, 2012 after the merger of Android Market and Google Music services.

Google Play currently distributes applications for Android devices for free worldwide, with the exception of Iran. Commercial applications are available in 129 countries.

As of October 19, 2012, developers from 32 countries had the right to place their paid applications on Google Play. However, to place applications on the market, developers need to pay a one-time registration fee of $25. Developers receive 70% of the cost of each application sold, the remaining 30% is spent on distribution and other operating costs.

As of October 2012, according to Google, the service totaled about 700 thousand different applications, which is comparable to the number of applications in the Apple App Store.

RuStore

Main article: RuStore

NashStore

Main article: NashStore

MTS AppBazar

Main article: MTS AppBazar

RuMarket

Main article: RuMarket

Huawei AppGallery

Main article: Huawei AppGallery

Amazon App Store

The Amazon App Store is the best-known alternative to Google Play. And this market is installed by default on Kindle Fire devices. Its big drawback is that it is officially available only in the United States, but on Runet you can find descriptions of how to use this service by going online from Russia.

Overall, this is a great replacement for Google Market. Not only is it full of paid and free applications, but it also offers paid versions of games or programs for free for 24 hours. So it makes sense to follow the news of this service and try new games and software.

AndroidPIT

One of the most functional alternative markets is AndroidPIT. In fact, this is a specialized portal, a user community and the Russian-language Google Play. The project is entirely devoted to the Android mobile platform and will be useful to all its users. Here you can find current news about the system, reviews and test results of applications, there is a forum, a blog, there is even a list of developers.

Therefore, in principle, AndroidPIT will be of interest not only to ordinary users who want to find and download an interesting application, but also to those who make them. For the former, by the way, there are a number of beneficial advantages here:

Probably the largest collection of applications in Runet after Google Play
Huge number of free apps
Convenient navigation (primarily due to the fact that applications are well sorted by topic)
An effective rating system allows you to evaluate how well this or that application is
24-hour manibek (within 24 hours you can return the paid application back if you did not like it)

There is a special section for developers, where more than 5.5 thousand people are already registered.

It is worth noting that if an application is among the recommended or one or another "top," this means that it has received the approval of experts (for example, passed testing) and the community (received a rating). In other words, the probability of downloading [1] a bad application from AndroidPIT is much lower than in any other market.

AppBrain

AppBrain is essentially a shell for the official Android market, offering alternative search algorithms for the same application catalog. It should be borne in mind that without Google Play installed on the smartphone, the App Brain will not work.

AppBrain is a more social service. It presents itself as a recommendation system for applications. Together with the social functionality here you can get acquainted, watch your friends' favorite applications. You also have the opportunity to see the most downloaded applications on the site. Among other things, AppBrain scans your device, and based on the installed applications in your device, gives you personal recommendations for choosing new applications.

Firefox Marketplace

Mozilla created Firefox Marketplace and made it part of the Aurora browser, available for download to Android users.

Mozilla's app store is similar to similar solutions from other companies and Google itself. There is also a tile of popular apps promoted by the company and a list of categories. Its screenshots, reviews and description are available on the page of the application itself.

A feature of Firefox Marketplace is advanced program search. Its results can be sorted by rating or match and displayed as a simple list or thumbnails. The second option is very similar to that from iOS 6. You do not need to uninstall applications from Firefox Marketplace - just remove their shortcut from the desktop. So far, only free apps are available in the Mozilla store. The company promises to implement a payment system in the near future.

Firefox Marketplace is currently a beta version of the final product. Most likely, its main developments will be used by the company in its own mobile OS, rumors about which have been circulating on the network for a long time. Those wishing to try out the app store from Mozilla can do this by downloading the beta version of the Aurora browser. The app is available for Android 2.2 and higher.

GetJar

GetJar is one of the largest stores, currently with more than 350,000 Android-only apps available, while the market also supports the BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and Symbian platforms .

It is noteworthy that it was GetJar who first offered his customers to download the Angry Birds game even before it appeared on the official market. Unlike Amazon, GetJar gives apps free without a time limit. They add new paid apps for free download to the Golden Giveaways section every week.

Handango

Handango has a certain feature: according to the developers' plan, applications are sorted not only by categories, but also by mobile platforms: you choose a smartphone model and see a list of applications available for it.

It is not recommended to download paid applications: the site security policy takes $4.99 from your account before buying each application, supposedly so that the buyer, if necessary, can re-download already purchased applications in the future. It is unlikely that when downloading a game for $2, you will think about the future, so this site is better left to search for free applications.

Opera Market

Main article: Opera Mobile Store

If you are a fan of Opera's browser, then you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that you already have Opera's app market installed. Start Opera on your mobile phone or tablet, and the speed dial icons will open in front of you, by default Opera already has a link in the speed dial on the Opera Market.

Opera acquired its market through the purchase of Handster in 2011. The Opera market contains Android applications and games, as well as applications for other platforms. You can access the market through your browser on your mobile device or through a browser on your computer. Just download the APK files you like, install and enjoy.

SlideMe

SlideME tries to support little-known independent developers. A convenient feature of the site is that it allows you to download free applications without registering in the system. With paid apps, the story is a little more complicated - they can only be installed through your own store app called SAM.

This market is pre-installed on various devices, usually where Google Play does not work or is not available. This service provides a huge collection of paid and free applications. When you buy apps from this market, SlideMe gives the highest percentage of a developer's sale, unlike Google Play.

Soc.io

Soc.io, according to the creators themselves, is rather not a store, but a kind of shopping center, where, in addition to applications and games, users will also be able to find electronic and audio books. The authors of the site promise to add more sections such as music and video in the near future.

Yandex.Store

In October 2012, Yandex launched its own online Android app store called Yandex.Store. The service is available around the world directly for users, as well as for developers. At launch in Yandex.Store. there were more than 38,000 Android apps, including Yandex.Shell maps, mail, and shell. For most of the applications, Yandex acquired licenses from the Opera Store. Android device users should access Yandex.Store towards the end of this year.

In the future, Yandex plans to conclude agreements with manufacturers of smartphones and tablets on preinstalling the service on devices. Yandex.Store is planned. will replace the Google Play app store. An agreement has already been concluded with PocketBook, 3Q and Texet, which produce tablets and readers, as well as with the operator MegaFon.

By the way, for MegaFon, Yandex will make a personalized version of the store. It will be called GetUpps!. Owners of branded smartphones will be able to pay for the purchase of applications directly from the operator's account, and the store itself will be integrated into the MegaFon bonus system.

The service will be available at http://store.yandex.ru/