Google Play

Not to be confused with Google Play Services or Google Pay.

Google Play
Developer(s)Google
Initial releaseOctober 22, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-10-22) (as Android Market)
March 6, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-03-06) (as Google Play)
Stable release(s) [±]
Android40.4.31 / April 5, 2024; 7 months ago (2024-04-05)[1]
Android TV40.4.20 / April 5, 2024; 7 months ago (2024-04-05)[2]
Wear OS40.2.18 / March 24, 2024; 7 months ago (2024-03-24)[3]
PlatformAndroid, Android TV, Wear OS, ChromeOS, Web
TypeDigital distribution, app store, mobile game store, video on demand, ebook store

Online music store (until December 2020)

Websiteplay.google.com

Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store or Play Store and formerly known as Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating system and its derivatives, as well as ChromeOS, allowing users to browse and download applications developed with the Android software development kit and published through Google. Google Play has also served as a digital media store, offering games, music, books, movies, and television programs.[4] Content that has been purchased on Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Books can be accessed on a web browser and through the Android and iOS apps.

Applications are available through Google Play either for free or at a cost. They can be downloaded directly on an Android device through the proprietary Google Play Store mobile app or by deploying the application to a device from the Google Play website. Applications utilizing the hardware capabilities of a device can be targeted at users of devices with specific hardware components, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling). The Google Play Store had over 82 billion app downloads in 2016 and over 3.5 million apps published in 2017,[5] while after a purge of apps, it is back to over 3 million.[6] It has been the subject of multiple issues concerning security, in which malicious software has been approved and uploaded to the store and downloaded by users, with varying degrees of severity.

Google Play was launched on March 6, 2012, bringing together Android Market, Google Music, Google Movies, and the Google eBookstore under one brand, marking a shift in Google's digital distribution strategy. Following their rebranding, Google has expanded the geographical support for each of the services. Since 2018, Google has gradually sunsetted the Play brand: Google Play Newsstand was discontinued in favor of Google News, Google Play Music was discontinued in favor of YouTube Music and Play Movies & TV was rebranded as Google TV.

  1. ^ "Google Play Store APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "Google Play Store APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  3. ^ "Google Play Store APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 3.5 million apps was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Number of Android applications on the Google Play store". appbrain.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2020.