Since the advent of the Android operating system, smartphone companies have relied on the Playstore platform as a one-stop solution for users wanting to download apps. Due to its heavy infrastructure and computing prowess, the Playstore has kept up with the user demand by facilitating a middle ground for the ever-rising developer community. However, with the boom of the smartphone market, several prominent companies are hoping to tip the scales on their part, by developing a new app store to compete with the tech giant.
The companies involved in this alliance comprise some of the biggest names such as Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei which in total account for 40% smartphone shipment globally. Sources hint towards a “Global Developer Service Alliance” or GDSA, which essentially is a thinktank where developers will be able to upload an app on the app stores available on these devices. Each brand has its app store which has a similar backend making it easier to blend the compatibility amongst independent app stores. We think the recent US sanctions on Huawei has impelled the Chinese brands to cherish this idea of a strategic alliance as the company is no longer allowed to sport the Android ecosystem on its smartphones. As these company moves to join forces, this could signal a weak link as Google might lose its stronghold in the market across Asia which brings a huge chunk of profit for the company.
With the recent press release, Xiaomi issued a statement saying,
“The Global Developer Service Alliance solely serves to facilitate the uploading of apps by developers to respective app stores of Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo simultaneously. There’s no competing interest between this service and the Google Play Store.” – Xiaomi
The key takeaway here is that Xiaomi has distanced itself from the alliance stating it doesn’t intend to compete with the Google Play Store and the ties have been made to simplify developer access to these segregated app stores. The current app market scenario is extremely discreet as every brand and OEM owns its unique app store which makes it difficult for non-chinses developers to reach millions of potential users. These issues often result in a lot of problems in fixing apps, slower bug fixes, lack of privacy and a drop in revenue for owners.
