Aptoide has just announced that Aptoide Games, its specialized games app store, has been approved for distribution on Google Play in the US, following Google’s defeat in Epic Games’ lawsuit against it.
Part of the ruling in that case forced Google to allow third-party app stores on Google Play, and then Google’s settlement with Epic Games resulted in what Google calls the Third-party App Store on Play Program.
Aptoide Games on Google Play
This is what Aptoide Games is taking advantage of, and it may very well be the first third-party app store that will be available on Google Play. This is obviously a big deal for Aptoide, as it will be much easier for people to grab its games store from Google Play than it was before, when you had to go to its website, download an APK, allow installation from unknown sources, and then install it and use it. Now, it’s just like any other app on Google Play.
We fully expect others to follow, and so in a few months’ time, Google Play may be the home for a lot of its competitors, rather ironically. Keep in mind that all of this applies only in the US. Elsewhere, Google doesn’t want third-party app stores on Google Play (and isn’t forced to allow them), so the company is advocating for a system in which you download a third-party app store from its website, but if it’s a verified trustworthy one, the installation process is simplified.
