Google begins rollout of app marketplaces programme outside the U.S. 

Google announced that eligible app stores outside the U.S. can apply to be part of the company’s programme that allows them to access simplified installation perks.

The initiative, known as the Registered App Stores programme, allows rival app marketplaces to compete at a higher level on the Android platform.

Once an App Store is registered with Google, users will be able to install apps listed on those stores with just one tap. Users will now have a choice beyond Google’s own offering.

It remains to be seen if this measure will translate to profitable results for Google’s rivals, who have complained about anti-competitive measures on Android that favour Google’s app marketplace over others.

Android defined registered app stores as a “third-party app store that registers with Google to access additional platform capabilities, including one-tap installs, while upholding core ecosystem trust, security, and performance standards.”

The programme is the result of multiple antitrust challenges against Google over the way it operates its app marketplace on Android devices.

While rivals want their own app marketplaces to get a fair chance at drawing in users on Android devices, Google has claimed that its restrictions are aimed at maintaining user security and privacy.

However, rival app stores will still have to pay steep prices to be part of the programme. Participation costs start at $10,000 a year, and the programme is only supported on Android devices running the latest versions of Android 17, which means a number of users around the world are walled out.

Google announced the Registered App Stores programme in March, and it is set to launch in December.