Google Play Store, previously Android Market, is an online distribution platform offering apps, games, movies, TV shows, books and music to users worldwide. Additionally, this service also includes device management features as well as cloud gaming capabilities.
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Apps
Google Play is the primary app store for Android-powered smartphones and other devices, offering millions of apps, games, movies, TV shows and books for users to browse and purchase at any time. Users can create wish lists of content to save for later and download items at their leisure from this store – as well as Chrome OS Wear OS Android TV devices and automobiles that run Android OS.
Google Play apps are distributed as Android Package (APK) files that can be installed onto a device’s internal or external storage, or both. Users can access Google Play directly on an Android device or from a web browser on PCs, Macs, or Linux computers. Google Play also provides tools for developers that enable them to publish apps to its store, manage availability of these apps on devices, collect user behavior data, and collect feedback on them from within its store itself.
Google Play is best known for its wide selection of games. From arcade classics and simulations, to offline titles and ‘teacher approved’ titles for children – you’re bound to find something perfect here!
Google Play stands out with its vast library of movies, TV shows and music – which users can stream directly or listen to via audio streaming on any of their devices. Users also have access to buy or rent videos and audiobooks through this service.
Google Play also provides other services, including System Updates – offering updates and bug fixes to modular applications running Android operating system; similar to Mainline which provided similar updates until its discontinuation in 2012. Furthermore, this store features a marketplace where Android device manufacturers can sell their own apps.
Games
Google Play (formerly Android Market) is the go-to place for Android mobile phone owners looking for games. Boasting over four million apps from free titles to paid downloads with in-app purchases, the store offers games compatible with modern Android devices – though older models might struggle with some titles in it.
Google Play’s gaming offerings include an augmented reality game known as Pokemon Go that lets players use their smartphones to explore Pokemon-themed locations around them and battle other players in real-time battles – both Android and iOS devices are supported for this augmented reality adventure game.
Terraria, available for $5 on Google Play Store, is another highly acclaimed 2D action-adventure sandbox game that allows players to dig, fight, explore and mine their way through an immersive world which has been likened to both Metroid and Minecraft.
Google Play Games standalone app also offers Instant Play, which enables users to preview short snippets of games before downloading them – helping prevent data waste through uninteresting or boring titles.
Google Play Store also offers a subscription service called Google Play Pass that gives Android gamers access to over one hundred popular titles with zero ads for just $5 a month. Most games included in this subscription service will display a ticket icon to indicate this fact – however not all do; one such title included is Cooking Craze which does not feature this icon but remains part of it!
Movies & TV
Google Play Movies & TV is an impressive library of movies and television shows available for rental or purchase from latest releases to classic favorites, catering to every taste and allowing users to download content for offline viewing – perfect for travel or areas with limited connectivity.
This app has been optimized for Android to ensure smooth performance and an enjoyable user experience, supporting over 28 streaming services like ABC, A&E, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, CBS, Disney Now, Fox Now, HBO Go, Hulu, HGTV Lifetime MTV Nickelodeon Showtime VH1.
Users can search movies and TV shows by category or search on their phone, tablet, or computer and click the watch button when something piques their interest to start watching it immediately or add them to their Watchlist to be watched later.
Once purchased or rented, movies and TV shows purchased or rented via Google account are instantly accessible on all devices associated with that account. Users can also access their content using the newly revamped Google TV app that features an improved user interface as well as more tailored recommendations.
Google announced in March 2022 that they would integrate Play Movies & TV into their Google TV service, prompting some users to witness its withdrawal from Play Store apps but still appearing on devices running Chrome OS and Android TV. Although not a permanent change, its removal indicates that Google is shifting its focus toward video streaming offerings instead.
Books
Google Play Books was previously known as the Google eBookstore and provides more than five million titles to customers for viewing or reading on a wide variety of devices including computers, Android and iOS mobile phones, select e-readers that support Adobe Digital Editions e-readers as well as through Google Home.
Google Play Books boasts an expansive library that covers an assortment of genres and types of books, such as fiction, comics, non-fiction guides and self-help literature. Furthermore, there is a wide selection of children’s books as well as bestsellers and new releases to browse through.
Google Play Books also offers additional features for readers, such as highlighting, note-taking and an eye-strain-reducing night mode that adjusts screen brightness to ease eye strain. Furthermore, this service synchronizes across devices so you can pick up right where you left off reading. However, after being widely criticized for hosting pirated content, in 2015 Google announced that its publisher program would close until an automated process could be put in place that detects books containing substantial text copypasted from other publications and decline them automatically.
Music
Google Play Music is the official Android application for streaming music directly without saving it to internal memory, as well as offering an online locker to store personal music collections so they’re accessible any time, any place.
With a standard account, you can store up to 50,000 songs across all devices and access them seamlessly. Subscription plans provide on-demand access to millions of songs that can be downloaded for offline listening; there is even one family plan offering access to six people at an unbeatably low price!
Google’s decision to end Google Play Music service by December 2020 came as no shock; the company had long been working on a YouTube Music service which will provide many of the same features plus more. YouTube Music may be more suitable for users wanting to continue paying subscription fees to streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify; for those wishing to preserve their own music collection, YouTube Music gives users until December to move it across to the new platform.
