play store - 14/18 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jul

Google Updates Play Store Developer Policy, Puts The Smack Down On Intrusive Advertising

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Applications, News

In an e-mail sent out to Play Store developers earlier, Google announced several updates to its developer program policy. The e-mail mentioned changes in policy including clarification to payment policy regarding subscription billing, the restriction of the "use of names or icons confusingly similar to existing system apps" (a statement that brings back memories of Facebook's "Messenger" gaffe), clarification regarding dangerous products, and practices that violate the Play Store's spam policy, all in addition to a stringent new Ad Policy.

Here's the full text of the e-mail:

Hello Google Play Developer,

We are constantly striving to make Google Play a great community for developers and consumers.

Jul

[Editorial] Just How Bad Is App Piracy On Android Anyway? Hint: We're Asking The Wrong Question

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, Editorials

When crowd-favorite zombie shooter Dead Trigger decided to drop its price from $0.99 to free, citing concerns over piracy, the tech world renewed its interest in an age-old debate: how bad is piracy for developers? Of course, any lost sale is money out of a developer's pocket (though it's important to distinguish between downloads and lost sales). However, the question should and needs to be answered: just how bad is the piracy problem on Android?

Zombies Vs. Knights

Dead Trigger provides an interesting starting point. The developer, Madfinger, notes that its previous game Shadowgun experienced a rather high level of piracy when priced at $8.

Jul

Nexus 7 16GB Now In Stock On The Play Store

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus 7

If you've been patiently waiting for the 16GB version of the Nexus 7 to make its way back into the Play Store, the wait is now over. The tablet dropped its "coming soon" status for "in stock" just a bit ago, and Google has already started sending out emails to users who signed up for updates on the device's status.

Still, if you don't want to wait for shipping, you may be better off hitting up the local Staples or Office Depot - we're still hearing word that many stores still have a stock of N7s to share with the world.

Jul

Download: Latest Google Play Store v3.7.15

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Apps/Games, News

Last Updated: January 6th, 2013

There is a more recent version of the Play Store available for download here: Download: Latest Google Play Store 4.1.6 - Sweet New Designs And OCD Fixes

And a few earlier ones:

Google is in the process of rolling out a Play Store update v3.7.15 which follows 3.7.11 and 3.7.13 from early July. The latest version doesn't bring any new features as far as I can tell, so we can only assume it contains under-the-hood improvements and/or bug fixes.

Jul

16GB Nexus 7 Is Now Listed As "Coming Soon" On The Play Store, Likely Backordered Into The Next Century

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Nexus 7

The Nexus 7, everyone's newest favorite tablet, has already had more than its share of problems shipping from the Play Store. Today, the new shenanigans are that the 16GB model is currently unavailable from the Play Store at all. The best Google has to offer is a "coming soon" button that offers to let customers sign up to be informed when the device comes back in stock.

The 16GB model, so far, has been particularly hard to find from Google, and particularly easy in retail locations. The best we can assume is that Google allotted more 16GB models to be shipped out for retail shipment, since the margins are higher on the 16GB model.

Jul

See All Your Purchased Android Apps In One Place With The Legacy Play Store

Posted by Ryan Whitwam in News

Since time immemorial, the Android Market app let you see a list of just your purchased apps under a "Not installed" section. When the Play Store change happened, that list was still there. Then at some point with all the stealth updates, that list of paid apps went away. Thanks to Paul O'Brien over at Modaco, we have the Legacy Play app that solves that problem by bringing back the "Not installed" list.

O'Brien was able to retrieve an old version of the Play Store client and hack around to make it run alongside the official Play Store. In the Legacy Play Store your My Apps screen will again have a handy list of all your paid apps that are not installed on the device.

Jul

Nexus 7 8GB Finally In Stock On The Play Store, Delivered In 3-5 Days

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Nexus 7, Tablets

Ever since the Nexus 7 was first announced, it has been in "ships soon" status on the Play Store. No matter how many times you F5'd it, nothing changed (don't lie - you know you did it). Then, a few days ago Google confirmed that pre-ordered N7s had started shipping. Heck, you could even walk in to some retailers and buy one. But if you're one of those Play Store purists (do those really exist?) the time has come: the 8GB Nexus 7 is now available directly from El Goog itself.

Unfortunately, the 16GB version is still sitting idly at "ships in 3-4 weeks, so if 8GB isn't enough for you, the wait continues.

Jul

Google Confirms Play Store Nexus 7 Pre-Orders Are Shipping Now, All Should Ship Within The Next 3 Business Days

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in News, Nexus 7

We've been eagerly awaiting information on when the Nexus 7 will be shipping to individual customers. Well, it looks like the wait is nearly over. If you were to call Google's help line right now, you'll get an automated message saying that orders have started shipping now and that all pre-orders should ship within the next 3 business days.

Here's the full message:

"We're now shipping Nexus 7 pre-orders. The first wave of orders are going out today and all pre-orders are scheduled to ship within the next 3 business days. Once your order has shipped you will receive a confirmation email and tracking number.

Jul

Galaxy Nexus Now "In Stock" In The Play Store, Order Returned To The Universe (Or At Least The US)

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Galaxy Nexus, News

After Apple's recent success in filing a preliminary injunction against Samsung Galaxy Nexus sales in the US, the device vanished from the Play Store. Shortly after that, the 9th Circuit Court temporarily lifted the ban the Galaxy Nexus briefly appeared for sale again with a note that the device would "ship soon" (1-2 weeks).

Just moments ago, however, order was restored to the universe (or at least the US) – the Galaxy Nexus is now "In Stock" and can be ordered for delivery between 3 and 5 business days.

While it still isn't clear whether the Galaxy Nexus will end up needing the rumored OTA update that would mitigate Apple's complaints with the device (Apple was given until July 12th to respond to Samsung's motion to stay the ban), we'll be tracking the case and keeping you updated with new details as they emerge.

Jul

Editorial: Why The $200 Nexus 7 Has Only 8GB Of Non-Expandable Storage, And It's Not Just About Cost

Posted by David Ruddock in Android OS, ASUS, Editorials, Nexus 7

The initial draft of this editorial went off on what was, frankly, a pretty stupid rant about piracy or something. I don't know - I wrote half of it at 1AM and upon receiving commentary from readers and colleagues, it was pretty clear this needed to be revised and heavily edited. So that's what I've done. Enjoy - and know that I always read and consider everyone's feedback, even when I disagree with it.

Over the last week, I've read seemingly countless complaints about the lack of local storage on the Nexus 7. "Why isn't there a 32GB version?" "Why isn't the 16GB version cheaper?