GoKawiilPlenty of changes are coming to the Google Play Store this year. For one, Google is now rolling out its sideloading crackdown for apps sourced outside the Store. But in a more positive move, the Play Store is also set to welcome apps from various third-party stores , making it much easier to install them. This is a huge change to how the siloed Play Store functioned in the past, but do readers feel this is a good idea?
In our rundown of the changes , we ran a poll asking readers if they’re looking forward to the third-party app store integration on the Play Store. We received just under 2,000 votes, and here’s what the majority had to say.
Almost half of the respondents (47%) voted “I love more choice,” indicating their appreciation for Google’s move. Not everyone is welcoming the idea, though. A 34% share of respondents are worried that combing through these new products will “be a hassle” as well. Just under 20% of readers remain unsure, but they won’t have to wait long to experience the change for themselves.
Notably, some readers in the comments highlighted some interesting alternative takes. Commenter ihtfp69 noted that the move isn’t really a pro-consumer move by Google, but rather one for the industry as a whole:
It’s only a win for Epic Games and other developers. It’s definitely not a win for consumers.
Others see this as a win for consumers who are tasked with downloading multiple app stores onto their devices. Consolidating all under the Play Store umbrella should simply this. Reader donhallmark1 said:
I will never intentionally download one of these stores. If an app doesn’t come from Google Play I don’t need it.
Perhaps having access to these stores through the official Google channel will change how consumers interact with these apps? We’ll have to wait to find out.
Are you excited to see third-party app store products on the Play Store? Let us know your thoughts below.