Google Play Store reportedly launching in China in early 2016

By Rich Edmonds
published

Google is preparing to launch its Play Store in China at the start of 2016, according to Reuters' sources. It would mark a major step for Alphabet by launching infrastructure to power the localized version of the Google Play Store after pulling out of the region years ago due to refusing to self-censor search results.

The company will comply with Chinese law on filtered content viewed as too sensitive for consumption, as well as storing store data within the country. No official comment was made on the speculation, but the company definitely has an uphill struggle to penetrate into the market it previously left for competitors to dominate.

It's believed Google Play will launch in China after the Chinese New Year in February, but before the summer season hits.

Source: Reuters

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
30 Comments
  • So Wait..... How did they get apps if there wasn't an app store? Posted via the Android Central App on my HTC Desire 610
  • They have their own set of services. Posted from my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface Pro 3
  • China has hundreds of third party stores, which is chaos...
  • third party app store infested with malware
  • Yup and Google should stay away. Posted via the Android Central App
  • That's quite big for Google
  • It just changed for me today about an hour ago (about 9am eastern time). I have more of a problem with there not being an official app for Black Ops 3 than I do with the stores new design. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Anyone else dislikes the new play store desing here?
  • I do
  • I have to side load play onmy Axon Lux phone Posted via the Android Central App
  • Google is in for a tough battle. Baidu and Xiaomi have the biggest app stores right now. And Google has been increasingly forgotten by the Chinese public ever since they left 5 years ago. Google needs to offer a standout. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Take over China Google!! Just to annoy Apple....hehehe
  • Well, I guess my Tiananmen Square themed Crossy Road clone won't be allowed in the China play store. That's a bummer. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Lol Posted from my Nexus 6/Nexus 7 2013/Surface Pro 3
  • Don't you mean the South Korean Psy themed expansion. Nothing to do with China. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Huh? Either you didn't get my joke, or I didn't get yours. Posted via the Android Central App
  • But it has no dick use. Posted via the Android Central App
  • I got the new playstore update yesterday on my Nexus 5 and come to use it today and its back to the old style,but says version 6.0 in settings. Really weird. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Mine too Posted via the Android Central App
  • Many times the version you have means what features are available to you. Google controls the way the app looks and behaves server side... Posted via the Materialistic Android Central App
  • Has anyone had their play store update to the newest version, only to revert back to an older version later on? Mine updated a few days ago but then yesterday it randomly went back to the "old" version. Not sure how that happened
  • I thought I was the only one. I'm not sure how I feel about the new design. It's pretty, but it seems cluttered. Respect the "G"
  • Me too. It happened yesterday Posted via the Android Central App
  • I still have yet to have mine update to the newest version.
  • Many times the version you have means what features are available to you. Google controls the way the app looks and behaves server side Posted via the Materialistic Android Central App
  • so use Huawei for the Nexus 6p and get Play Store access as part of a backroom deal? Normally I'd scoff at this but in this case I ended up with the best. android .phone. ever. made. :)
  • I'm sure Google could have had the Play Store in China for the last 5 years of they'd been willing to censor it's content the way China wants them to. Which is exactly what they're going to do now. So it seems like Google is the one that caved here, not China. Posted via the Android Central App
  • It is going to have a lot of shitty competion. I'm afraid it has a lot of catching up to do with all the app store alternatives already in use there.... Posted via the Materialistic Android Central App
  • Yes viruses look like nightmares in China and all their third crap stores. It s not a good reputation for China and Android to be all the time pointed. Thanks Google to try to come back to the China market, this will be much more safe now and China will have a better reputation then. Why better reputation for China? Daily we get information that China : dirtiest people (biggest market to sale ivory of elephants and rhinoceros, tiger skin and teeth etc etc etc) , worse none ecological country on earth, worse corruption in the gouvernement and in normal life, medication in whatever they are eating (very bad products used to kill insects) etc etc etc.... So Google will at least help in 1 field soon. Thanks Google. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Good job agent Huawei. Report back to base. Posted via the Android Central App