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Android Market
Developer(s)Google
Initial release22 October 2008 (2008-10-22)
Stable release
1.0.16[1] or 3.4.4[2]
Operating systemAndroid
TypeSoftware store
Websitemarket.android.com
File:Android Market website.png
Android Market website as seen from Firefox

Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for devices running the Android operating system. Its gateway is an application program ("app") called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, which allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers. Users can also search for and read detailed information about apps on the Android Market website.

History

Introduction

Google announced the Android Market on August 28, 2008, and made it available to users on 22 October 2008. They introduced support for paid applications on 13 February 2009 for US and UK developers,[5] with additional support for 29 countries on 30 September 2010.[6]

Feature updates

In December 2010 Google added content filtering to Android Market and reduced the purchase refund window from 24–48 hours to 15 minutes.[7]

In February 2011 Google introduced a web client that provides access to Android Market via PC. Apps requested through the Android Market web page are downloaded and installed on a registered Android device.[8]

In May 2011 Google added new app lists to Android Market, including "Top Grossing" apps, "Top Developers", "Trending" apps, and "Editors Recommendations". Google's Eric Chu said the goal of this change was to expose users to as many apps as possible.[9]

In July 2011 Google introduced a redesigned interface with a focus on featured content, more search filters, and (in the US) book sales and movie rentals.[10]

In September 2011 the Motorola Xoom tablet received an update that brought the redesigned Android Market to an Android 3.x Honeycomb based device.[11]

In November 2011 Google added a music store to the Android Market.

Applications and downloads

On 17 March 2009, about 2,300 applications were available in the Market, according to T-Mobile chief technical officer Cole Brodman.[12] On 10 May 2011, during the Google I/O, Google announced that Android Market listed 200,000 apps, and had clocked 4.5 billion apps installed.[13]

Year Month Applications available Downloads to date
2009 March 2,300[12]
December 16,000[14]
2010 March 30,000[15]
April 38,000[16]
August 80,000[17][18] 1 billion
October 100,000[19]
2011 May 200,000[13] 3 billion[20]
July 250,000[21] 6 billion
October 319,000[22]
December 380,297[23] 10 billion[4]
2012 January 400,000[3]

Comparisons to competitors

Android Market features 67% of free of charge apps, the highest percentage of any major app store, closely rivaled by Windows Phone Marketplace at 61%.[24] By comparison, the Apple App Store offers only 37% of their apps free of charge.[25]

App Store Percent free of charge applications
Android Market 67%
Windows Phone Marketplace 61%[26]
Samsung Apps 39%[27]
Apple App Store 37%
BlackBerry App World 26%
Nokia Ovi Store 26%

Application use and pricing structure

File:Android Market.jpg
Android Market on a Samsung Galaxy S.

Availability for users

Android Market filters the list of applications to those compatible with the user's device. In addition, users may face further restrictions to choice of apps where developers have tied-in their applications to particular carriers or countries for business reasons. [28] Carriers can also ban certain applications, for example tethering apps.[29]

As of May 2011, users in 131 countries can purchase paid applications from Android Market.[30] Some carriers offer direct carrier billing for Android Market app purchases.[31] Purchases of unwanted applications can be refunded within 15 minutes of the time of download.[32] There is no requirement that Android applications be acquired from Android Market. Users may download Android applications from a developer's website or through a third party alternative to Android Market.

Availability for developers

The Android Market application is not open source. Only Android devices that comply with Google's compatibility requirements may install and access Google's closed-source Android Market app, subject to entering into a free-of-charge[33] licensing agreement with Google.[34] In the past, these requirements had included 3G or 4G cellular data connectivity,[35] ruling out Android-powered devices comparable to Apple's iPod touch, but this requirement had been loosened by the 2011 release of the Samsung Galaxy Player.

Developers in 29 countries may distribute applications on the Android Market.[36]However developers pay $25 for registration to distribute on the Android Market[37]. Application developers receive 70% of the application price, with the remaining 30% distributed among carriers and payment processors. Google itself does not take a percentage.[38] Revenue earned from the Android Market is paid to developers via Google Checkout merchant accounts, or via Google AdSense accounts in some countries.[39]

Approval of applications

Google places some restrictions on the types of apps that can be published, in particular not allowing "sexually explicit material", "Violence and Bullying", "Hate Speech", "Impersonation or Deceptive Behavior", copyrighted material (without permission), and a few other activities.[40] Nevertheless, developers can still distribute the apps in .apk format and they can then be installed by users on their Android devices.[41]

On 31 March 2009, Google removed all tethering applications from Android Market because they supposedly violated terms of service of certain carriers.[42] Google later restored tethering applications to Android Market, except those for the T-Mobile USA network, which was specifically the subject of the violation:[43]

On Monday, several applications that enable tethering were removed from Android Market catalog because they were in violation of T-Mobile's terms of service in the US. Based on Android's Developer Distribution Agreement (section 7.2), we remove applications from Android Market catalog that violate the terms of service of a carrier or manufacturer. We inadvertently unpublished the applications for all carriers, and today we have corrected the problem so that all Android Market users outside the T-Mobile US network will now have access to the applications. We have notified the affected developers.

— Google, April 2009[43]

As of 20 May 2010, PDAnet, Easy Tether and Proxoid were all available in the U.S. market for T-Mobile users. On 5 April 2011, Google withdrew the Grooveshark app from Android Market due to unspecified policy violations.[44] However, the app is still available for direct download via Grooveshark's website for those users who have enabled non-market application downloads.[45][46]

In the first quarter of 2011, at the request of the carrier, Android Market began blocking Easy Tether, and other tethering applications that do not require root access, from download to Verizon Wireless Android phones.[citation needed]

On 27 May 2011, Google banned SpoofApp, a Caller ID spoofing application typically used for prank calling which had been available in Android Market since 18 December 2008.[47] On 29 May 2011, Google banned the account of the developer of several video game emulators, including Nesoid, Snesoid, and N64oid and neither Google nor the developer publicly revealed the reason for the ban.[48]

Implementation details

Android Market applications are self-contained Android Package files. The Android Market does not install applications; it asks the devices's PackageManagerService to install them. The package manager is visible if the user downloads an APK file direct to their device. Applications are installed to the phone's internal storage, and under certain conditions may be installed to the devices's external storage card.[49]

Application security

File:AndroidMarketPermissions.png
An example of app permissions in Android Market.

Android devices can run applications written by third-party developers and distributed through Android Market and third-party application stores. Once enrolled, developers may publish their applications immediately.

Before installing an application, Android Market displays all required permissions. A game may need to enable vibration, for example, but should not need to read messages or access the phonebook. After reviewing these permissions, the user can decide whether to install the application.

Possible app permissions include functionality like:

  • Accessing the Internet
  • Making phone calls
  • Sending SMS messages
  • Reading from and writing to the installed memory card
  • Accessing a user's address book data

Security software companies have been developing applications to ensure the security of Android devices. SMobile Systems, one such manufacturer, claims that 20% of apps in Android Market request permissions that could be used for malicious purposes, and 5% of apps can make phone calls without the user's intervention.[50][51][52] This is not a claim that the apps are actually malicious, but rather highlight the potential for malicious activity.

Security issues

In early March 2011, DroidDream, a trojan rootkit exploit, was released to the Android Market in the form of several free applications that were, in many cases, pirated versions of existing priced apps. This exploit allowed hackers to steal information such as IMEI and IMSI numbers, phone model, user ID, and service provider. The exploit also installed a backdoor that allowed the hackers to download more code to the infected device.[53] These apps were downloaded more than 50,000 times before Google took action and removed them from the Market. The exploit only affected devices running Android versions earlier than 2.3 "Gingerbread". In many cases, the only guaranteed method of removing the exploit from an infected device was to reset it to factory state, although community-developed solutions for blocking some aspects of the exploit were created.[54] Google started remotely removing the malicious apps from infected devices on March 5, and also released its own app, the "Android Market Security Tool March 2011", which automatically removed the exploit. This app was automatically installed to all infected devices, and users with infected devices were notified via e-mail.[55]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.finsky
  2. ^ Russakovskii, Artem (14 December 2011). "Download Android Market 3.4.4 With Noticeable Speed Improvements". Android Police.
  3. ^ a b "Android Market Tops 400,000 Apps". PCWorld. 04 January 2012. Retrieved 04 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b Bonnington, Christina (8 December 2011). "Google's 10 Billion Android App Downloads: By the Numbers". wired.com. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  5. ^ Chu, Eric (13 February 2009). "Android Market Update Support".
  6. ^ Bray, Tim (30 September 2010). "More Countries More Sellers More Buyers".
  7. ^ "Big changes in store for Android Market". ZDNet. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  8. ^ Savov, Vlad (2 February 2011). "Android Market gets a web store with OTA installations, in-app purchases coming soon". Engadget. AOL Inc.
  9. ^ Hachman, Mark (11 May 2011). "Google Revamps Android Market to Give App Recommendations". PC Magazine. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  10. ^ Montoy-Wilson, Paul (12 July 2011). "A new Android Market for phones, with books and movies - Official Google Mobile Blog". Google Mobile blog. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  11. ^ Burns, Chris (29 September 2011). "Android Market update released for Honeycomb tablets". SlashGear. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  12. ^ a b Lawson, Stephen (17 March 2009). "Market Needs More Filters, T-Mobile Says". PC World.
  13. ^ a b Barra, Hugo (10 May 2011). "Android: momentum, mobile and more at Google I/O". The Official Google Blog. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  14. ^ "Google: Actually, We Count Only 16,000 Apps In Android Market". TechCrunch. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  15. ^ Chan, Casey (18 March 2010). "Android Market has 30,000 apps, sort of". Android Central. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  16. ^ Nickinson, Phil (15 April 2010). "Android Market now has 38,000 apps". Android Central. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  17. ^ Hildenbrand, Jerry (9 September 2010). "Android Market has more than 80,000 apps, Android's Rubin says". Android Central.
  18. ^ "Android Market Hits 1 Billion Downloads & 100,000 apps". 15 July 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  19. ^ Gibb, Kyle (26 October 2010). "Android Market passes 100,000 apps". Android Central. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  20. ^ Rao, Leena (14 April 2011). "Google: 3 Billion Android Apps Installed; Downloads Up 50 Percent From Last Quarter". Techcrunch. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  21. ^ Nickinson, Phil (14 July 2011). "Android Market now has more than a quarter-million applications". Android Central. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
  22. ^ "Android Market reaches 500,000 app mark". www.t3.com. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  23. ^ "Google Android Market". Distimo. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  24. ^ "Windows Phone 7 Applist". 20 January 2012.
  25. ^ Wehner, Mike (18 October 2011). "Google Android has double the number of free apps than Apple's App Store". Yahoo. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  26. ^ "Windows Phone 7 Applist". 20 January 2012.
  27. ^ "Fast 12.000 Apps für Bada verfügbar" (in German). 31 October 2011.
  28. ^ "Android Compatibility". Android Developers. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  29. ^ O'Brien, Terrence (2 May 2011). "Carriers crack down on Android tethering apps, rain on our mobile hotspot parade". Engadget. AOL Inc. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  30. ^ "Paid App Availability". Android Market Help.
  31. ^ Chu, Eric (13 April 2011). "Android Developers Blog: New Carrier Billing Options on Android Market". android-developers.blogspot.com. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  32. ^ "Returning apps". Android Market. Google. Retrieved January 09, 2012. You have 15 minutes from the time of download to return an application purchased through Android Market for a full refund. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  33. ^ http://source.android.com/faqs.html#how-much-does-compatibility-certification-cost
  34. ^ "Android Compatibility". Android Open Source Project. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  35. ^ Sam Churchill. Android Tablets Need 3G/4G for Market Support. dailywireless.org. 10 September 2010. Accessed 9 February 2012.
  36. ^ "Supported locations for merchants". Android Market Help.
  37. ^ http://support.google.com/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=113468&ctx=cb&src=cb&cbid=-8w6cs0nksvn
  38. ^ Chu, Eric (22 October 2008). "Android Developers Blog: Android Market: Now available for users". Android Developers Blog. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  39. ^ "Processing orders and receiving payouts". Android Market for Developer Help. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  40. ^ "Android.com". Android.com. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  41. ^ "3 ways to install applications on Android without the Market". Maketecheasier.com. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  42. ^ "Banned from the Market... ok". False Dichotomies. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  43. ^ a b Krazit, Tom (2 April 2009). "Google restores tethering app for Android users outside U.S. | Wireless". CNET News. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  44. ^ "Google boots Grooveshark from Android Market". CNET. CBS Interactive. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  45. ^ "Grooveshark Mobile Music: Android". Grooveshark. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  46. ^ Kumparak, Greg (April 18, 2011). "Grooveshark Back On Android, Bypasses The Android App Market". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 09, 2012. Today, Grooveshark makes its triumphant return to Android, albeit not through the official App Market. Playing on Android's ability to install third-party applications through the browser, Grooveshark has taken on the responsibility of distributing the application themselves [...] {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  47. ^ SpoofApp Banned From Android Market, Google bans SpoofApp.
  48. ^ "Google Pulls Yongzh's Emulator Apps Off Android Market". PC Magazine. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  49. ^ "App Install Location | Android Developers". Developer.android.com. 15 March 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  50. ^ "SMobile Systems Analysis of Android App Store Reveals Massive Potential for Malware and Viruses". prnewswire.com. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  51. ^ Vennon, Troy; Stroop, David (22 June 2009). "Threat Analysis of the Android Market" (PDF). SMobile Systems Inc. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  52. ^ "20 % des applications de l'Android Market demandent l'accès à des données personnelles". Le Monde. France. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  53. ^ "The Mother Of All Android Malware Has Arrived: Stolen Apps Released To The Market That Root Your Phone, Steal Your Data, And Open Backdoor". Android Police. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  54. ^ "Malware Monster: DroidDream Is An Android Nightmare, And We've Got More Details". Android Police. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  55. ^ "An Update on Android Market Security". Googlemobile.blogspot.com. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2011.

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