A unified app store from China to challenge Google? Not so fast

Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are teaming up on a new platform for international app developers, but Huawei’s involvement is a mystery

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The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 phone. (Picture: Ben Sin/South China Morning Post)

Published: 10:44pm, 7 Feb 2020Updated: 5:37pm, 14 Feb 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Unless you’re an iPhone user or live in China, there’s a good chance that the smartphone you use comes preloaded with the Google Play app store. But this week, news surfaced that Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo are building a joint platform to challenge Google’s dominance.

Google’s app store has become so ubiquitous around the world, any suggestion that a real contestant might emerge has large implications. But it’s important to note the limitations of what these Chinese phone giants have in store.

Under the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA), Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi are building a tool that allows developers to upload an app just once and see it appear on all their respective app stores. The GDSA website says the service will be available in nine countries and regions including India, Indonesia, Russia and Malaysia.

While Reuters reported that Huawei is part of the joint effort, neither of the statements given to us by Oppo or Vivo mentioned Huawei. Both Huawei and Xiaomi declined to comment.

Oppo and Vivo, though, have made it clear that this isn’t an app store merger: Each company will still maintain their own app stores. Even then, some industry experts say it’s difficult to run an alliance like this.