A four-member club of major smartphone makers has been set up in China to create a digital distribution service that would take on Google Play, the go-to app store used on most Android devices, APA reports citing Sputnik.
It is claimed that this club, called the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA), includes Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.
Together, these companies accounted for 40.1 percent of global mobile phone shipments and 77.4 percent of the Chinese market in Q4 2019, according to figures from the research consultancy IDC.
The GDSA aims to provide a platform for its members to simultaneously upload apps and other content, such as music and movies, in all countries it covers.
Its website, still in beta, says the platform’s services already cover “nine countries and regions such as India, Indonesia, Russia and Malaysia”.
Its stated goal is to provide “one-stop services including content distribution, development support, marketing operation, brand promotion and traffic monetisation to global developers”.
Industry sources told Reuters that the service was initially scheduled to launch in March this year, but the recent outbreak of the new strain of coronavirus in China could delay the plans.
Analysts suggest that the GDSA could attract app developers because it would be easier for them to market their products there than in Google’s already-crowded store.
It remains to be seen how the firms will maintain a balance of power in their alliance.
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