Apple, Google and Microsoft all have their own stores, and it looks like Facebook is feeling a little left out. The company is in the works to lanunch its own app store. This is possibly in case that its apps get kicked out of the Google Play Store or the stores of all other competition.
A Facebook App Store is A Predictable Step
The company has been in vicious competition with Google in just about every way. In the event of expulsion from Google’s Play Store, they have some backup. This could be tied to the allegations claiming that Facebook has been conducting ‘contingency’ tests on their Android users. The goal was to make sure that the Facebook apps are operable on Android devices even if users don’t get them from the Google Play Store. In fact, the company has designed a way for users to get app updates and push notifications without going through the Google Play Store.
The Social Network Has Been Accused of Conducting Unethical Android Tests
These allegations are pretty strong. Google and Facebook have a decent enough relationship as things stand, so the Facebook apps will not be kicked out of the Google Play Store for now. New rumors claim that Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant has been tinkering with its Android users for some time, which may have caused a strain among the two companies.
Specifically, Facebook was accused of making the Android Facebook app unavailable for users in an undisclosed location. They were redirected to a web link to download the Android app instead of the platform instead. Allegedly, users would not stop trying to open the app, and some resorted to accessing the social networking site through a mobile web browser.
If Push Comes to Shove, The Social Network Has A Lot of Options
In the case that the company’s apps do get kicked out of the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, it could launch an app on the Oculus VR app store. They could even extend the store so that it becomes an overarching platform. This would also support Facebook’s other popular apps: WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.
If that’s not feasable, Facebook can join hands with original equipment manufacturers to have the Facebook app preloaded on certain devices. The Oculus VR app store is actually pre-installed on some Samsung phones. Whether or not the social media giant will resort to these measures is yet to be seen.
