Google has updated its conditions for the Android Play Store. And it does so by opening the door to a type of applications that to date were prohibited on the mobile platform. According to explained in a statementthe Android store will allow hosting applications based on blockchain, being able to offer elements such as NFTs or tokenized digital assets.
A delicate relationship. The blockchain’s relationship with mobile app stores has always been tricky. We are talking at the end of a unique payment system with enormous possibilities. Some payment methods that allow you to escape from the systems implemented by Google or Apple itself. As these two giants are opening their doors to accept third-party payments, they are also changing their philosophy regarding blockchain.
They will continue to be controlled, but now they are accepted. Among the possibilities of these applications we have from Web3 games, sale of digital art, decentralized voting systems or applications that make use of the blockchain. It is a market that still has a long way to go, as until now they had not jumped to the first line through Google Play or the App Store.
It will not be an open bar. Joseph Mills, Google’s head of product, explains that apps must be “transparent with the use of tokens” and that developers will not be allowed “to promote potential earnings from gaming or trading.”
In other words, tokens can be used, but not if they are part of an excuse to convert that application into a bookmaker. Blockchain technology is useful for many aspects, but unfortunately most of the examples that we have to date have been left with the most dangerous part.
No ‘gifts’. Those applications that have a tangential relationship with bets or raffles will not be accepted. It will be necessary to see what is the scale that Google establishes when accepting them, but although the door has been opened, many will foreseeably be thrown back. Those that randomly give away ‘loot boxes’, an element that countries like Spain want to regulate, will not be accepted either.
Starting this summer. Initially, it will be during this summer when the first blockchain applications will arrive on Google Play. For this, a small group of developers has been selected. Later this year this option will be extended to a greater number.
With the help of Reddit. One of the most successful companies in implementing NFTs has been Reddit, with its avatars. For this change, from Google they have collaborated with Reddit developers such as Matt Williamson.
At Apple they remain reticent. Otherwise it is Apple’s. The last thing we know about is last september. The App Store accepts NFTs, but they cannot be traded within iOS apps. They also cannot be linked to external collections, which greatly limits the possibilities of creating an open ecosystem. We will have to see if these changes in the Android store cause them to reconsider their position.
Image | morthy jameson
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