--- title: "Chinese Smartphone Brands Join Forces to Build an App Store Rival to Google Play" locale: "en" language: "en-HK" published: "2020-02-10T16:08:22+08:00" updated: "2026-03-17T23:02:41.376Z" canonical: "https://accordhk.com/blog/chinese-smartphone-brands-join-forces-to-build-an-app-store-rival-to-google-play-114" --- # Chinese Smartphone Brands Join Forces to Build an App Store Rival to Google Play As mentioned earlier, Huawei decided that even if the US–China trade war ended and it could resume working with Google to preinstall Google services on its phones, it would move ahead “without looking back”, developing an entirely new app store of its own to break free from Google completely. Huawei’s decision has received support from its industry peers in mainland China. Reuters reports that several Chinese smartphone brands have decided to join forces to launch an entirely new app store, challenging Google Play’s leading position. With Google services banned in China, users of various Chinese smartphone brands download the apps they need through different channels. Many of these app stores are developed by Huawei and Oppo. According to Reuters, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have decided to collaborate on an entirely new app store, launching as early as March this year. It would be introduced in countries where they have a strong market position, such as Russia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, to challenge Google Play’s global leadership. The reason is clear: last year alone, Google Play brought Google US$8.8 billion in revenue, demonstrating the enormous potential of the app market. It is little wonder that so many Chinese smartphone brands want to build an app store capable of challenging Google Play’s position. However, the success or failure of this initiative depends on how many developers are willing to work with them. Too limited a selection of apps will struggle to attract users. With the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak continuing, the launch could also be postponed. Original article URL: http://bit.ly/3bpqNzM ## In brief Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo planned a joint app store to challenge Google Play, with a launch possible as early as March 2020. Success would depend on developer participation and app choice, while the ongoing outbreak could delay the launch. As mentioned earlier, [Huawei]() decided that even if the US–China trade war ended and it could resume working with Google to preinstall[ Google]() services on its phones, it would choose to move ahead “without looking back”, developing an entirely new app store of its own to break free from Google completely. Huawei’s decision has received support from its industry peers in mainland China. [Reuters]() reports that several Chinese smartphone brands have decided to join forces to launch an entirely new app store, challenging Google Play’s leading position. With Google services banned in China, users of various Chinese smartphone brands download the apps they need through different channels. Many of these app stores are developed by Huawei and[ Oppo](). According to Reuters, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have decided to collaborate on an entirely new app store, launching as early as March this year. It would be introduced in countries where they have a strong market position, such as Russia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, to challenge Google Play’s global leadership. The reason is clear: last year alone, [Google Play]() brought Google US$8.8 billion in revenue, demonstrating the enormous potential of the app market. It is little wonder that so many Chinese smartphone brands want to build an app store capable of challenging Google Play’s position. However, the success or failure of this initiative depends on how many developers are willing to work with them. Too limited a selection of apps will struggle to attract users. With the Wuhan pneumonia outbreak continuing, the launch could also be postponed. Original article URL: http://bit.ly/3bpqNzM ## Frequently asked questions ### Which smartphone brands planned to build the new app store? According to Reuters, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo decided to collaborate on a new app store to challenge Google Play’s global leadership. ### When and where was the app store expected to launch? The article reported a possible launch as early as March 2020. It was planned for countries where the brands had a strong market position, including Russia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia. ### Why were these brands interested in challenging Google Play? The article states that Google Play brought Google US$8.8 billion in revenue the previous year, illustrating the app market’s enormous potential. Huawei also wanted to develop its own app store to break free from Google completely. ### What could affect the new app store’s success and launch? Success would depend on how many developers were willing to participate, since too few apps would struggle to attract users. The ongoing Wuhan pneumonia outbreak could also postpone the launch.