Thursday, 17 April 2014

Easy Guide to the Hashtag


If you’re a social media novice, hashtags — those short links preceded by the pound sign (#) — may seem confusing and unnecessary. But they are integral to the way we communicate online, and it’s important to know how to use them (even though some people, like Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, are not the biggest fans). Plus, they can be a lot of fun.
On Twitter, the pound sign (or hash) turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. So, if you wanted to post about the Breaking Bad finale, you would include #BreakingBad in your tweet to join the conversation. Click on a hashtag to see all the posts that mention the subject in real time.
The hashtag’s widespread use began with Twitter but has extended to other social media platforms. In 2007, developer Chris Messina proposed, in a tweet, that Twitter begin grouping topics using the hash symbol. Twitter initially rejected the idea. But in October 2007, citizen journalists began using the hashtag #SanDiegoFire, at Messina’s suggestion, to tweet updates on a series of forest fires in San Diego. The practice of hashtagging took off; now users and brands employ hashtags to cover serious political events (#Cairo) and entertainment topics (#MileyCyrus) alike.
With our beginner's guide, you'll be hashtagging like a pro in no time.
How do you make the most of hashtags? Let us know in the #comments.
Supported Characters
telephone-hashtags

Which characters can you include in a #hashtag?
For starters, spaces are an absolute no-no. Even if your hashtag contains multiple words, group them all together. If you want to differentiate between words, use capitals instead (#BlueJasmine). Uppercase letters will not alter your search results, so searching for #BlueJasmine will yield the same results as #bluejasmine.
Numbers are supported, so tweet about #50ShadesOfGrey to your heart’s content. However, punctuation marks are not, so commas, periods, exclamation points, question marks and apostrophes are out. Forget about asterisks, ampersands or any other special characters.
Keep in mind that the @ symbol does something completely different. Using @ before a person’s Twitter handle will tweet at him directly, letting him know you have written to him via the @Connect tab. A hashtag will not. Sometimes users will hashtag a celebrity’s name instead of using her Twitter handle — it is acceptable to tweet #Lorde or @lordemusic. But if you are trying to reach someone directly, don’t use a hashtag.
There is no preset list of hashtags. Create a brand new hashtag simply by putting the hash before a series of words, and if it hasn't been used before, voilà! You've invented a hashtag.
Supported Platforms
Social Media Icons
Most major social media platforms support hashtags. These include:
Twitter: Twitter is the birthplace of modern hashtag usage — as such, its hashtags are more versatile than other sites' (see “Tone & Voice,” below). Twitter hashtags are mainly used to denote specific topics of conversation; the “Trends” sidebar of your Twitter feed curates a list of hashtags you might be interested in, based on your tweets.
When you search for a hashtag on Twitter, there are three ways to filter the results. The "Top" option displays the most relevant and popular posts, including those from users you don't follow. "All" shows you every tweet that uses the specific hashtag in real time, and "People you follow" will only display results from users you are following.

Facebook: Facebook only recently added hashtag support in June 2013, and the practice has not picked up much steam. Nevertheless, clicking on Facebook hashtags will take you to a list of posts containing the same hashtag. The results are not limited to people you know.
Instagram: Hashtags can be used to complement photos shared on Instagram and help you discover new accounts and pick up followers. Some hashtags were created specifically for Instagram photo challenges — #ThrowbackThursday, for example, encourages users to post retro photos. Vine uses hashtags in the same way — try accompanying each of your Vine videos with at least one hashtag to maximize shareability.

Google+: When you click on a hashtag in Google+, the search results will include the original hashtag as well as posts with similar tags and keywords. Google search results display on the left side of the page, while hashtag results from within Google+ appear on the right. Google also gives you the option to search within Facebook or Twitter.
Tumblr: Tumblr posts have a special “Tag” section where you can enter tags. These tags function like Twitter hashtags, organizing posts by topic, but the hash symbol is inserted automatically. Hashtags included in the main body of a post are not transformed into links.
Pinterest: Use Pinterest hashtags to mark and search for content. Click on the hashtag in a pin description to navigate results that contain the exact hashtag, plus pins with the same word or phrase in the description.
Curious which hashtags are trending across social media? Hashtags.org tells you which tags are hot in real time.
Tone and Voice
Beyond simply organizing your tweets, Twitter hashtags can help you craft your voice while joining in a larger discussion. You can use multiple hashtags in one tweet, but don’t go overboard. One to three is generally an acceptable range.
In a post for The New Yorker, Susan Orlean points out that hashtags can provide colorful commentary as a sort of “muttered into a handkerchief” aside, to give context and to convey humor or sarcasm.
I like my birth control like I like my supermarket samples: #nocost#obamacare http://t.co/dgSWraSy3A
Sometimes a hashtag is so zany or specific that there are few, if any, search results attached to it. These exist mainly for entertainment purposes. Orlean gives the example “Sarah Palin for President??!? #Iwouldratherhaveamoose.” As she points out, it is unlikely anyone would actually search for "#Iwouldratherhaveamoose," but it adds a dash of humor that followers appreciate.
Here are some sample tweets that use hashtags (in bold) to add context, humor and voice:
  • ·         Let the weekend begin! #TGIF
  • ·         Wearing socks with Crocs is so stylish #kidding
  • ·         Just dropped my second ice cream cone. #fail
  • ·         I hate when people smoke e-cigarettes indoors. #annoying #rude #whygodwhy
  • ·         The movie #Gravity is beautiful, but so terrifying! #nevergoingtospace
  • ·         I’m loving 'The Sound of Things Falling' by Juan Gabriel Vasquez#FridayReads

Business and Marketing
Many major brands now have Twitter accounts, and some choose to create hashtags to promote specific events or campaigns. If you want to use Twitter as part of your business strategy, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
coke-twitter-2
Consolidate your tweets: Choose a specific account that will represent your brand or business. Set up a business account, or designate one employee to tweet on behalf of the company. That way, users can find all of your tweets in one place.
Use relevant hashtags: See what hashtags other businesses in your field are using. If you’re promoting cheap airfare, you will want to use hashtags like #CheapTravel and #FlightDeals so users will find you when they search for those keywords.
Follow trends: See what hashtags are trending and make use of them — if they are relevant to your business. Using a popular hashtag that has nothing to do with your brand (for example, including #MileyCyrus in a tweet about cheap airfare) makes you look like a spammer and will hurt your credibility.
Create your own hashtag: If you want to create a special hashtag for an event or campaign, select one that hasn't been used before and remind everyone to use it in related tweets. Be sure to include the hashtag in any promotional materials. Make it informative but short — for example, Mashable uses #MashReads to talk about writers who visit our HQ.
So excited to announce that Malcolm @gladwell is joining the#MashReads Social Book Club this month! http://t.co/pZ8anf3vgO
— Elisha Hartwig (@ElishaHartwig) October 1, 2013
Generate buzz: Creating a contest, raffle or promotion is a great way to get Twitter talking about your brand. Users will be more likely to retweet your hashtags if they know they might win a prize by doing so. For instance, if you're promoting a new confectionery shop called Candy Land, get Twitter buzzing by offering free treats to users who tweet #CandyLandPromo.
SEE ALSO: 6 Successful Twitter Hashtag Campaigns
Remember, your hashtag’s visibility will depend on your privacy settings. If your Twitter account is private, only those authorized to see your tweets will have access to your hashtags. If you are using hashtags to increase your brand's exposure, make sure your tweets are set to Public.
Best Practices
I
Twitter has a helpful list of best practices for using hashtags, but here are three key tips for all users:
Be specific: If you’re using a hashtag to join a conversation, make sure the hashtag is specific and relevant to your topic. If you’re talking about Obama's health care plan, use #Obamacare instead of simply #Obama. A vague or generic hashtag like #health or #opinion isn’t effective either.
Keep it simple: Hashtags, like links, look like spam if they are used too often. Three hashtags should be the maximum on Twitter and Facebook, but you can get away with more hashtags on Instagram and Vine. And don’t hashtag the same word twice (“#Gravity is a great movie! Everybody go see #Gravity”). It’s #redundant.
Give context: A tweet that contains only hashtags is not only confusing — it's boring. If your tweet simply reads, “#happy,” your followers will have no idea what you’re talking about. Similarly, if you tweet, “#BreakingBad is #awesome,” you’re not really adding much to the conversation.


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Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Google Play

Google Play

Google Play.png

Google Play, formerly the Android Market, is a digital distributionplatform for applications for the Android operating system and an online electronics and digital media store, operated by Google. The service allows users to browse and download applications developed with theAndroid SDK and published through Google, as well as music, magazines, books, movies, and television programs. Users can also purchase hardware, such as Chromebooks, Google Nexus-brandedmobile devices, Chromecasts, and accessories, through Google Play.[2]
Applications are available through Google Play either free of charge or at a cost. They can be downloaded directly to an Android or Google TVdevice through the Play Store mobile app, or by deploying the application to a device from the Google Play website.[3] Many applications can be targeted to specific users based on a particular hardware attribute of their device, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling).
On March 6, 2012, with the merging of the Android Market and Google Music, the service was renamed Google Play to coincide with therebranding of Google's digital distribution strategy.[4] The services operating under the Google Play banner are: Google Play Music, Google Play Books, Google Play Newsstand, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Games. As of July 2013, the Google Play store officially reached over 1 million apps published and over 50 billion downloads.[5]

Catalog content[edit]

Play Music[edit]

Main article: Google Play Music
Google Play Music offers an online music store with purchases as MP3s, cloud storage of up to 20,000 songs at no cost, and a subscription streaming music service called All Access.

Play Books[edit]

Google Play Books
Developer(s)Google
Stable release3.1.33 / February 10, 2014; 2 months ago
Development statusActive
Operating systemAndroid, iOS
TypeDigital distribution
Google Play Books carries over 4 million titles.[6] Purchased books are stored in the cloud and are available for both online and offline viewing either through a web browser or in the official apps for Android andiOS.
On May 15, 2013, Google updated the Google Play Books app on both Android and iOS to add support for user uploaded PDF and EPUBfiles. Users can store up to 1,000 files free of charge, as long as they are under 100MB.[7][8]
A Google Play Book, however, is only a license to read the book. If the purchaser happens to travel to a country where Google Play Books are not sold then the books on the device can be deleted. In such a case, the books would have to be re-downloaded after the traveler returns to a country where they are sold.[9]
Google Play Books are currently available in 44 countries.[10][11]

Play Newsstand[edit]

Google Play Newsstand
Developer(s)Google
Initial release20 November 2013
Stable release3.2.0 / April 2, 2014; 14 days ago
Development statusActive
Operating systemAndroid
TypeDigital distribution
Google Play offers the purchase of magazines in the United States, Australia, Canada,[12] and the United Kingdom.[13]
On November 20, 2013, Google Play Magazines was renamed Google Play Newsstand and combined the features of Google Currents and Magazines into one single product, which serves subscriptions to magazines, web feeds and server-generated topical feeds.[14]

Play Movies & TV[edit]

Google Play Movies & TV
Developer(s)Google
Stable release3.1.22 (Android)
1.0.1 (iOS) / April 2, 2014; 14 days ago (Android)
January 15, 2014; 2 months ago (iOS)
Development statusActive
Operating systemAndroid
iOS
TypeDigital distribution
According to Google, there are thousands of movies and television shows available on Google Play Movies & TV, some in HD, including comedy, drama, animation, action and documentary.[15] Movies can be rented or purchased and watched on the Google Play website or via an application on an Android device. Some titles are only available for rental, some only for purchase, and others for both rental and purchase. TV shows can be purchased by episode or season but cannot be rented.[15] Alternatively, users can download movies and TV shows for offline viewing and view them later using the Google Play Movie app.[16]
Movies are available in 63 countries.[17][18] TV shows are available only in Australia, Japan, the US and the UK.[10]

Play Games[edit]

Google Play Games
Developer(s)Google
Initial releaseMay 16, 2013; 10 months ago
Stable release1.5.08 / March 5, 2014; 42 days ago
Development statusActive
Operating systemAndroid
TypeDigital distribution
Google Play Games is a service designed for Android, iOS and web which features real-time multiplayer capabilities, achievements, leaderboards and cloud saves. This service is similar to Apple's Game Center. It started out only available in a limited selection of games such as Super Stickman Golf 2, PBA Bowling, World of Goo, Osmos HD, and a few others. The service was introduced at Google's I/O 2013 Developer Conference along with many other new services, and the standalone app was launched on July 24 at an event called "Breakfast with Sundar Pichai" together with the new Nexus 7, Android 4.3 and the Chromecast..

Applications[edit]

Google Play makes free-of-charge applications available worldwide (except countries under US embargoes),[19] while paid applications are available in 129 countries.[20] Applications can be installed from the device or the Google Play website.[21]According to Google there are over 700,000 titles available as of October 2012.[15] Google Play can update the applications the user selects automatically, or users can update them on a per-case basis or update all applications at once.[15] Google Play filters the list of applications to those compatible with the user's device. In addition, users may face further restrictions to choice of applications where developers have tied-in their applications to particular carriers or countries for business reasons.[22] Carriers can also ban certain applications, for example tethering applications.[23]
Some carriers, such as Sprint, offer direct carrier billing for Google Play application purchases.[24] Purchases of unwanted applications can be refunded within 15 minutes of the time of download.[25] There is no requirement that Android applications be acquired from Google Play Store. Users may download Android applications from a developer's website or through a third-party alternative to Google Play.[26]
As of 19 October 2012, developers in 32 countries were able to distribute paid applications on Google Play.[27] However, developers pay $25 for registration to distribute on the Google Play Store.[28] Application developers receive 70 percent of the application price, while the remaining 30% goes to distribution partner and operating fees.[29] Revenue earned from the Google Play is paid to developers via Google Wallet merchant accounts, or via Google AdSense accounts in some countries.[30]
On 17 March 2009, about 2,300 applications were available in Android Market, according to T-Mobile chief technical officerCole Brodman.[31] On 10 May 2011, during the Google I/O, Google announced that Android Market had 200,000 applications listed and 4.5 billion applications installed.[32] In October 2012 Google announced that Google Play had 700,000 apps available to download, matching the number of apps in Apple's App Store.[33]
YearMonthApplications availableDownloads to date
2009March2,300[31]
December16,000[34]
2010March30,000[35]
April38,000[36]
August80,000[37][38]1 billion
October100,000[39]
2011May200,000[32]3 billion[40]
July250,000[41]6 billion
October319,000[42]
December380,297[43]10 billion[44]
2012January400,000[45]
February450,000[46]
May500,000[47]
June600,00020 billion[48]
September675,00025 billion[49]
October700,000[33]
2013February800,000[50]
April850,00040 billion
May48 billion[51]
July1,000,00050 billion

Devices[edit]

The Devices section of the Google Play store allows customers to purchase Google Nexus mobile devices, Chromebooks, other Google-branded hardware, and accessories. Google Play sells the Nexus 5 smartphone for $349 with 16 GB of flash storage unlocked with no contract required.[52] At the Google I/O Conference in June 2012, Google announced the Nexus 7tablet computer for $199 with 16 GB of flash storage and $249 with 32 GB of flash storage would be made available for purchase through the devices section of the Google Play store.[53]
The Nexus 5 is currently sold in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.[54] The Nexus 7 is currently sold in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.[55] The Nexus 7 3G is currently sold in Australia, France, Germany, Spain, the United States. The Nexus 10 is currently sold in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
At Google I/O 2013, it was announced that a special edition of the Samsung Galaxy S4 with stock Android 4.2 would be made available on Google Play on June 26, 2013.[56] Likewise, on May 30, 2013, HTC announced that a similar version of the HTC One would also be released the same day.[57]
Device NamePrice (USD)Available?
Galaxy Nexus$399+No
Nexus 7 Cover$19.99No
Additional Nexus 7 Charger$24.99No
Nexus 7 Dock$29.99No
Nexus 7 Sleeve$29.99No
Nexus 4$199+No
Nexus 7 (2012 version)$199+No
Nexus 4 Bumper$19.99No
Nexus Wireless Charger$49.99Yes
Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play edition$649Yes
HTC One Google Play edition$599Yes
Nexus 10$399+Yes
Nexus 10 Cover$29.99Yes
Acer C7 Chromebook$199Yes
Samsung Chromebook$249Yes
Chromebook Pixel$1,299+Yes
Chromecast$35Yes
Nexus 7 (2013 version)$229+Yes
Nexus 5$349+Yes
LG G Pad 8.3$349+Yes
Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition$649Yes
Moto G Google Play Edition$179+Yes
HTC One M8 Google Play edition$699Yes

Play Store (Android app)[edit]

Play Store Android App
Developer(s)Google
Initial releaseOctober 22, 2008; 5 years ago
Stable release4.6.17[58] / March 15, 2014; 32 days ago
Development statusActive
Operating systemAndroid
TypeDigital distribution

Get it on Google Play logo

Android App on Google Play logo
The Play Store, originally the Android Market, is a digital applicationdistribution platform and digital media store for Android developed and maintained by Google. The service allows users to browse and download music, books, magazines, movies, television programs, and applications from Google Play.
The Android Market was rebranded as the Play Store on 6 March 2012. The Android Market updates itself on older devices that it was installed on to reflect the change.[59]

History[edit]

The Android Market was announced by Google on 28 August 2008, and was made available to users on 22 October. Support for paid applications was introduced on 13 February 2009 for developers in the United States and the United Kingdom, with support expanded to an additional 29 countries on 30 September 2010.[60][61] In December 2010, content filtering was added to the Android Market and reduced the purchase refund window from 24–48 hours to fifteen minutes.[62]
In February 2011, Google introduced a web client that provides access to Android Market via PC. Applications requested through the Android Market web page are downloaded and installed on a registered Android device.[63] In March 2011, Google added in-app billing to Android Market, allowing apps to sell in-app products.[64] In May 2011, Google added new application lists to Android Market, including "Top Grossing" applications, "Top Developers", "Trending" applications, and "Editors Recommendations". Google's Eric Chu said the goal of this change was to expose users to as many applications as possible.[65] In July 2011, Google introduced a redesigned interface with a focus on featured content, more search filters, and (in the US) book sales and movie rentals.[66] In September 2011, the Motorola Xoom tablet received an update that brought the redesigned Android Market to an Android 3.x Honeycomb based device.[67] In November 2011, Google added a music store to the Android Market.[68]
In March 2012, the maximum allowed size of an application's APK file was also increased from 50 MB to allow two additional files for a maximum of 50 MB for the APK and two additional files of 2 GB each, totalling 4146 MB/4.05 GB.[69] On 6 March 2012, the Android Market was re-branded as Google Play.[70] In May 2012, Google introduced in-app subscriptions to Google Play.[71] On 12 July 2012, Google released update 3.8.15 which added Application Encryption functionality to help reduce application piracy. Since this update, many developers have noted compatibility issues causing various third-party widgets and keyboards to disappear after phone reboots or connecting to USB storage.[72] Currently, a fix is planned for a future release of Android OS.

Device compatibility[edit]

The Google Play application is not open source. Only Android devices that comply with Google's compatibility requirements may install and access Google's closed-source Google Play application, subject to entering into a free-of-charge[73]licensing agreement with Google.[74] In the past, these requirements had included 3G or 4G cellular data connectivity,[75]ruling out Android-powered devices comparable to Apple's iPod touch, but this requirement had been loosened by the 2011 release of the Samsung Galaxy Player.
Google Play applications are self-contained Android Package files. Google Play does not install applications; it asks the device's PackageManagerService to install them. The package manager becomes visible if the user downloads an APK file directly into their device. Applications are installed to the phone's internal storage, and under certain conditions may be installed to the device's external storage card.[76]
BlackBerry 10 devices (OS10.2.1 and higher) can sideload an app called SNAP which allows direct downloads of apps from Google Play[77]
Some tablet computers such as Amazon Kindle Fire, do not provide access to Google Play, instead using their manufacturer's mobile content distribution site. Some owners use Android rooting to access Google Play, or use sideloadingto load applications.[78] As of July 2013, Barnes & Noble released an update to the Nook HD adding Google Play. Some applications, upon downloading from Google Play, elicit a warning that they are about to overlay the previously-loaded Nook version of the same application.

Translation of app description[edit]

Often apps get machine translation of their description to the native language of the user that often is mixed with English words or has no meaning at all in the target language thus preventing the users of actually understanding app usage.[citation needed]

Advertisements in free apps[edit]

Many of the free apps use advertisements as a source of revenue.[citation needed]

App installation history[edit]

Google Play features a download history allowing for users to trace back to earlier installed apps without manually searching, and if the app was purchased, can be re-installed at a later date without having to re-buy it. At this time, however, there is no way to permanently delete or remove apps downloaded from the Google Play website (My Orders/My Android Apps).[79] Since version 3.9.16, users are able to remove apps from the "All Apps" list on devices only.[80]

Removed apps[edit]

Adblocking apps[edit]

As of May 2013, it appears that Google has removed all ad blocking applications from Google Play Store. This includes such applications as Adblock Plus which was formerly available through the Play Store.[81] This application (one of the few not requiring root access to operate) can still be downloaded and installed from other sources such as F-Droid, so long as the user has configured their security settings to 'allow the installation of non-Market applications from Unknown sources'.

Malicious apps[edit]

Google currently uses an in-house automated anti-virus system to remove malicious Apps uploaded on to the marketplace called Google Bouncer.[82] This is meant to prevent repeat-offender developers, as well as check for anomalies in uploaded apps. Bouncer is credited to reducing malware by 40 percent between the first and second quarters of 2011. Lookout Mobile Security has reported that malware resulted in a loss of US $1 million in 2012.[citation needed]
According to a 2014 research study released by RiskIQ,[83] malicious apps introduced through Google Play store have increased 388% between 2011 and 2013. The study also revealed that the number of malicious apps removed annually by Google has dropped drastically, from 60% in 2011 to 23% in 2013. Apps for personalizing Android phones led all categories as most likely to be malicious. The most downloaded malicious app in 2013 was Talking Angela.[citation needed]
Hackers at Black Hat in 2012 claimed to have found a way to circumvent the Blocker system by creating a seemingly benign application that used a JavaScript exploit to turn into an app capable of stealing contacts, SMS messages, and photos.[84]

Gift cards in aTarget store in the U.S.

Gift cards[edit]

The rumor of Play Store gift cards started after references to it was seen in the version 3.8.15 update to the Play Store app.[85] Soon after images of the gift cards started to leak,[86] and on August 21, 2012 they were made official by Google and rolled out over the next few weeks.[87]
Google Play gift cards are currently available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[88]

Availability[edit]

Users outside the countries/regions listed below only have access to free apps and games through Google Play.
Country/RegionPaid apps and gamesDevices[55]Magazines[10]Books[10]Movies & TV[10]Music[10]
Customers can purchase[89]Developers can sell[90]MoviesTV showsStandardAll Access
 AlbaniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 AlgeriaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 AngolaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 Antigua and BarbudaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 ArgentinaYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 ArmeniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 ArubaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 AustraliaYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
 AustriaYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYes
 AzerbaijanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BahamasYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BahrainYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BangladeshYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BelarusYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BelgiumYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYes
 BelizeYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 BeninYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 BoliviaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Bosnia and HerzegovinaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 BotswanaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 BrazilYesYesNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
 BulgariaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 Burkina FasoYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 CambodiaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 CameroonYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 CanadaYesYesYesYesYesYesNoNoNo
 Cape VerdeYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 ChileYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
 ColombiaYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
 Costa RicaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 CroatiaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 CyprusYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 Czech RepublicYesYesNoNoYesNoNoYesYes
 DenmarkYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesNo
 Dominican RepublicYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 EcuadorYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 EgyptYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 El SalvadorYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 EstoniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 FijiYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 FinlandYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 FranceYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 GabonYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 GermanyYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 GhanaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 GreeceYesNoNoNoYesNoNoYesYes
 GuatemalaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Guinea-BissauYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 HaitiYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 HondurasYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Hong KongYesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoNo
 HungaryYesNoNoNoYesNoNoYesYes
 IcelandYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 IndiaYesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoNo
 IndonesiaYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 IrelandYesYesYesNoYesNoNoYesYes
 IsraelYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 ItalyYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYes
 Ivory CoastYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 JamaicaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 JapanYesYesYesNoYesYesYesNoNo
 JordanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 KazakhstanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 KenyaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 KuwaitYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 KyrgyzstanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 LaosYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 LatviaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 LebanonYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 LiechtensteinNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYes
 LithuaniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 LuxembourgYesNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
 MacedoniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 MalaysiaYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 MaliYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 MaltaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 MauritiusYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 MexicoYesYesNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
 MoldovaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 MoroccoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 MozambiqueYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 NamibiaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
   NepalYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 NetherlandsYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 Netherlands AntillesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 New ZealandYesYesNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
 NicaraguaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 NigerYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 NigeriaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 NorwayYesYesNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
 OmanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 PakistanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 PanamaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Papua New GuineaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 ParaguayYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 PeruYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
 PhilippinesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoYesNo
 PolandYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 PortugalYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 QatarYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 RomaniaYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 RussiaYesYesNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
 RwandaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Saudi ArabiaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 SenegalYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 SingaporeYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 SlovakiaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYes
 SloveniaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 South AfricaYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 South KoreaYesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoNo
 SpainYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
 Sri LankaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 SwedenYesYesYesNoYesYesNoYesYes
  SwitzerlandYesYesNoNoYesNoNoYesYes
 TaiwanYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 TajikistanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 TanzaniaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 ThailandYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 TogoYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 Trinidad and TobagoYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 TunisiaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 TurkeyYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 TurkmenistanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 UgandaYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 UkraineYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 United Arab EmiratesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 United KingdomYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
 United States[a]YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
 UruguayYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 UzbekistanYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 VenezuelaYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
 VietnamYesNoNoNoYesNoNoNoNo
 YemenYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
 ZambiaYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
 ZimbabweYesNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. Jump up^ including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and the US Virgin Islands for paid apps only

References[edit]

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  46. Jump up^ "Google+ post Andy Rubin". Google. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  47. Jump up^ Lunden, Ingrid (7 May 2012). "Google Play About To Pass 15 Billion App Downloads? Pssht! It Did That Weeks Ago". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
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  49. Jump up^ Zachary Lutz (26 September 2012). "Google Play celebrates 25 billion downloads with 25 cent apps, discounted books, music, and movies". Engadget.com. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  50. Jump up^ Paul, Ian (20 February 2012). "Google Play Store: 800,000 apps and overtake Apple AppStore!". Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  51. Jump up^ Ward, Brad (May 15, 2013). "Google: 900 million Android activations, 48 billion app installs".
  52. Jump up^ Nexus 5. Google. Retrieved on 2013-11-24.
  53. Jump up^ "Google unveils Nexus 7 tablet, Nexus Q media player". Usatoday.com. 2012-06-27. Retrieved 2012-10-29.
  54. Jump up^ "Country availability - Google Play Help". support.google.com. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
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  56. Jump up^ "Google turns the Samsung Galaxy S4 into a Nexus phone, coming June 26th for $649". The Verge. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  57. Jump up^ "HTC One with stock Android announced, launching June 26th for $599". The Verge. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
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  72. Jump up^ "Google Play Bugtracker".
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  74. Jump up^ "Android Compatibility". Android Open Source Project. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
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  77. Jump up^ http://www.berryreview.com/2014/02/06/snap-google-play-store-for-blackberry-10-updated-to-v2-0-0-2/
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  81. Jump up^ Google Takes the Dark Path, Censors AdBlock Plus on Android EFF, March 14, 2013.
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  83. Jump up^ http://www.riskiq.com/company/press-releases/riskiq-reports-malicious-mobile-apps-google-play-have-spiked-nearly-400
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  85. Jump up^ "Google Is Gearing Up To Finally Introduce Play Store Gift Cards And A Wishlist [APK Teardown]". Android Police. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  86. Jump up^ "Google Play gift cards are real – and here's what they look like". Android Central. 2012-08-16. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  87. Jump up^ "Google Play Gift Cards are official, rolling out over the next few weeks". Android Central. 2012-08-21. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  88. Jump up^ "Gift cards & Google Play balance". Google Play Help. Retrieved 2013-09-05.
  89. Jump up^ "Paid App Availability". Google Play Help.
  90. Jump up^ "Supported locations for merchants". Google Play Help.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Google Play.
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