The applications that are developed for use in Android devices are open source applications. With the Android software development kit that Google provides, many software developers and firms are able to design applications for different categories and put them for download and use through Google Play Store. Though Android applications can be found at other online marketplaces as well, Google Play store is the foremost and dependable source for such applications.
Features of this Android application marketplace are as follows:
- The applications that are found here can be downloaded free of cost or come at a price.
- These can be downloaded with the help of an Android operating system. Hence, the Play Store works for the Android operating system based devices alone.
- The mobile app on Google Play Store that is available for download for most Android and certain non Android devices comes pre installed on most devices or can be downloaded for free.
- There are about 82 billion apps in this marketplace as of 2016 which have reached a figure of 2.7 million apps that have been published in the current year.
- Google Play Store constantly reviews the different apps that are put up for download or purchase from this forum to reduce or minimize cases of malicious software being downloaded with such apps.
Google Play was launched way back in 2012. At this time it helped to unite the Android market that was already operating as well as Google Bookstore and Google Music which had been launched separately. This marked a shift in the way digital content was being distributed by Google.
Google Play store for Android devices go a long way to making these products functional and effective. For instance:
- Tablets and smart phones are able to perform different tasks with apps downloaded from Google Play Store.
- Many devices come with factory installed Google Play Store that make it easy to start downloading different apps through it.
- There are different categories of apps that are easy to browse through and find on this application.
- The free and paid applications are easy to find on this app and one can customize the interface of the app once they link their Google account to it.
- Any app that is found on this platform is checked for malware and come with reviews and recommendations of other customers.
- Google Play Store not only showcases different apps, but also monitors the upgrades for the different apps and allows one to add or delete apps through this platform.
The process to download Google Play Store is easy on any Android device. It is usually pre-loaded in any device that you purchase. However, in case the application gets deleted or is not available on the mobile device you are using, you can follow the steps mentioned below to get it on your device: 
- Ensure that the mobile or Wi-Fi connectivity is active on your device.
- Visit your mobile web browser and log onto a search engine website like Google.
- Search for Google Play Store app that would be compatible with your device. Ensure that you key in the exact model number and brand of your device to get the compatible Google
Play Store app. - Check the Android operating system version number and other details to ensure compatibility of the app.
- Once you have the right file, click on download.
- Uncheck the box in the security settings of your device which prevents downloads from unknown sources.
- Allow the source file to download and install on your device.
- Once this opening the app and set up your account.
- It will ask for your Google account details. Any existing Google account that you might have can be linked to the app.
Only when a Google account is linked to Google Play Store will you be able to use the app. It will then allow you to download apps directly to your device. The kind of apps you like to download and other preferences are noted on the app. It will intimate you as and when apps need to be updated. New apps are easy to search for on this app interface. All you need to do is look up popular categories as well as use the search option to find an app of your choice.
Any app you choose to download can be either free or paid for. You can save payment options securely in your Google Play Store account. That will enable you to pay for any app you wish to download. The apps listed on this site also can be reviewed before downloading.