Verizon Apps closing up shop this January
Verizon Wireless looks to have thrown the towel in when it comes to its own-branded apps store. Verizon Apps looks to be headed for the wayside this upcoming January, it’s been confirmed. The carrier first launched the app store as an alternative for developers to peddle their apps in a marketplace that wasn’t nearly as crowded as the Google Play Store.
They’d looked to control the store’s population through hands-on approval processes, though this effect was probably achieved more by general disinterest from developers (caused by general disinterest from users). Verizon would get a cut of the profits from these developers, of course, and it’d be yet another perfect way for them to make money… except it wasn’t.
Most developers were just fine with keeping their wares in the Google Play Store, and other alternative markets, like Amazon, were more enticing. Verizon also used the apps store to promote its own apps, of course, but these apps were either available from the Google Play Store or pre-installed on most of its devices anyway.
It’s about damn time, we’d say. Sure, an app store for a feature phone is very sensible and probably more welcome than anything, but when it comes to smartphones that extra ecosystem just doesn’t necessarily fit.
Push everything to one central box (Play Store) and make things less confusing for everyone involved. I give Verizon a big kudos for making this happen sooner rather than later. Those who will be affected by content they’ve purchased can head to Verizon for more details on how they can make this transition smooth once the entire process wraps up by the end of March 2013.
[via Verizon Developer Community]