Verizon plans its own Android app store to compete with Google Play

Google-Play-Store

Many have tried and failed to compete with Google Play on Android, but Verizon is hoping it can buck that trend with its own app store alternative that will allow software developers to “to take full advantage of specific features of wireless-carrier networks,” The Information reports.

Verizon has already dipped its feet into app distribution with a similar app store for Android and BlackBerry that launched in 2010. It was closed down less then three years later, but the company aims to grab more success this time around by taking advantage of recent Google cutbacks in revenue sharing with carriers and hardware manufacturers.

Its new store will reportedly be available globally — not just to Verizon customers in the U.S. — and it is working with other carriers and hardware makers to bring the service to fruition. Discussions are still in the early stages, however, and there is no date set for its release at this time.

Verizon will have to get friendly with top Android developers to make its app store a success. Other carriers and app distributors have found that it’s incredibly difficult to compete with Google Play on Android, has a larger catalog of apps than any of its competitors and better support from developers.

Even retail giant Amazon has struggled to match Google’s app catalog, and its own software marketplace for Kindle Fire tablets and the Fire phone continues to lack a plethora of popular titles, including Google’s own YouTube app.