Just a week after expanding Android Market paid app sales options to developers in 20 new international territories, Google has extended app purchases to 18 additional countries, meaning consumers across 32 nations worldwide may now download premium games, navigation solutions, productivity tools and the like. Android Market users in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sweden and Taiwan may now purchase premium applications--to buy an app, consumers must have the latest Android Market client, which Google is currently rolling out as a self-update. "This is a silent update; users will not see a notification and will not be prompted to do anything," explains the Android Developers Blog.
Android developers are not required to take action to begin selling applications in the new markets if they have already targeted apps to be available to "All Locations." Developers who have not selected "All Locations" and would like to target these additional markets---as well as those who've selected "All Locations" but do not want to expand into the new regions--should visit the Android Market publisher site to make the necessary changes.
Google's recent Android Market enhancements are a direct response to developer frustrations over premium Android application distribution opportunities. As recently as late September, developers in only nine countries were able to distribute paid apps via Android Market, with premium apps available in just 14 of the 46 countries that the storefront serves. Consumers still must register for a Google Checkout account in order to download paid Android applications, except in locations where operator billing is available.
For more on the Android Market paid app expansion:
- read this Android Developers Blog entry
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