Google Play Pass debuts in India; Offers over 1,000 apps, ad-free games, in-app purchases

Google Play Pass has finally made its debut in India, more than two years after its launch in the United States. The paid subscription service provides access to applications and games on Android, without advertising or in-app purchases. Google offers Play Pass consumers as part of monthly and yearly subscription options, through which they have access to a list of apps and games. The service rivals Apple Arcade which offers a similar ad-free experience across a range of games available specifically for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV.

On Monday, Google announced that Play Pass will be rolling out to Android devices in India this week. The service offers a curated collection of over 1,000 titles in 41 developer categories from 59 countries.

Play Pass also includes 15 titles from Indian developers to start with. These include games such as Jungle Adventures from Rendered Ideas and World Cricket Battle 2 from Creative Monkey Games.

Google said it will continue to work with global and local developers to add new games and apps to Play Pass every month. Developers have also been given a dedicated webpage from which they can submit their titles for the service.

How to get Google Play Pass in India

Users can get Play Pass in India with a one-month trial and subscribe to it at Rs. 99 per month or Rs. 889 per year. The service is also available as a one-month prepaid subscription at Rs. 109. Additionally, users who have a Google family group can share their Play Pass subscription with up to five other family members.

Google Play Pass is rolling out for Android users in India
Photo credit: Google

Once Play Pass is rolled out, you can start its free trial by opening the Play Store on your Android device, tapping the profile icon in the top right corner, and then selecting the Play Pass option.

It’s important to note that Play Pass works with devices that run at least Android 4.4 and have version 16.6.25 of the Google Play app.

Subscribers see the dedicated Play Pass tab on Google Play for quick access to the collection of apps and games available through the paid service. The Play Pass “ticket” also appears on app listings when browsing titles on the Play Store.

Google’s response to Apple Arcade

Introduced in the US in September 2019, Google Play Pass is designed as Google’s answer to Apple Arcade which works similarly.

“With the launch of Play Pass in India, we’re excited to bring a strong collection of unlocked titles to our users and look forward to partnering with more local developers to create amazing experiences that users love,” said Aditya Swamy, Director, Play Partnerships, Google India, in a prepared statement.

Although Play Pass provides an ad-free experience on various popular apps and games, there are still a large number of titles available on Google Play that require users to have individual subscriptions and in-app purchases.

Play Pass gives small-scale developers the opportunity to gain global exposure, as the service is currently available in 90 countries around the world. However, the exact number of Play Pass subscribers has yet to be revealed by Google.

India is the second-largest market for app downloads after China, according to app analytics firm Data.ai (formerly known as App Annie). The country is also one of the fastest growing app markets in the world. Nevertheless, it does not feature in the list of top 20 mobile markets when it comes to consumer spending on apps.

A recent report by Data.ai shows that China, the United States and Japan were the most dominant markets for app consumer spending, with the United States seeing 30% year-over-year growth. the other of $43 billion (about Rs. 3,25,300 crore) in 2021.

Google has not responded on what prompted it to bring the Play Pass service to India after more than two years of its US launch.

Unlike Play Pass, Apple Arcade debuted in India and over 150 countries around the world in September 2019 alone. Apple’s service is available at Rs. 99 per month after a one-month trial. It’s also available for free for the first three months if you buy a new Apple device.

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