Verizon is reportedly working on its own app store for Android

Remember the Verizon app store? The carrier’s first attempt to sell software directly to Android and BlackBerry users only lasted a few years before closing shop in early 2013, but a new report claims Verizon Wireless could make another play at the Android app market. The firm is apparently still in early talks with potential partners. The new Verizon app store could be a collaboration between multiple carrier’s and hardware companies, and would reportedly launch exclusively on Android to square-off against Google’s own Play Store. The new mobile market could offer special features based on Verizon’s wireless network, though it’s unclear exactly what that might entail. 

Verizon is going to launch its own app store in an effort to compete with the Google Play Store on Android devices, claims a report from The Information. The new store will be available globally and is the result of a partnership with other carriers and hardware makers, says the report. In 2010, Verizon Wireless launched a similar app store for Android and BlackBerry smartphones in the US, but it shuttered it in January 2013. The Information says the discussions for a new app store are still in an early stage, and there is not a concrete date for when it would launch. The Information claims that this new effort is a response to recent cutbacks from Google in revenue sharing with carriers and hardware makers for apps sold through the Google Play Store. Verizon would be stemming future losses with its own app store, as revenues from app store sales are expected to grow significantly over the next few years. The report says that Verizon would also use data like location, time of day, and social indicators to recommend apps to users. Sprint also recently announced an app store of its own, called the App Pass. App Pass is a subscription service, similar to Netflix, which offers apps through a store separate from Google Play for a monthly fee.