HIGHLIGHTS
- Google Play Pass was introduced in the United States in 2019.
- In 90 countries, the subscription-based service is offered.
- To begin, Play Pass contains 15 Indian titles.
Google Play Pass has finally arrived in India, more than two years after its debut in the United States. The premium membership service provides access to Android applications and games without adverts or in-app purchases. Google Play Pass is a monthly and yearly membership service that gives users access to a variety of applications and games. The service competes with Apple Arcade, which offers a comparable ad-free experience on a variety of games designed exclusively for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV.
Google announced on Monday that Play Pass will be available to Android smartphones in India this week. The programme provides a selected library of over 1,000 games from developers in 59 countries across 41 categories.
To begin, Play Pass contains 15 titles from Indian creators. These include Rendered Ideas' Jungle Adventures and Creative Monkey Games' World Cricket Battle 2.
Google stated that it will continue to collaborate with global and local developers to introduce new games and applications to Play Pass on a monthly basis. Developers have also been given a dedicated portal where they may suggest games for the service.
How to get Google Play Pass in India
In India, users may obtain a one-month trial of Play Pass before subscribing for Rs. 99 per month or Rs. 889 per year. The service is also available as a one-month prepaid membership for Rs. 109. Additionally, individuals with a Google family group may share their Play Pass membership with up to five other family members.
When Play Pass becomes available, you may begin your free trial by opening the Play Store on your Android device, pressing on the profile symbol in the top-right corner, and then selecting the Play Pass option.
It is vital to remember that Play Pass is only compatible with smartphones running at least Android 4.4 and the Google Play app version 16.6.25.
Subscribers may rapidly access the library of applications and games offered through the premium service by using the dedicated Play Pass page on Google Play. When exploring titles on the Play store, the Play Pass'ticket' also displays in the app listings.
Google's answer to Apple Arcade
Google Play Pass, which was launched in the United States in September 2019, is intended to be Google's answer to Apple Arcade, which operates in a similar manner.
"With the introduction of Play Pass in India, we are delighted to offer our customers a comprehensive library of unlocked games and look forward to engaging with more local developers to make fantastic experiences consumers adore," said Aditya Swamy, Director, Play Partnerships, Google India, in a prepared statement.
While Play Pass provides an ad-free experience on many popular applications and games, there are still many titles accessible on Google Play that need users to have separate subscriptions and in-app payments.
Play Pass provides a platform for small-scale developers to gain global exposure, since the service is presently available in 90 countries worldwide. Google has not yet announced the actual number of Play Pass customers.
According to app analysis firm Data.ai, India is the second largest market for app downloads after China (formerly known as App Annie). In addition, the country has one of the world's fastest growing app marketplaces. Nonetheless, it does not rank among the top 20 mobile markets in terms of consumer expenditure on applications.
According to a recent Data.ai analysis, China, the United States, and Japan were the most dominant regions for app consumer expenditure, with the United States seeing a 30 percent year-on-year rise of $43 billion (approximately Rs. 3,25,300 crore) in 2021.
Google did not respond to a question about why it decided to offer the Play Pass service to India after it had been available in the United States for more than two years.
