Mobile phone manufacturers want to control app stores: Is it possible?

Can't download third-party app stores on your phone? Can't install after downloading?

These issues raised by NetEase users have attracted NetEase Technology's attention: Is this a matter of probability or human factors? NetEase Technology has launched an investigation into this.

During the investigation, we found that not only have many mobile phone manufacturers taken back the operating rights of their app stores, but some manufacturers have even taken measures to quietly implement "bans and restrictions" on third-party app stores by relying on the advantages of their underlying systems.

Will this lead to the collapse of the existing structure of app stores? And in NetEase Technology’s visit, why did many third-party app stores not want to talk about the “ban”?

The Entry Dispute Behind the “Probability” Problem

According to NetEase users, some mobile phones cannot install apps downloaded from third-party app stores. NetEase Technology has contacted many app stores and mobile phone manufacturers in the industry about this issue, but not all of them are willing to talk about this topic.

"This is actually because mobile phone manufacturers make some app stores fail to download, install successfully, or even crash," an unnamed app store manager told NetEase Technology. "This probabilistic event cannot be confirmed even with testing. Mobile phone manufacturers do this to make their app stores more profitable."

This is not a difficult task.

Industry insiders told NetEase Technology that APPs are application layers installed on the underlying architecture, which means that APPs are managed by the underlying system architecture. Currently, domestic mobile phone manufacturers have launched their own ROMs, which means they have more permissions. In this way, it is not difficult for mobile phone manufacturers to make this kind of "probabilistic event" happen.

The reason for this practice is easy to understand: the app store, which is regarded as the most important entrance to the mobile Internet, has become a "must-fight place" in the eyes of everyone.

"If you think of a mobile phone as an aircraft carrier, the App Store is its important engine." A person from ZTE Terminal described the importance of the App Store to NetEase Technology. This also shows how much importance mobile phone manufacturers attach to the App Store.

"As an entry point, smart terminals need to interact with users through the operating system and the UI on the system," said a mobile phone manufacturer. As for the operating system, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers all use the Android operating system, which they do not have much control over. As for the UI, mobile phone manufacturers can customize it to connect with users and create stickiness. "An intermediate medium connecting users and system UI is the app store. The app store can combine the hardware itself, the software, the operating system, and also achieve connection with users."

Independent analyst Fu Liang believes that "the profit margins of mobile phone hardware are getting thinner and thinner. After seeing the success of Apple and Xiaomi, mobile phone manufacturers are increasingly focusing on software and app stores. More importantly, everyone is talking about ecology and the integration of software and hardware. Mobile phone manufacturers naturally want to control the entrance to the app store in their own hands."

Therefore, mobile phone manufacturers who attach more and more importance to the role of app stores as entrances are facing increasingly fierce conflicts with third-party app stores. Some mobile phone manufacturers (such as Meizu) have taken back the operating rights of app stores that they had outsourced.

The urgent need for mobile phone manufacturers: changing the status quo

In this field, there are not only numerous startups, but also giants such as BAT are fighting fiercely. After several years of fierce competition, the pattern of app stores was basically determined by 2014:

One category is Internet giants, such as Baidu Mobile Assistant, App Store, and 360 Mobile Assistant; one category is independent third-party camps, such as Wandoujia, Anzhi, Jifeng, and App Store; one category is mobile phone manufacturers, such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Meizu, Coolpad, OPPO, and ViVO; the last category is the operators' application stores: China Mobile MM App Store, China Telecom Tianyi Space, and China Unicom Wo Store.

Among these four categories of app stores, the first two can be considered third-party app stores; according to data from a third-party research organization, the top five app stores in the market are Baidu Mobile Assistant, 360 Mobile Assistant, App Store, 91 Assistant and Wandoujia, followed by mobile phone-owned app stores such as Xiaomi App Store, Le Store and Huawei App Market.

In a random interview conducted by NetEase Technology, although some users said they would prefer to use the app stores provided by mobile phone manufacturers, "Their app stores can already meet my needs, why bother going to the next third-party app store", there are still more users who are willing to use third-party app stores because they are "used to it".

This was confirmed in a subsequent online survey conducted by NetEase Technology.

According to an online survey conducted by NetEase Technology, 25.8% of users frequently use mobile phone manufacturers' independent app stores, 28.0% rarely use them, and 46.1% basically do not use them.

In the survey on "Will you consider using the mobile phone manufacturer's own app store for your next mobile phone?", only 33.2% were willing to use it, while 66.8% would not use it.

Mobile phone manufacturers urgently need to change this situation, which may be one of the reasons for the occurrence of "probabilistic events".

Security: Another card for mobile phone manufacturers

In addition to "probabilistic events", how else are mobile phone manufacturers trying to impress users?

Liu Jun, executive vice president of Lenovo and president of the mobile business group, told NetEase Technology: "Mobile phone manufacturers must manage their app stores very well because there are a lot of mixed bag of companies and too many gray areas. We hope to provide users with an honest app store service."

Huawei Consumer Business CEO Richard Yu told NetEase Technology that the current app store is too chaotic and needs to be managed and regulated. It is understood that Richard Yu will focus on software systems in the coming year.

In addition, mobile phone manufacturers have a natural entry advantage and are suitable for distribution and tool-type products. In terms of user expansion, the application stores of Internet companies cannot compare with those of mobile phone manufacturers, because the growth of mobile phone shipments of mobile phone manufacturers means the growth of application stores.

"Mobile phone manufacturers such as OPPO and VIVO have up to 4 million daily active users and distribute 20 million apps a day. Each user downloads 4 or 5 apps, while ordinary app stores only have 1 or 2. The money-making benefits of a single user of a better phone model are very good. And there is no promotion cost," revealed a person from an app store.

The Secretive Third-Party App Store

Faced with the strategic changes and various "small moves" of mobile phone manufacturers, the application stores of Internet companies are very secretive, and they just told NetEase Technology reporters that "users have the final say."

"Current mobile phone manufacturers are indeed promoting their own app stores. However, most users will still choose app stores that are safe and can meet their needs because of their previous usage habits and special needs." 360 Mobile Assistant staff said, "Today's users are no longer like when smartphones first emerged, and they use whatever is installed on their phones. They have their own pursuits and hobbies. Therefore, as long as we insist on being the app store with the best experience, users will feel it."

At the same time, cooperation still exists.

"Different manufacturers adopt different strategies. More manufacturers still choose to cooperate with third parties to ensure that the applications are genuine, stable and compatible. The two will have a game based on their own strength, and it will be a situation where you have me and I have you." said a ZTE terminal person.

An insider of an app store also revealed to NetEase Technology that some mobile phone manufacturers are still willing to choose Internet companies to help them operate their app stores. "For example, Huawei's app store has strong distribution capabilities, but it still gives the operation rights of some models to App Store. Coolpad's app store is customized by App Store."

Mobile phone manufacturers value the operational capabilities of Internet companies, and use this method to expand their scale; Internet companies can distribute their own apps through the distribution capabilities of mobile phone manufacturers. This is a "win-win" situation. According to NetEase Technology, another third-party app store is recently negotiating cooperation with Samsung to achieve joint operations.

Competition and cooperation coexist, which may be the way for mobile phone manufacturers and third-party app stores to coexist for a long time in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.