Google launches Play Pass with 350 apps and games for $4,99 a month

As promised in recent weeks, the Google has already started to officially make available the Play Pass for smartphones and tablets. The subscription service allows the user to access different types of applications and games monthly for free and was already being tested for a few days. Coming in as a direct competitor to the Apple Arcade, launched last week, the app store service Google It has interesting news and benefits.

What Google Play Pass offers

Different from your competitor Apple Arcade, Google Play Pass you will not have to update the complete operating system as a requirement. The service will work on Play Store from all devices Android that run the version Android 4.4 Kitkat or higher, which encompasses most of them.

And while the app subscription service from Apple arrived with 100 games, the Google Play Pass is being launched with approximately 350 options of apps and games already included, ranging from games to productivity and even fitness apps. They have the advantage of having no advertising interfering with the experience, no in-app purchases and no kind of advance payment.

The company has already promised that more apps will be added every month as many developers are already being invited to be part of the program. An interesting detail is that different from what many people believed at the beginning, the Google is not making direct investments in software development. There is also no exclusivity agreement with developers and applications.

While it hasn't revealed the details on how these developers will profit from the subscription service, the company has already announced that it will have to do with the number of user engagements with the apps and games on the subscription. Play Pass.

Among the applications offered are some quite popular and well-known such as AccuWeather, or Hi-Q Pro Voice Recorder, the application for musicians tunable and the editor Facetune which comes with all features unlocked for members of the Google Play Pass. The paid ones that are offered for free are several such as Terraria, Monument Valley 2, Risk e Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

In addition, there are also other options, even if less known, such as LIMBO, Lichtspeer, Mini Metro e Old Man's Journey. In the family content category are some like Touch mouth and the whole series My Town.

The service proves to be advantageous for those who like to test new games and want to have the chance to try out even the most expensive ones. Looking at the games listed as an example, if you take into account the value of only the Stardew Valley, Pocket City e Mini Metro, already gives more than R$35,00. Another advantage is that it's not just games but also apps of all categories.

The service offers both paid and free apps, the difference is that those that are considered “freemium”, that is, they are free but have in-app purchases, have ads removed and paid features are unlocked, as with the Facetune. And whoever signs the Google Play Pass will be entitled to unlock these features also in apps that have already been purchased or downloaded previously, if they are part of the service.

How will it work?

Users who live in the United States and subscribe to the service will see a new tab next to Games and Apps named Play Pass. As soon as the tab opens, a welcome message appears and a list of some applications that are part of the service for them to look at and choose from.

They are even divided into categories like “New and Remarkable”, “Top Games” e “Recommended for you”. And the apps that are part of the Play Pass will be marked throughout the Play Store, so the user can browse through the full store options and know which ones are on the service's list or not.

Price and availability

O Google Play Pass was launched today in the United States costing $ 4.99 monthly, (which would be more or less R$ 20,86, in direct conversion), and the same price charged by the Apple Arcade in the North American country. The subscription to the service can be integrated with the Google Play FamilySharing and thus be shared with up to 5 members of the same family, each with their own individual access.

There is a 10-day trial period and until the 10th of October it will be possible to subscribe at a price of US$ 1.99 per month during the first year. Remembering that the tab only appears after signing up for the service. O Google announced that the service will begin arriving in other countries in the coming weeks, but did not give any date for when the Play Pass will arrive in Brazil for now.

Source: Google Blog