As you may or may not know, the Chinese app market is unlike most of the other app markets around the world, especially when it comes to Android.
Unlike western markets, Google Play doesn’t have a strong foothold yet in China and doesn’t control the Android app market there. Because of this, hundreds of other Android app stores have emerged to fill in the gaps.
For Android developers looking to introduce their app to Chinese users, these are the top app stores you need to consider for distribution:
MYAPP BY TENCENT
Tencent is one of the largest mobile and internet companies in China. The owner of the popular social media platform WeChat, Tencent has positioned MyApp as the top destination to download mobile apps in China. With hundreds of millions of users, Tencent’s MyApp is one of the top app stores in China.
HUAWEI APP STORE
Run by top Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei, the Huawei App Store taps into a built-in Android user base that continues to grow as Huawei expands its smartphone market share in China.
BAIDU MOBILE ASSISTANT
Baidu, the largest search engine in China, boasts hundreds of millions of monthly active users and taps into its search engine to help developers distribute their apps to users, much like Google does with the Google Play Store.
360 MOBILE ASSISTANT
Qihoo 360 is one of the top mobile security apps on the market, and they tapped into their built-in user base to launch both a search engine and a standalone app store. Closely behind Baidu, 360 Mobile Assistant also boasts hundreds of millions of local users.
HIMARKET
91 Wireless, the company that first opened the HiMarket App Store, is now a part of Baidu. However, their HiMarket app store and their 91 Assistant app store still remain some of the top Android app stores in China and combined have billions of yearly app downloads.
Its important for developers to remember that each of these app stores has different rules and diverse user bases. Before publishing in a store, make sure to do your research to make sure your app will find the right audience!
