The days of Google playing the role of a passive moderator to app submissions to the Android Market is coming to a close. Following the removal of many virus infected apps earlier this year, the search giant has made its second bold leap, by removing apps which provide ‘free’ tethering. Is this a sign of Google playing a more active role, possibly even curating future Market submissions?
The free-for-all, no holds barred Android Market may have worked well in the beginning, but today there are nearly 200,000 apps, with thousands more being submitted each month. Part of the reason we love to hate Apple is the level of control they exude over their App Store — today it appears Google will follow suit, albeit to a lesser extent.
Our good friends over at Android Police first caught wind of Google’s iron fist this morning when they noticed ‘free’ tethering apps, Wireless Tether specifically, were unable to be installed on reader’s smartphones. Commentors quickly pointed out that in the US, Verizon Wireless, T-mobile and At&t Android smartphones were unable to install the app (Sprint users had no issue).
Please help us evaluate the scope of the Android Market change by trying to install Wireless Tether (or any ‘free’ tethering app) and post your results in the comments section below, thanks.
Out Now | Wireless Tether | Free
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