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Ask HN: Is it possible to ditch Google Play as a solo mobile app dev?

19 points appsDev | 1 comments | 17 Oct 24 20:39 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source

Hey everyone! I need some advice..

I am a student and solo app dev, and I recently made a game on iOS that reached the top of the front page on Hacker News. I want to bring the game to Android, but am struggling with Google Play's policies for solo devs.

The one that is bothering me most is having to display my physical, home address on the play store for paid apps. I personally think this would be a pretty big security and privacy hazard, but there isn't any way around it that I have seen. There are also other things like requiring solo devs to test any new app with 20 testers for 2 weeks.

My Point Is: If I launch the app instead on the Epic Game Store / Amazon App Store, or even both, do you think the app can still be successful? Is it really possible to get good reach without the Play store, or will users just ignore the app if it's not on Google Play?

I am on iOS and don't know too much about the Android stores / user behavior, so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

Link to app for reference: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6720712299

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dlachausse ◴[18 Oct 24 03:12 UTC] No.41876053[source]▶
I’ve personally decided to just ignore Android all together for my app. As a solo developer that is all in on the Apple ecosystem, supporting Android just doesn’t appeal to me.

Would it be possible to port your app to WASM and support Android via a browser?

replies(2): >>41882242 #>>41906651 #
1. creamyhorror ◴[21 Oct 24 18:01 UTC] No.41906651[source]▶
I think the era of solo indie devs releasing apps on Google Play is likely over (and the Apple Store might not be far behind). It's a burden even for companies. The days of the early 2010s when solo devs could make viral apps are long gone.