Google may start offering Android app bundles with a monthly subscription service called Play Pass

Code buried in Google's Play Store app hints that Google may one day offer an app bundle subscription service that offers access to several apps for a monthly fee. A question circulating through Google's Opinion Rewards app seems to corroborate this notion, asking users if they feel the word "Pass" would describe a subscription service that offers "hundreds of dollars worth of paid apps" for a monthly fee.

Sam Medley, 10/29/2018

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One of the biggest revenue streams for Google is the Google Play Store, which is the default app repository for most Android phones. However, recent moves Google has made hint that the search giant is trying to grow revenue through various Android-related avenues. According to code buried within the Play Store’s code, Google may offer a subscription-based app bundle service in the future.

Dubbed “Play Pass,” hints of the subscription service were found by XDA Developers user Kieron Quinn while tearing the Play Store app down using the Xposed Framework tool. The Play Store contains code related to Play Pass, but enabling the service via a flag doesn’t seem to do anything right now. However, a question circulating through Google’s Opinion Rewards app, which rewards users with Play Store credit for answering various polls, asks about an app subscription service. The question asks users to describe how well the word “Pass” would describe an app store that “has a subscription that offers hundreds of dollars worth of paid apps and games for a monthly fee.”

Obviously, a Play Pass subscription service is still speculation at this point, but the survey question seems to corroborate the code discovered in the Play Store. There are several services that offer access to myriad app bundles for a monthly fee on both iOS and Android, so a Play Store-centric service wouldn’t be anything new. It could also be another jolt for Android’s revenue model, something that Google seems keen to exploit.