Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo reportedly team up to form their own app-distribution platform

According to a new Reuters report, the smartphone OEMs Vivo, OPPO and Xiaomi have collaborated to deliver the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA). This is a new platform that may have been conceived in order to solve the problem of getting apps onto phones made by these companies in regions where they cannot use Google Play Services.

All 3 brands do sell devices in these countries; for example, the fact that they are all Chinese in origin means they are obliged to run their own in-house app stores as alternatives to the Play Store wherever necessary. This can make attracting new creations from developers, particularly those from overseas, difficult.

According to a Xiaomi representative, the GDSA is also intended to go beyond help with simply submitting the apps for installation via non-Google stores. It will provide additional related services such as "content distribution, development support, marketing operation, brand promotion and traffic monetization". This kind of support is also a feature of the Play Store; however, Xiaomi also insists that the Alliance is not intended to replace, or compete with, that more established solution.

Huawei has also been linked to this GDSA project; however, this has been denied by other known partners in this initiative. Furthermore, the involvement of this 4th OEM is not evident on this platform's new website. This site also notes that it will be rolled out to 9 regions that include India, Russia and Indonesia to start off with.