App stores
What are alternative Android app stores?
Short answer
Alternative app stores are Android app stores other than Google Play, such as Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps and RuStore in Russia. Some phones, like Huawei devices without Google services, can’t use Google Play at all, so a Play Store link leaves their owners with nowhere to install from.
Who needs them
Huawei phones sold without Google services rely on AppGallery. Samsung and Xiaomi ship their own stores next to Google Play. RuStore serves Android users in Russia. If your audience includes these phones or markets, being in the store they use matters as much as the ad that reaches them.
One link, many stores
Publishing in several stores is half the job. The other half is sending each phone to the store it actually has. A smart link can check the device maker and route Huawei phones to AppGallery, and send Samsung or Xiaomi phones to their stores if you publish there, with country rules on top.
Appy’s free plan routes to AppGallery, Galaxy Store and GetApps by device and to RuStore for Android phones in Russia; Pro adds country rules for other markets.
Related terms
- Smart link
A smart link is one link, often with a matching QR code, that checks the device tapping it and sends each person to the right place: iPhones to the App Store, Android phones to Google Play or another store, desktops to your website, and straight into the app when it’s already installed.
- App store link
An app store link is the address of an app’s page in a store. On the App Store it looks like apps.apple.com/<country>/app/<name>/id<number>; on Google Play, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=<package>. The scheme versions, itms-apps:// and market://, open the store app itself instead of a web page.
One link for every phone
Create a free smart link and QR code that sends iPhones to the App Store, Android phones to Google Play and desktops to your website.