14 DAY TRIAL // Tech giants such as Google and Facebook know that after conquering the Western world, the best hope for expansion lies with the developing markets.
With this in mind, Google launched the Android One initative which aims to offer handsets with basic specs that take advantage of the stock Android experience.
Google also promises to treat the Android One bunch like it does its Nexus family, providing them with the latest software updates as soon as they become available.
Even if the Android One program hasn't proved to be particularly popular, the search giant continues to push its strategy in emerging markets. The tech behemoth just launched two new Android One handsets, but that’s not all it’s doing.
Google doesn't want Android apps to tap into users' data programs
According to a report coming out of The Information, Google is looking to provide support for customers willing to jump on board of the smartphone bandwagon via the so-called “zero rating” policy.
This practice is usually adopted by big tech companies to make accessing their services free for the user. Which basically means that, when using certain apps, users will not be billed for the data usage. More than that, they won’t consume allocated data from plans users have subscribed to.
Zero rating is most commonly achieved in deals between carriers and third-party apps to let users make use of the apps without putting a toll on their data usage.
And Google has set its sights on India, where it has high hopes of bringing zero rating to many such applications.
So basically, when someone uses a certain zero-rating-graded app on their smartphone, Google will be able to recognize the data traffic associated with it through Android and pay the carrier for the data charge. As you can see, the tech giant is willing to make a huge investment here.
Google has identified the needs of emerging markets and is now offering its services for free in an attempt to attract more users in the ecosystem. And don’t worry, the tech giant will continue to make money by charging advertisers who want access to the precious data provided by those users.
By the looks of it, the instauration of the “zero rating” policy could turn out to be a major game changer for Google and Android alike. Not to mention that the Google One initiative might have a chance to see some glory days.