Google Launches Play Pass Apps Subscription Package

Google Play Pass Apps

Google introduced a subscription service that provides users with access to over 350 "completely unlocked" Android apps and games at a monthly fee.

All software delivered through the Play Pass will be delivered with no advertisements or fees in the app.

Google's package will contain only existing products already available to start with on its Play Store.

The announcement comes days after Apple introduced its own subscription service centered on games.

Like Apple, Google is planning to charge for its service $4.99 (£ 4.00) a month. However, for the first year of affiliation, early adopters are also promising a $1.99/month fee.

To begin with, Play Pass will be limited to U.S. subscribers, but the company has suggested that it be extended to other countries in the near future.

"Apple has worked very hard to curate some very high-quality cutting-edge material," Ben Wood commented from the CCS Insight consultancy.

"But Google was able to cast a wider net and get more titles," he said. "And that somehow neutralizes the threat Apple Arcade might pose.

Included apps highlighted by Google include:

Accuweather - a weather-forecasting service that normally features ads and a variety of in-app fees ranging from 99 cents to $3.99

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - a sci-fi role-playing game started in December 2014 on Android that presently costs $9.99 to purchase

Pic Stitch: a program that transforms a photo range into a collage that usually charges $3.99 for extra content