Google starts giving away free Android apps (for kids)

By Jason Hahn June 13, 2015

Image used with permission by copyright holder

For the first time, the Google Play app store is giving away paid apps for free. Adults should temper their excitement though, since this applies only to the recently announced Family section of the Google Play Store, at least for now.

At Google’s I/O developer conference late last month, the company announced that it would make it easier to find family-friendly apps on its app store. Part of this endeavor is the launch of a Family section of the Google Play Store, which features apps intended for younger users.

This week, users began spotting a “Free App of the Week” banner in the Family section of the Google Play Store, which currently offers PBS Kids’ Daniel Tiger Grr-ific Feelings for free. If you search for the app manually, however, you’ll see it offered for the original $2.99 price.

Google Play Free App of the Week — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Google’s policy prevents apps from switching back and forth between paid and free status, notes Android Police. This occurrence is, of course, an exception, and it remains to be seen if Google will expand this practice beyond kids’ apps.

Android users who want access to paid apps made free can always look to the Amazon Appstore, which has a “Today’s Free App of the Day” offering.

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Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

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