Google has been quietly developing a newspaper section in its Google Play store to expand the content selection. Android Police have noted new Javascript available on the Play store that read, “To read Google Play News, you must have a supported Android phone or tablet.” “Please sign in to get this News edition.” “Please sign in to purchase this News Issue.” “Please sign in to purchase this News Edition Subscription.” “Subscribing you to this news edition…” “You have subscribed to this news edition. It is now available on your device.”
This new code was the exact same when Google first unveiled its magazine service and this would make sense for the Mountain View company to get involved in a hot segment of publishing. When it comes to newspapers on Android, you normally have to deal with dedicated apps, such as the USA Today or World Newspapers. If you feel like going the replica edition route, you can deal with PressReader.
When we look deeper into the code, you notice Google alludes to both subscriptions and issues. This would lead us to believe that you could buy a single issue to take out a subscription to a specific newspaper.
Newspapers are the type of publication that normally do not have a geographical restriction, so users on a worldwide scale should be able to purchase anything they want. Google Magazines is only available in certain markets, and the same goes with Google Books. The magazine and book publishing sector is rife with restrictions on specific geographical regions. Most newspapers care about selling issues and don’t really care where you live. This has been part of the reason why NewsPaperDirect and PressReader has enjoyed tremendous success worldwide.
It seems that Google has the color code and Javascript in place, and most of images seem to be a place holder right now. You can expect this service to be officially announced at the upcoming Google I/O conference.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.