Opera Mobile Store
The Opera Mobile Store is a platform-independent browser-based app store for mobile-phone owners and a digital application distribution platform used by more than 40,000 developers around the world,[1] owned and maintained by Opera Software ASA. Launched and powered by a third-party provider in March, 2011 the Opera Mobile Store was relaunched on a new platform, after acquisition of Handster,[2] a mobile app store platform company, in January 2012. The service allows users to browse and download applications for over 7,500 different devices[1] on Android, Java, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, iOS, and Windows Mobile.
 | |
| Developer(s) | Handster → Opera Software ASA |
|---|---|
| Initial release | March 8, 2011 |
| Operating system | Android, Java, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, iOS, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone |
| Available in | Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Persian, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesia, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Nepali, Norway, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese |
| Type | Digital distribution, software store |
| Website | apps |
The Opera Mobile Store delivers more than 1 million app downloads a day[3] and is accessible from any mobile phone via a visual bookmark with the OMS logo on Speed Dial or Start Page of Opera Mini or Opera Mobile browsers that run on more than 260 million devices worldwide. The store is also accessible from any other browser, including desktop versions, and on any operating system, from http://apps.opera.com/. The Opera Mobile Store then forwards the user to the country-specific store based on the location information provided by the mobile carrier or ISP.
Over 86% of the applications for Android-powered phones provided by the Opera Mobile Store are free of charge, while others require payment. The average free-vs.-paid-apps ratio for all platforms is 70% and 30%, respectively. These applications are generally targeted on a particular category, including video games, business applications, social media apps, e-books, and others.
History
On March 8, 2011, Opera Software announced the launch of Opera Mobile Store powered by third-party provider. On September 19, 2011 Opera Software acquired app store platform company Handster, which was the leading independent applications store for Android market at that time.[4]
Following the acquisition of Handster, Opera Software made a major overhaul since the Opera Mobile Store launch.[5] Opera Software announced a revamped Opera Mobile Store with improved distribution and monetization capabilities for developers, and better customization for white-label marketplaces at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 27, 2012. In July 2013, developers can now upload apps to both the Yandex Store and the Opera Mobile Store simultaneously, as a result of agreements between the two companies.[6]
On November 18, 2014, Microsoft and Opera Software have signed an agreement to replace Nokia Store with the Opera Mobile Store as the default app store for Nokia feature phones, Symbian and Nokia X smartphones.[7] The process of migrating customers from Nokia Store to Opera Mobile Store is expected to be complete in the first half of 2015, at which point Nokia Store will be closed.[8]
Number of downloaded applications
As stated in the official Opera Software press-release, by February 27, 2012 Opera Mobile Store reached more than 30 million monthly app store visits and over 45 million monthly app downloads.[5]
Number of apps in the store has tripled over the year 2013, while the number of monthly visitors to the Opera's app distribution platform grew to 75 million in October, 2013. [9]
At the end of Q4 2013 Opera Software announced that it has reached a new milestone — 105 million monthly visitors. That is a 172% increase in a year since the close of 2012. The top-three countries in 2013 based on the number of Opera Mobile Store users were India, the United States and Indonesia. By November, 2014 Opera's app store started to offer close to 300,000[1] mobile apps and games across most mobile platforms. Earlier, in early 2014 the mobile store offered over 200,000[10] apps significant growth in the number of apps available.[11]
Most popular apps
Top 100 apps lists are compiled separately for each country with an Opera Mobile Store presence. The lists feature 17 categories, ranging from business apps to games for every platform supported by the Opera Mobile Store, consisting of the most popular apps among the store users in the selected category.
Top 20 most downloaded paid and free apps across all countries, platforms, and categories (March 2015)[12]
| Rank | Free & Paid apps |
|---|---|
| 1 | Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit |
| 2 | Opera Mini web browser |
| 3 | Truecaller |
| 4 | K.O. Racing 3D |
| 5 | Opera Max |
| 6 | Traffic: Illegal Road Racing |
| 7 | Speed Racing Ultimate 2 Free |
| 8 | |
| 9 | Asphalt 8: Airborne |
| 10 | Talking Tom Cat 2 Free |
| 11 | Death Moto |
| 12 | Rail Racing |
| 13 | Bike Race Limited Edition |
| 14 | Tom's Love Letters |
| 15 | Modern Frontline: Counter War Arms |
| 16 | Football Kicks |
| 17 | Jewel Bubbles 2 |
| 18 | Zombie Assault: Sniper |
| 19 | Racer Hero |
| 20 | Angry Birds Seasons |
Application ratings
At present, the Opera Mobile Store does not rate applications; instead, the OMS team ether accepts apps submitted for inclusion into the store or rejects them, based on whether their content is appropriate for a wide age group, and keeping objectionable apps out of the store.
App submission process
Opera Mobile Store does not charge developers for joining mobile store's distribution program and publishing apps. Developers get 70% of net revenue from sales of paid apps for Android accepted into the Opera Mobile Store, and 50% of net revenue for Java apps.
App approval process
Applications are subject to approval by Opera Mobile Store team for basic reliability testing on all the platforms and devices declared by developer in submission process. Opera Mobile Store does not accept adult and sexual content.
Opera Top App Awards
Every year Opera Mobile Store runs Top Apps Awards. These awards recognize the best apps in the Opera Mobile Store across multiple categories based on popular user voting.[13][14]
Partnerships
In 2013 Opera Mobile Store signed a cross-app store distribution partnership with Yandex, the largest search engine in the Russian-speaking Internet market and the leading search engine in Eastern Europe, based on audience reach. This agreement allows apps in the Opera Mobile Store also to be available for download in the Yandex app store and vice versa. The same year Opera Software signed several more partnership agreements with mobile carriers in Eastern Europe. Both MTS Belarus and MTS Ukraine launched Opera co-branded app stores for their 28 million total user base.
Opera Subscription Mobile Store
Starting July 21, 2014 Opera Software started to offer service that provides mobile carriers' customers with unlimited access to premium games and apps catalogue built on the Opera Mobile Store technology and supported by the OMS team. The first carrier to implement app store subscription model for their customers was MTS Russia that launched App Market service together with Opera. In this model mobile users pay a weekly subscription fee for “all-you-can-eat” access after a free seven-day trial period.[15][16] During 2014 Opera Software launched subscription mobile stores with MTS Russia, MTS Ukraine, MTS Belarus, TIM Brasil[17] and XL Axiata in Indonesia.
One Platform Foundation
In May 2013 Opera and Yandex announced together with SlideME and CodeNgo the launch and provided support for a new open-source One Platform Foundation (OPF) initiative, enabling developers to easily code and submit their apps across multiple alternative app stores.[18]
Similar services
References
- "Microsoft and Opera Software sign agreement to extend Opera Mobile Store to more Nokia phones". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- "Opera acquires Handster Inc". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. September 19, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- Bango PLC (August 31, 2011). "Update on Mobile App Stores". RNS Reach Story. London Stock Exchange. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- Dan Sun. "Android developers head for alternative distribution platforms as Android Market offers limited business potential today". research2guidance. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- "A new and improved Opera Mobile Store". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. February 27, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- Yandex Courts Handset Makers, Carriers With New Android App Store And 3D Skins. TechCrunch. Retrieved on 2013-11-21.
- Developer Team, Microsoft Mobile (11 December 2011). "Successful Migration from Nokia Store to Opera Mobile Store". Nokia Developer Blogs. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- "Microsoft and Opera Software sign agreement to extend Opera Mobile Store to more Nokia phones". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. November 18, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- Kaylene Hong (24 October 2013). "Opera's mobile store triples its number of apps over a year as it chalks up 75m monthly visitors". The Next Web. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
- "Opera Mobile Store passes 100 million users" (Press release). Opera Software. 24 October 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- "Indonesia Ketiga Terbesar Pengunjung Aplikasi Opera". February 2, 2014.
- Opera Mobile. "Opera Mobile Store". Opera Software ASA. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- "Opera Mobile Store announces the 2012 Top Apps Awards". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. December 12, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- "2012 Top Apps Awards results — Android winners". 2012 Top Apps Awards. Opera Software ASA. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- "Opera and MTS Russia launch App Market store". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. July 21, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- "Opera launches operator-branded app store for "all you can eat" apps and games". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. November 26, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- "Opera and TIM Brazil set up shop". Opera Press Releases (Press release). Opera Software ASA. November 26, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- Robin Wauters (May 31, 2013). "Opera and Yandex start One Platform Foundation to "help the Android ecosystem evolve"". The Next Web. Retrieved February 6, 2014.