App store Facts for Kids

This page is about the concept. For the store for most Android devices, see Google Play. For the store for Apple mobile apps, see App Store (Apple). For the store for Apple Mac apps, see Mac App Store. For the store for Fire OS, see Amazon Appstore.

An app store is like an online shop where you can find and download computer programs called apps. These apps are usually for mobile devices like phones and tablets. Apps do specific jobs, like playing games, editing photos, or helping you with schoolwork. They don't run the whole computer itself. Today, most apps are made for certain operating systems, like iOS, Android, or Windows.

An app store is a special kind of digital platform. It's a bit like a software manager but usually focuses on apps for sale.

What is an App Store?
History of App Stores
"App Store" Trademark
See also

What is an App Store?

An app store is an online place where you can easily search for and discover software or other digital items. The main idea is that the app store itself makes it safe and simple to buy, download, and install apps. It handles everything for you automatically.

How Apps Are Organized

App stores usually sort apps into different groups. These groups are often based on:

What the app does (like games, music, or tools for school).
Which device the app is made for (like a phone or a tablet).
Which operating system the app needs to run (like iOS or Android).

How Users Interact with App Stores

Most app stores look like an online shop. Users can look through different app categories. They can also see details about each app, like what other users think (reviews) or how good it is (ratings). You can then get the app, which might be free or cost money. Once you choose an app, it downloads and installs itself automatically. Some app stores can even remove apps from your device if they are found to be harmful.

Reviews and Ratings

App stores usually let users write reviews and give ratings. These are very helpful for everyone:

Other users can find the best apps based on what others say.
App makers get ideas about what people like or don't like about their apps.
The app store owners can find bad or harmful apps by looking at many reviews.

App Approval Process

Many app stores have rules for apps that want to be listed. App makers must send their apps for approval. The app store checks if the apps follow certain rules, like being good quality and safe. They also often take a small fee from each paid app that is sold. Some app stores also tell app makers how many times their app has been installed or if there are problems with it.

History of App Stores

Getting software has changed a lot over time. Before modern app stores, people used different ways to get programs.

Early Ways to Get Software

In the 1980s, there were early online services called Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). Users could connect to these systems to find and download software. Sometimes the software was free, and sometimes you paid for it.

The Electronic AppWrapper was one of the first places to sell software online in a new way. It helped manage how software was encrypted and protected. It was first released in 1992. Before this, people usually got software on floppy disks or CD-ROMs.

A screenshot of Stone Design's 3DReality running on the Electronic AppWrapper, one of the first app stores.

Many Linux computer systems use something called a package manager. This tool helps users manage all the software on their computer. It can automatically find, install, and update programs. Package managers were around before app stores. They could even handle all the other small programs a main program needed to work.

In 1998, a company called ITIL launched Palmix. This was an online app store just for mobile devices. It sold apps for early handheld devices like Palm Pilots. In 1999, NTT DoCoMo in Japan launched i-mode. This was one of the first online app stores built into mobile phones. It became very popular in Japan.

The Rise of Smartphone App Stores

In 2003, Danger Inc. released "Download Fun" for T-Mobile Sidekick phones. This was an early app store for smartphones. It let users download apps and ringtones directly to their phone.

The modern idea of an app store really took off in July 2008. That's when Apple launched the App Store for its iPhone phones. This made it easy for people to buy and download apps directly on their device or through iTunes on a computer. The Apple App Store became very successful.

Because of Apple's success, other companies quickly launched their own app stores:

Android Market (now Google Play) launched in September 2008 for Android phones.
BlackBerry's App World came out in April 2009.
Nokia's Ovi Store, Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and Samsung's Samsung Apps also launched around that time.

Other App Stores

App stores aren't just for phones. For example, the popular Linux computer system Ubuntu launched its Ubuntu Software Center in 2009. This allowed users to easily find and install software for their desktop computers.

"App Store" Trademark

The phrase "app store" became very popular after Apple launched its App Store. Many people started using the term to describe any similar online shop for apps.

Apple tried to get a trademark for the phrase "App Store" in 2008. This would mean only Apple could use that exact name. However, other companies like Microsoft argued that "app store" was a common term, not something that one company should own.

In 2011, Apple even sued Amazon.com because Amazon used the name Amazon Appstore for its app shop. But in 2013, a judge decided that Apple didn't show enough proof that Amazon was trying to copy Apple's store. Later that year, Apple dropped its lawsuit. This means "app store" is generally seen as a common term that many companies can use.

App store facts for kids

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