If you are interested in Google products, you may have stumbled across the Google Store. This is where Google sells its own products, but it hasn’t always been this way. The Google Store has an interesting story.
The Google Store started as a guide
Google’s first “store” was the Android Market. It existed only on Android devices and delivered Android applications and games. Google slowly added different types of content to the Android Market, which required a brand change to “Google Play”.
The Google Play Store is home to many different types of digital products, but it was also where Google sold Nexus phones and tablets, Chromecasts and Chromebooks. All of that was on the “Devices” tab in the Play Store.
Eventually, Google became more interested in making its own hardware, which led to the creation of the Google Store.
“Made by Google”
The first hardware device developed entirely in-house by Google was the Nexus Q media device in 2012. At the time, the only hardware sold on the Play Store was Nexus devices, which were not manufactured by Google itself.
The Nexus Q finally failed, but led to Chromecast in 2013, which was a huge success. This was just the beginning of Google’s interest in developing its own products internally and acquiring hardware companies.
The Google Store was officially launched in March 2015. Up to this point, Google was only involved in hardware devices. However, the company was preparing to give a big boost in this area, and the launch of the Google Store was an important step.
The following year, Google launched the first Pixel smartphones and the original Google Home smart speaker. This started the “Made by Google” initiative. Since then, dozens of products have been launched on the Google Store. It is home to Pixel smartphones, Nest smart devices, Chromecasts, Chromebooks and accessories.
What can you buy on the Google Store?
Google distributes digital products on the Play Store, but as mentioned earlier, its hardware is sold on the Google Store. This includes Pixel smartphones, Chromebooks, Chromecasts, Nest devices and some Google partner products.
The Google Store is not the only place available to buy hardware from Google. Many of its products can be purchased from retailers, including Best Buy and Amazon. However, if you buy a Google product from Google itself, you will generally get better customer support and replacements.
A Google Store equivalent would be the Apple Store. It is a store owned by the company that manufactures the products they sell. In both examples, you can find some third-party products, but most items are owned by the store owner.
Unlike the Apple Store, the Google Store is just an online market. There are no “real” Google Stores in the real world. You can find specific Google sections or “pop-up stores” at stores like Best Buy, but that’s about it.
The only exception to the “physical products” rule on the Google Store is subscriptions. You can purchase subscriptions to services like Google One, Stadia Pro and YouTube Premium. These are subscriptions that usually come with physical products.
Google’s description of the Google Store is the simplest explanation for its purpose: “Google Store for devices and accessories made by Google”. That is really all it is.