Chinese smartphone makers Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo are joining forces to create a platform for developers outside China to upload apps onto all of their app stores simultaneously, Reuters reports. People familiar with the matter said the four companies are working on the final details of what will be known as the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA).

The platform aims to make it easier for developers of games, music, movies and other apps to market their apps in overseas markets. The GDSA was initially aiming to launch in March, the report said, while noting it is not clear how that will be affected by the recent coronavirus outbreak.

A prototype website says the platform will initially cover nine countries and regions, including India, Indonesia and Russia. Developers can register on the site to access tools for converting and publishing their apps.

Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi confirmed they jointly developed the GDSA as a way to upload apps to their stores simultaneously. Huawei is not mentioned on the website.

A Xiaomi spokesman said the alliance was not intended to challenge Google and denied Huawei’s involvement with it. Oppo and Vivo made no mention of Huawei in their statements. Huawei declined to comment on Reuters' report.

Huawei earlier launched its own apps store and a major campaign to win over developers. This follows US trade restrictions against the company limiting its access to the Google Play Store and Google apps.

Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi announced last month an alliance aimed at making easier for their customers to transfer files between smartphones.

Source: Telecompaper.com