It's no secret that Google doesn't offer its apps through the Microsoft Store. There have been a handful of half-hearted attempts, such as one that simply links to Chrome on the web, but that's about it. You might have wondered at some point, why the company doesn't just package its Win32 apps, or at least package its web apps as UWP apps.
While Google still isn't doing it, another company is. 11K Studios has brought seven Google web apps to the Store, including Photos, Drive, Maps, YouTube Gaming, Docs, Sheets, and Slides. While most of them are PC-only, both Maps and YouTube Gaming are available for Windows phones as long as you're running Windows 10 Mobile.
Unfortunately, there is still a caveat. The apps are ad-supported. It's not all that intrusive, as they seem to only use a small banner ad that sits in the bottom left corner of the window. There are also occasional pop-ups that are intrusive, asking the user to support the app.
You might find it nice though, to have an actual Google Photos client on your PC, even if it is the same experience as the website. It displays your gallery like the built-in Windows 10 Photos app does, but it's pulling your photos in from Google Photos instead of OneDrive. If you prefer these Google services, this might be a good option for you.
However, if you're interested, you'll probably want to grab these apps now. There's no telling how long it will be until Google shuts this down.
16 Comments - Add comment