Facebook and Google have long pushed into the same spaces, buffeting each other at times. Facebook’s domination of India’s gigantic and evolving mobile space as Google tries to push their way in, is just one example among many. Tensions are low, according to both of the tech giants, but there is always the possibility of a falling out. Facebook has begun to look into contingency plans for just these sorts of scenarios, mostly centering around being removed from the Play Store or even cut off from the Google APIs that their Android app depends on for things like serving notifications, mobile payments and updating the app and other apps. Talk of a war between the two has been somewhat scarce, but it is out there and it is a distinct possibility.
Among some of their contingency plans, Facebook has signed on with some manufacturers to preload their app onto new devices. On certain devices in markets like China, that don’t have Google’s approval and the Play service framework that comes with it, Facebook has considered plans to replace those services. Talk of Facebook offering mobile payment, notification hubs and even an app store has flown around, though Facebook denies any interest in curating an app store, leaving third party solutions such as Aptoide, that aren’t quite as carefully curated and often fall victim to malware and piracy, to fill in the gap.
Reportedly, Facebook even removed their app from the Play Store as a stress test in an undisclosed market. This test lasted about a week and didn’t seem to put a damper on usage of the service; most just went through their browser, used alternate apps or got the app through other sources. Hobbling certain features of the app bore similar results, with users simply obtaining an older version of the app or going through the browser in most cases. At the moment, there have been no moves made toward separating Facebook and Google, but the backup plans being discussed into late 2015 calls that into question. A war between Facebook and Google has all the right ingredients to materialize, but both companies have kept their cool thus far and are making every indication that this will continue to be the case.