[jaclaz]

Do we really need a "store" (in the sense of a centralized and "controlled" repository of android apps? [0] [1]

I mean, set aside the Apple Store and the Google store (and the abomination that is the Windows store) all the rest (Linux and Windows before the latest) worked just fine downloading programs from the publishers.

[0] Where you can find tens or hundreds of similar and/or similarly named apps, mostly crap, or spin-offs, usually without a proper way to understand what the app actually does (or if it is the one which you actually want), if it works, etc., so that you have anyway to read online reviews, consult the publisher's site (if any) for reading the docs (if any), to have (if any) support, etc.

[1] and where the "store manager" can at any moment remove your app for whatever reasons (legitimate or not) ...

[fgutmann]

That's a very good point. However I think we need a replacement for some core components in play services at least.

For example it just makes a lot of sense from a technical point of view that multiple apps share the same connection for push notifications.