App discovery service Chomp has dropped support for Google’s Android platform, including the actual Android app for the service and the ability to search for Android apps on Chomp’s website. The move comes under Apple’s stewardship of Chomp, which the iPhone maker purchased in February.
Apple Chomps Android Support…
The decision to drop Android was expected—Apple has a long track record of limiting software and services that it buys to its own platforms. From Final Cut Pro to Quattro Wireless (which became iAd) to Siri, Apple either dropped support for other platforms or has limited development and implementation to OS X or iOS. Apple did port both iTunes and Safari to Windows, of course, but those are the exceptions not the rule.
Apple purchased Chomp for what The Wall Street Journal believes was US$50 million. The service claimed to offer a better app discovery process, an aspect of shopping on the App Store and other platforms’ download services that is universally criticized. While not everyone thinks Chomp is the bee’s knees, the educated money thinks that Apple intends to rework its own app discovery at the App Store using the people and technology it acquired in the acquisition.
Chomp iPhone App Screenshot
Chomp is still active as a browser-based service, and the standalone iPhone app is still available on the App Store. AppleInsider reported that Chomp stopped working on Android phones starting on Thursday. On Friday, Chomp stopped offering Android searches through its website.