Business of Apps

Oppo wants app developers and they are putting $145M down to prove it

Friday, January 4, 2019

After OPPO smartphone sales plateau in China, the company is now striving to grab international attention by investing over $145 million to attract app developers to create games and apps for their devices.

Chinese smartphone vendor, Oppo, will invest one billion yuan ($145.7 million) to encourage mobile app developers to create gaming, video and other forms of quality content.

The move came after Oppo recorded 250 million monthly active users of its smartphones in the world. Oppo Vice President Wu Henggang said by leveraging its sound handset business, the company aims to offer smart services, which will integrate content, technology, channels, and other resources.

Oppo has unveiled a voice skill and smart service platform Breeno, which will be opened to software developers and partners in the future, serving as an intelligent control center to connect all things.

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The move is part of Oppo’s broader push to beef up research and development capabilities as the company wants to seek a new stage for rapid expansion after smartphone growth plateaued in China.

Oppo CEO Chen Mingyong said the company would step up its research and development investment to 10 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) next year from four billion yuan this year.

“5G is a trend that we must catch. In addition to being among the first batch of players to unveil 5G smartphones, Oppo will step up the exploration of application scenarios of next-gen devices, which will ultimately play a role in deciding the true value of the superfast technology.”