Facebook has a plan for its app in case it falls out with Google

Facebook has a contingency plan in case the company falls out with Google, according to The Information.

Android, which is controlled by Google, is one of Facebook's biggest markets, with more than 200 million users, as of 2013. The company recently forced engineers into using Android rather than iOS so that they could get a feel for how the experience feels on a non-Apple device.

According to The Information's report, Facebook has developed a way to deliver app updates without going through the Google Play Store - currently the only way to update apps - and has a way of handling in-app payments, which are currently processed by Google. Facebook's app would also be able to send notifications without going through Google's system.

Facebook executives do not believe Google is going to have a change of heart about the company's apps any time soon, but the plans have been put in place just in case.

Facebook has previously tested out various ways of working on Android, including building its own "skin," called Facebook Home. The project flopped, however.

Facebook currently has at least four - WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram - of the top 10 apps on Google Play in both the US and UK.