A big change the Google Play Store: developers are now allowed to offer alternative payment methods in their apps. Previously, that was not allowed, because Google wanted to have more control over the financial flows, but now it has policy adapted in various countries, including the Netherlands and Belgium.
Pay outside the Play Store
This is currently a test among ordinary apps: this means that it is not yet possible to add another payment method in a game, for example. It’s one of the big reasons why Fortnite was pulled from the Play Store: Epic Games did not agree with the policy of not being allowed to use its own payment method in its game. That will remain the case for the time being, but for ordinary apps, developers can add another payment method, as long as it remains within the app and complies with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. In addition, customers must have a place to go with questions and be given the opportunity to challenge transactions.
Offering an alternative payment method also has advantages. Google still wants a portion of it, but this is 4 percent less than normal. That means some apps pay 26 percent instead of 30 percent, and other apps pay 11 percent instead of 15 percent. A big difference, especially with apps that bring in a huge amount of money. This way, more money goes to the people who actually took care of the app, instead of just for the very powerful platform through which the apps are offered.
Digital Markets Act
How nice of Google, you might think. However, it is certainly not something that comes spontaneously from Google itself. It is already doing that for certain upcoming European legislation, namely the Digital Markets Act. These regulations are made to ensure that the tech giants gain less power. For example, it also has major consequences for Meta (known from Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram). It is partly for this reason that Google is not yet doing the test in the United States: after all, completely different laws and regulations apply there.
Google’s test is an extension of the test it announced earlier this year with Spotify. The music streaming service was the first to offer customers more choice in their payment methods, together with Google. A test that apparently worked well, which is why Google is now rolling it out larger. When games will also be part of it, that is still unknown.
What do you think of Google’s changes to this policy now? Should developers earn even more from their apps, or is it more balanced now? Leave it now in the comments below this article.
– Thanks for information from Androidworld. Source