Documents related to the consumer class-action lawsuit against Google have revealed new details regarding the company’s policy on the Play Store. Some major players have been offered reduced fees in exchange for agreeing to continue accepting payments through the app Store.
Source: engadget.com
Netflix, Spotify, and Tinder all attempted to bypass Google’s requirement to use the Play Store’s built-in payment system, which typically carries a 30% fee, according to the documents. For some players, such attempts were successful. In particular, a significant commission reduction was offered by Netflix.
Another interesting detail was the information that the size of the commission in the Play Store was initially set arbitrarily. The standard rate includes a 30% rate for payments in the app store, but the operation of the service will remain cost-effective even at a rate of 6%. However, the higher rate was chosen only for the reason that Apple charges the same amount in its app store.
When documents related to the lawsuit were made public, Google representatives did not deny anything. The company said that all developers are bound by a single policy, but attempts have been made to support individual players. «expanded resources and investments». Such initiatives, according to Google, point to «healthy competition» in operating systems and app stores.
It is difficult to call the preferences of individual players in the game store and the lack of similar offers for others healthy competition. A similar deal was proposed by Netflix and Apple, while the App Store rules were otherwise unchanged.
Given recent trends, Google may have to adjust its policies. Apple recently agreed in a pre-trial process to allow mobile software developers to receive payments bypassing the App Store. A law banning the monopolization of payments in applications was recently passed in South Korea, a similar bill is being prepared by US parliamentarians.