Google announce it’s expanding its payment system choice test on its Play Store
Google is expanding its payment system choice test on its Play Store. This one is notably available in the United States, another app is also concerned.
Integrating alternative payment platforms is no small feat. This must be done gradually, especially on an infrastructure as important and used as the Google Play Store. The pilot program is making its debut in the United States today. The Mountain View firm allows users from the United States, Brazil and South Africa to choose which payment system they want to use when making in-app purchases.
Google extends its payment system choice test on its Play Store
There are also more apps involved in opening this test. In addition to Spotify, which started rolling out an early implementation of Payment Choices this week, Bumble is joining the party. The dating app will allow its users to choose their preferred payment system in certain countries in the “coming months”.
According to official documents, going through an alternative payment platform lowers the commission charged by the American giant by 4%. In other words, the latter always takes 11 or 26% on each transaction carried out via these systems. In a response sent to TechCrunch, however, Spotify said its deal with Google lived up to their fairness expectations. We do not know, however, if Spotify was able to take advantage of any special conditions.
This is especially available in the United States.
The test was first announced last March. In September, Google said a driver will be coming to the Play Store for users in Australia, the European Economic Area, India, Indonesia, and Japan. Google explains that they have first “positive” feedback from developers and users who have been able to take advantage of it.
This experimentation is in any case not altruistic. Like Apple, Google is under pressure from regulators and politicians who believe the creators of mobile operating systems are abusing their position to deprive users of options for their in-app payments. It’s no secret that major developers and media companies, including Spotify, Epic Games and The New York Times, have joined forces to demand the possibility of using alternative payment systems. Bumble’s main competitor, Match Group, has even decided to take Google to court, accusing it of violating competition laws. In theory, this test should help Google avoid (or at least mitigate) potential fines and onerous legal obligations it might otherwise incur.
