New Billion Option Changes Rules for Google

Google was forced to loosen its grip on the billing of the Play Store. It happened right after the new payment service appeared on Spotify. It looks like Google will face a tough challenge in the future with the appearance of different billing services.

Google Play was released in 2008 and quickly became the main market for all Android apps and games. While it is not as controlled as the App Store, Play Store still asks developers to keep up with the basic rules and demands. They have to meet the standards of security as well. The major concern of all developers who worked with Google Play was always the 15 percent revenue cut on its payment system. This system is changing since Google announces a new opportunity for all Android app developers to use the billing system they want.

This change in Google Play’s business policy is not sudden. It came right after South Korea’s officials decided to order all the app stores to accept payments via numerous billing systems, not one. This is not the first time officials around the world want to limit Google’s monopoly on the payment system inside the store. Since there are millions of apps that are monetized and have to pay Google a fee, the situation is not that positive for the company.

Every transaction made within the Play Store has to be registered by Google with 10-30 percent fees. According to Google, this fee needs to be paid to keep the biggest Android app store alive. Official numbers suggest that the vast majority of developers pay a 15 percent standard fee. Meanwhile, third-party billing systems offer smaller fees. In South Korea, developers can pay fees reduced by 4 percent if they don’t use the standard Play Store billing system.

What do you think about Play Store fees? Do you think they are fair? Express your opinion in the comments below.