In transient: Starting Monday, all Android apps on the Google Play Store should use Google’s billing system and pay the related charges. South Korean builders are exempt as a consequence of a legislation the nation handed final 12 months, however apparently it wasn’t sufficient to cease worth will increase on Android.
According to a number of South Korean publications, many Android apps within the nation have began growing in-app buy costs to take care of revenues whereas paying the Google Play Store’s required fee charges.
Google stopped exempting apps from utilizing its billing system and paying its 15-30 % gross sales minimize on June 1. A 2021 legislation lets South Korean builders use third-party billers, however that incurs an 11-26 % fee, which may nonetheless be vital for some firms.
Streaming app Tving raised its subscription costs by round 15 % whereas related hikes are confirmed for streaming apps Wavve and Seezn. Prices within the Naver and Kakao webtoon apps will go up by 10-20 %. However, watcha and Coupang Play costs will not change.
Most troublesome for Google is that the value hikes solely apply to Android in-app purchases. Customers who entry these companies on net browsers or iOS apps pays the outdated costs. Google forbids builders from linking Android customers to non-Android cost portals.
The Korean Publisher’s Association filed a criticism with the Korean Communications Commission over Google’s new guidelines, and the fee is at the moment investigating whether or not Google broke the brand new legislation.
Google threatened to take music service Bandcamp off the Play Store over the identical coverage however has backed off for now after a authorized dispute with its new proprietor, Epic Games.
