7 ms·

Google Demands Its 30% Cut from App Developers in Play Store

34 points by gamblor956 6y ago

modeless 6y ago
The announcement is here: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2020/09/listening-to-developer-feedback-to.html https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2020/09/listening-... To me the most interesting part is: "we will be making changes in Android 12 (next year’s Android release) to make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices"
- lern_too_spel 6y ago
  If this means applications other than the Play Store (or other apps on the system partition) can automatically update apps, it's about time. If I want to distribute self-updating apps to my own devices, I don't need or want Google to intermediate that, and I don't want to have to unlock the bootloader to install a different system to do that either.
- CameronNemo 6y ago
  That will likely take years to reach actual users. Many existing phones may never see Android 12.
- anaganisk 6y ago
  Scold apple all you want but, Google takes our money and even sells our data to any bidder. Apple taking 30% is one thing and Google shamelessly taking and us bending down to it is another thing.
fsflover 6y ago
A very good reason to switch to F-Droid: https://f-droid.org https://f-droid.org.
- frankharv 6y ago
  My thought was a very good reason to switch to a PinePhone or Purism Librem for true software freedom.
- Krollifi 6y ago
  How do app developers make money with F-Droid?
  - cyberwitch 6y ago
    In-app purchases, using whatever payment platform they like!
candiddevmike 6y ago
Does this close the loophole of being able to sell IAPs directly if they can be used on other platforms?
- ajayyy 6y ago
  Yes, and it now explicitly says that you can't link to outside payment systems
lawrenceyan 6y ago
Given that both Apple and Google charge the same 30% commission, I wonder if they did some kind of A/B test to see which company would give them more clicks when used in the title.
- wilde 6y ago
  Read the article. Google is stepping up its enforcement, which is the story. > Google said in a blog post on Monday that it was providing “clarity” on billing policies because there was confusion among some developers about what types of transactions require use of its app store’s billing system. > Google has had a policy of taking a 30 percent cut of payments made within apps offered by the Google Play store, but some developers including Netflix and Spotify have bypassed the requirement by prompting users for a credit card to pay them directly. Google said companies had until Sept. 30, 2021, to integrate its billing systems.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
yokto 6y ago
This is not a "clarification", this is a major policy change. They used to very clearly state that apps were allowed to use alternative payment systems: > "Developers offering products [except games] must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment, except for the following cases: [...] - Payment is for digital content that may be consumed outside of the app itself (e.g. songs that can be played on other music players)." From a few days ago: https://web.archive.org/web/20200916183117/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9858738?hl=en&ref_topic=9857752 https://web.archive.org/web/20200916183117/https://support.g...
paulluuk 6y ago
Imagine being against taxation because "tax is theft", even though you use your country's infrastructure. And then agreeing to pay 30% tax to Apple or Google for every mobile purchase you make "for using their infrastructure".

34 points by gamblor956 6y ago

The announcement is here: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2020/09/listening-to-developer-feedback-to.html https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2020/09/listening-... To me the most interesting part is: "we will be making changes in Android 12 (next year’s Android release) to make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices"

lern_too_spel 6y ago
If this means applications other than the Play Store (or other apps on the system partition) can automatically update apps, it's about time. If I want to distribute self-updating apps to my own devices, I don't need or want Google to intermediate that, and I don't want to have to unlock the bootloader to install a different system to do that either.
CameronNemo 6y ago
That will likely take years to reach actual users. Many existing phones may never see Android 12.
anaganisk 6y ago
Scold apple all you want but, Google takes our money and even sells our data to any bidder. Apple taking 30% is one thing and Google shamelessly taking and us bending down to it is another thing.

fsflover 6y ago

A very good reason to switch to F-Droid: https://f-droid.org https://f-droid.org.

frankharv 6y ago
My thought was a very good reason to switch to a PinePhone or Purism Librem for true software freedom.
Krollifi 6y ago
How do app developers make money with F-Droid?
- cyberwitch 6y ago
  In-app purchases, using whatever payment platform they like!

candiddevmike 6y ago

Does this close the loophole of being able to sell IAPs directly if they can be used on other platforms?

ajayyy 6y ago
Yes, and it now explicitly says that you can't link to outside payment systems

lawrenceyan 6y ago

Given that both Apple and Google charge the same 30% commission, I wonder if they did some kind of A/B test to see which company would give them more clicks when used in the title.

wilde 6y ago
Read the article. Google is stepping up its enforcement, which is the story. > Google said in a blog post on Monday that it was providing “clarity” on billing policies because there was confusion among some developers about what types of transactions require use of its app store’s billing system. > Google has had a policy of taking a 30 percent cut of payments made within apps offered by the Google Play store, but some developers including Netflix and Spotify have bypassed the requirement by prompting users for a credit card to pay them directly. Google said companies had until Sept. 30, 2021, to integrate its billing systems.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

yokto 6y ago

This is not a "clarification", this is a major policy change. They used to very clearly state that apps were allowed to use alternative payment systems: > "Developers offering products [except games] must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment, except for the following cases: [...] - Payment is for digital content that may be consumed outside of the app itself (e.g. songs that can be played on other music players)." From a few days ago: https://web.archive.org/web/20200916183117/https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9858738?hl=en&ref_topic=9857752 https://web.archive.org/web/20200916183117/https://support.g...

paulluuk 6y ago

Imagine being against taxation because "tax is theft", even though you use your country's infrastructure. And then agreeing to pay 30% tax to Apple or Google for every mobile purchase you make "for using their infrastructure".