Google Inc. announced Thursday that the Google Play app store will allow streaming music service Spotify and dating app Bumble to charge U.S. users for subscriptions directly in their Android apps.
Google Android
The move by Google is a major concession by the major mobile app stores to third-party charging systems and a major difference in app store policy between Google and Apple. Typically, Google Play and the Apple App Store take a 15 to 30 percent commission on in-app digital sales through their billing platforms. Now, Google is allowing the company to charge users’ credit cards directly in the app, able to reduce the fees paid by services like Spotify.
However, Google said in a support document that apps that charge users directly will still have to pay Google a percentage of the app’s sales draw. Spotify will continue to accept subscription payments through the Google Play billing system. “When users choose to use other billing systems, developers will pay 4 percent less for their services,” Google said.
