Did Google Finally Make a Terrible Mistake by Allowing Third-Party Payments in the Play Store?
Google has new rules for its Play Store in the United States. App makers now have more freedom. They can use their own ways to let you pay for apps and in-app items. This important change happened because of a court decision.
A major court case between Google and Epic Games, the company that made the popular game Fortnite, caused this. Epic Games argued that Google’s total control over payments was unfair. A judge reviewed the case and agreed with Epic. The court then ordered Google to allow other payment options in its app store. Google tried to appeal this decision but was not successful.
So, what do these new rules mean for app developers and users? Here are the key changes.
- App makers can now inform users about lower prices for their apps or services that are available outside of the Play Store.
- Developers are allowed to place links in their apps that direct users to their own websites to make purchases.
- Using Google Play’s own billing system is no longer mandatory for all transactions.
- Apps can now guide users to different payment systems to buy a subscription or a full license for the app.
It is important to know these new rules only apply within the United States. This court-ordered arrangement is also set to last for three years, ending on November 1, 2027. It remains to be seen how this will affect the overall process of downloading and installing apps on Android devices in the long run.