Google will allow a third-party billing system for Google Play Store purchases in India as the company begins to comply with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) antitrust directives. Google announced the move to allow third-party billing for all apps in January.
Google said on its support page, “If a user pays through an alternative billing system, Google’s Play service fee will be reduced by 4 per cent.”
The tech giant presently charges developers a commission of 15 per cent or 30 per cent, depending on their annual Play Store revenue for using its platform and payment tools.
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Google would provide consumers with the ability to switch their preferred search engine on Android and allow smartphone vendors to license individual apps for pre-installation on their Android-powered devices.
The tech giant outlined interim steps for developers to offer an alternative billing system until it builds APIs that will streamline integration in 2023. Developers will then have to switch to the company’s automated APIs when they become available.
According to Counterpoint research quoted in a TechCrunch report, over 97 per cent of smartphones in the country are powered by Google’s Android mobile operating system.
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