{"id":34101,"date":"2021-11-08T16:53:59","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T21:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=34101"},"modified":"2021-12-02T16:29:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-02T21:29:24","slug":"google-wants-fee-for-alternate-billing-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/08\/google-wants-fee-for-alternate-billing-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Wants Fee for Alternate Billing Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abner Li<\/a> (via Benjamin Mayo<\/a>):<\/p>\n

In late August<\/a>, South Korea passed a law requiring alternate in-app payment systems in Google Play and the iOS App Store. Google today detailed<\/a> what steps it will be taking to comply.<\/p>

[…]<\/p>

Meanwhile, apps that use alternate billing and are distributed via Google Play will still be subject to service fees. That cut will “continue to be based on digital sales on the platform,” but Google will reduce what it takes by 4% in recognition of how “developers will incur costs to support their billing system.”<\/p>\n

For example, for the vast majority of developers who pay 15% for transactions through Google Play’s billing system, their service fee for transactions through the alternate billing system would be 11%.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

John Gruber<\/a>:<\/p>\n

As Ben Thompson observed on today’s episode of Dithering<\/a>, for small<\/em> transactions — like the ones typically offered in games — credit card fees are likely in the 5-6 percent range. So if this flies, Google’s revenue per in-app transaction for apps from the Play Store isn’t going to effectively change at all.<\/p>\n

Is it going to fly? Like I’ve said, stock up on popcorn.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Joe Rossignol<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Apple meanwhile has yet to make any changes to App Store billing in South Korea. The company previously said the law “will put users who purchase digital goods from other sources at risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections, [and] make it difficult to manage their purchases,” while making parental controls less effective.<\/p>

In October, Apple told the South Korean government that it was “already in compliance with the new law and did not need to change its app store policy,” according to Reuters<\/a><\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

agilethumbs<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Apple and Google aren’t entitled to a cut of anything that happens on the computer I bought, or the company I built just because it works on computers they made.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

Why not your ISP<\/a>, and your cellular carrier, and your electric company, etc.?<\/p>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n