The deal with dozens of states resolves a lawsuit that claimed Google engages in anticompetitive behavior through its Google Play store, which is how most people download apps on Android devices.
Google has agreed to pay $700 million and will make changes to its app store it has resisted for years in order to resolve a an antitrust lawsuit brought by state attorneys general, the company announced on Monday.
As part of the deal, Google said it would now allow app developers to charge consumers directly, instead of being billed through Google, where the company can take up to a 30% cut.
The tech giant said it will also simplify the process of making apps available for download outside of its own app marketplace, known as the Google Play store.
These changes to Google’s app store are significant considering that app developers, policymakers and others have long pushed for Google to loosen its grip over how apps are downloaded and paid for on Android devices. But only now, as legal and regulatory pressure coalesces around the app store, is Google making major concessions.
„We’re pleased to resolve our case with the states and move forward on a settlement,“ Wilson White, Google vice president of government affairs and public policy, said in a company blog post.
