Google will give developers one year to use its billing system and the company will make it easier to use other app stores in Android 12.
Google will no longer allow app developers whose software offers in-app purchases to circumvent the Google Play Store’s payment system as the company looks to crackdown on apps and services trying to bypass its rules. The search giant has always required developers who distribute their apps on the Play Store to use its billing system if they offer in-app purchases of digital goods. For this convenience, developers pay a service fee from a percentage of each purchase. However, in a new blog post responding to developer feedback about the Play Store and Android, vice president of product management at Google Sameer Samat explained that less than three percent of developers sold digital goods via their apps over the last 12 months and of those who did, the vast majority (nearly 97%) already use Google Play’s billing.
