Google to enforce 30% cut on in-app purchases next year
The announcement brings Google Play's policies in line with Apple's App Store policies, which have come under fire from developers and regulators over several issues, including its own 30% cut.
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The vast majority of people don't sideload anything, and are too scared by the amount of things they have to go through to do it.
How many android users sideload apps though? I'm guessing it's not enough to offset the money lost.
Great timing with all the Apple stuff that's been going on. Let's see if Sweeney wants to add Google in his crosshairs too.
Sideloading is so irrelevant epic came back crawling to google after they took fortnite out of the playstore
they recently increased the amount of "this will expose you to viruses and you'll die" pop ups for side loading.
Hard to blame them when seemingly so many appear to side/root for apple on their cut percentage.
The amount of Android users who sideload apps is small enough that Epic gave up on trying to convince people to sideload Fortnite and accepted the Play Store terms just to get on that (until they got themselves kicked off again), despite Fortnite being one of the most heavily advertised and most visible games on the planet.
If sideloading wasn't producing great numbers for Fortnite, probably other apps would have little to no chance of building a substantial audience that way.
We only sideload the Youtube App's alternatives, can't really bother with others, especially if they have their own payment systems instead of just being a freeware deemed unwelcomed by the Play Store.
This is probably because of Epic's shenanigans if anything
Sideloading is mostly only really relevant for either power users (programmers and what not), and companies that aren't interested in using google play for their own internal apps.
It does however make the case against google easier, which makes this move a bit perplexing, surely announcing this now only hurts their chances in court, since they are clearly handing more ammunition to epic about the existence of a de facto duopoly.
It does however make the case against google easier, which makes this move a bit perplexing, surely announcing this now only hurts their chances in court, since they are clearly handing more ammunition to epic about the existence of a de facto duopoly.
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I'm legit surprised that they simply weren't enforcing this. There are a lot of cases where I assumed it was simply that Google had different policies and now it's looking like it's that they just didn't enforce it. Things like Comixology being able to buy comics in the app or Vudu allowing you to rent or buy movies in the app. Those are things you can do on Android but not iOS which I just assumed was a different set of rules. Making this more in line with Apple is going to suck from a user experience.
Sounds like they had that policy already and just were too lazy to enforce it. Dunno why now, maybe because they're worried Epic is going to convince more game devs to avoid the IAP system?
I guess enforcing this is how they will make up for lowering the price of their flagship smartphone?
Fortnite was never in the Playstore before they came back to basically build a case against Apple and Google.
Seems they are gonna make it easier to sideload, so they probably want to make more money on other ways.
Edit:
Don't Valve, Sony and MS all take 30% on their digital stores? It's not like this is a new thing. Not saying it is or isn't fair but it's the industry standard
Google will also make it easier to use 3rd party app stores in Android 12:
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www.theverge.com
Google says Android 12 will make using third-party app stores easier
We’ll hear more about the changes later.
www.theverge.com
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Microsoft doesn't take a 30% cut in all cases. You can sign up for Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, etc in the app on an Xbox and not pay Microsoft 30% of that fee. You can rent and buy movies in the Vudu app on Xbox and not pay Microsoft 30% of that fee. From what it sounds like, Google will now collect on those fees.
they also allow competing app stores though. that one is a biggie.
This sucks a lot. Smartphones have become as important as PCs were in the past - or even more important.
Imagine if Microsoft had the right to charge 30% off every single thing you have ever done on your computer in the past 25 years. There's no way we would have seen the level of tech innovation we have seen. Paying a bill online? Sure, but let the OS maker take a 30% cut from that first. This is where we're heading now, but now there's two companies doing it so they can't get in trouble.
It is in both Apple's and Google's best interests for the other one to exist so they become immune to the kind of lawsuit that killed Internet Explorer way back.
Imagine if Microsoft had the right to charge 30% off every single thing you have ever done on your computer in the past 25 years. There's no way we would have seen the level of tech innovation we have seen. Paying a bill online? Sure, but let the OS maker take a 30% cut from that first. This is where we're heading now, but now there's two companies doing it so they can't get in trouble.
It is in both Apple's and Google's best interests for the other one to exist so they become immune to the kind of lawsuit that killed Internet Explorer way back.
Only via sideloading though, unless they have some totally different scheme in mind when they say they're going to make the process easier, which brings the issue right back to the general public's attitude to sideloading being a mixture of reluctance and not having a clue what that is.
They absolutely can get into trouble. Having two of them doing it doesn't protect them from antitrust investigations and cases.
a lot of OEMs have their own stores preinstalled on their hardware.
but yes, to install additional stores that weren't preloaded you'll still have to sideload.
eh, maybe not the best analogy as paying bills online isn't really an issue
Er, Epic already launched a lawsuit against Google on pretty much the same day as when they sued Apple for more or less the same reasons.
It doesn't matter in the way you think it does.
Google's rules require all side loaded apps to use Google Pay if they also exist on the playstore effectively locking out any alternative payment processor.
Epic already is sueing Google and unlike Apple Epic has a stronger case because Google has actively manipulated other phone companies not to do business with Epic so they can't have their own competing app store on those phones.
Yeah, its interesting how silent things have been on that case. Especially because it seems Epic has a stronger case against Google if they were (allegedly) stepping in and killing deals between Epic and OEMs to distribute EGS on their phones.
You know. Centuries ago, indentured servitude was the industry standard. So were 6-day weeks and 12hr days. Today, industry standard for payday loans is 2 trillion percent*.
That did not make it right. Then or now. So as you can see, an argument that uses "industry standard" as a measuring stick is very weak.
And I'll say it for you. It. Is. Not. Fair.
Wow, look at me go! Saying controversial things!
Don't you just love it when the market leaders just all conveniently collude to the same fees?
Trying to handwave it away with "But it's standard", doesn't actually excuse anything but enforces the collusion even further as it just the "But everybody does it" redirect.
Trying to handwave it away with "But it's standard", doesn't actually excuse anything but enforces the collusion even further as it just the "But everybody does it" redirect.
i don't care as much since you can just get the apps on other stores which isn't true on iOS.
oh well then this is 100% BS too but people don't care because Fortnite is bad.
oh well then this is 100% BS too but people don't care because Fortnite is bad.
Goddamn it Google >:(
Don't you just love it when a middle man take 30% off every purchase just because they can?
I get that these platforms needs to take a percentage of IAPs, because most apps are free to download - But 30% is pure extortion when we're not even talking about the app on their store, but simply ANY purchase within the app.
Don't you just love it when a middle man take 30% off every purchase just because they can?
What is Apple or MS or Google or Valve providing for taking 30% off every IAP purchase in side the app? I mean, the industry standard for fees processing is like, what, less than 5%?
I get that these platforms needs to take a percentage of IAPs, because most apps are free to download - But 30% is pure extortion when we're not even talking about the app on their store, but simply ANY purchase within the app.
Pretty much this. If you want to use the services you should pay for them. But 30% seems excessive for some stuff for sure.
And just wait until the ARM Mac's come. I haven't seen anything stating that those won't be locked to the appstore like iOS devices.
I feel like they see Apple doing it and have decided the coast is clear.
So now we all get screwed. Here's praying the courts upend this bullshit. Cant stand watching fanboys cheer for consumers getting fucked over, because this cost is getting shipped directly to us.
From that very statement " if they also exist on the playstore ". Sideloading entirely can get you around this.