A few weeks ago, the South Korean government had passed an amendment to the country’s Telecommunications Business Act which now prohibits Google and Apple from forcing their own payment solutions on developers.
Now, to comply with the new law, Google has announced that it will allow developers to add an alternative in-app billing system in South Korea. Along with the developer’s chosen billion systems, the Google Play Store‘s billing system will also be available.
This new change will be applicable for both mobile as well as tablet users in South Korea. Users will be able to choose which payment or billing system to use for the in-app billing during the checkout process.
Google is also warning users that the alternative billing systems may not provide the same protections or features that the company’s own billing system offers. Currently, the tech giant’s billing system offers several payment options, including gift cards and Play Points along with the usual set of options.
The company has said that it will be sharing implementation details for developers in the coming weeks and months. While Google has not provided an exact timeline for this, it’s safe to assume that the alternative in-app billing system will go live next year in Korea.
Apple still doesn’t allow third-party payments for the app or in-app purchases and says that alternate payment options would increase financial risks for users. Last month, the company pushed back against the rule change, claiming that it didn’t need to change anything in its system.
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