After an investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) into allegations made by Indian startups regarding Google’s in-app billing system, Google has announced that it will take measures to ensure the fair application of its Google Play payments policy in India. The company stated that it is fully compliant with the CCI’s October 2022 order and will expand its user choice billing to all developers in the country.
Google India Notifies Developers to Choose from 3 In-App User Choice Billing Options
In response to the allegations, Google emphasized that its payments policy adheres to the CCI’s order. The company also defended the fees it charges developers, stating in a blog post that the rates are 15% or lower, which are the lowest rates among major app stores. Furthermore, Google highlighted that the fee is reduced by an additional 4% if users opt for alternative billing systems, acknowledging that Google Play’s billing system was not utilized.
Developers in India now have three billing options available: using Google Play’s billing system, offering an alternative billing system alongside Google Play’s, or providing access to paid content through external means without any service fee.
Google noted that the majority of developers worldwide have already chosen one of these options. In India, the company will take steps to ensure that developers who have not implemented one of these choices comply with the policy, as the deadline for implementation has passed.
Previously, the CCI had fined Google Rs. 1337.76 crores for abusing its dominant position in the Android ecosystem. The order also required Google to enable users to uninstall first-party apps from their Android devices and cease imposing exclusivity clauses on device manufacturers.
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