Android 12 will make it easier to put in apps from third-party stores
When Google releases Android 12 sometime next year, the corporate says it'll make it easier for Android users to put in new software through third-party app stores on their devices. Google said it's making the change in response to developer feedback, and promised to release more details within the future.
As a part of an equivalent post, Google also "clarified" its stance on in-app purchases. The company says it'll require all developers who offer digital goods through their apps to process payments through the Play Store's billing system. Developers have until September 30th, 2021 to form their apps compliant with the company's updated payment policy.
Google makes some extent of noting that the policy will only affect at the most three percent of developers with apps on the Play Store. And of that three percent, it says nearly 97 percent already use Google Play's billing system to let people buy their in-app purchases. But making up that but one-hundredth of Play Store developers are companies like Netflix and Spotify. They currently bypass that requirement by prompting their customers to buy subscriptions directly. The about-face will effectively force those companies to pay Google's 30 percent fee on in-app purchases.
The policy clarification almost certainly comes in response to Fortnite's recent removal from the Play Store. In August, Epic Games added an alternate billing system to the iOS and Android versions of the sport that allowed players to bypass the App Store and Google Play when paying for Fortnite's in-game V-Bucks currency. In fact, Google explicitly mentions Fortnite when talking about the openness of the Play Store, saying, "even if a developer and Google don't agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform."
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one among these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Google says Android 12 will make using third-party app stores easier
Google is outlining new changes to its developer policies and promising to form using third-party app stores easier on Android 12. The announcement addresses recent concerns around Android app development, including a fight over alternate in-app payment systems and difficulties for businesses moving online due to COVID-19.
Android users can already install apps through third-party stores like Samsung’s Galaxy Store. Google says that in response to developer feedback, it’s adding features to next year’s Android 12 release which will “make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices while being careful to not compromise the security measures Android has in situ .” it'll release more details on these changes within the future.
Google isn’t, against this , relaxing its grip on in-app payments for Play Store apps. the corporate says that “all developers selling digital goods in their apps are required to use Google Play’s billing system,” and it’s tweaking language in its payment policy to form that clear. Any app that’s not already using the system for digital goods are going to be required to feature it by September 30th, 2021.
“Even if a developer and Google don't agree ... the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.”
This has been a detail for Epic Games, whose title Fortnite was began the Play Store in August after Epic added support for an alternate billing method. Fortnite is currently only available through third-party stores and Epic’s website, and Google doesn’t appear to be backing down — it specifically references Fortnite as an example of how “even if a developer and Google don't agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform.”
There’s one particularly complicated in-app purchase category: businesses that started letting users sell “virtual” versions of their normal non-digital offerings during the coronavirus pandemic. These companies, including Airbnb and ClassPass, have complained about being asked to pay a replacement service charge on iOS.
Apple has begun waiving these fees in some circumstances, and Google says these businesses won’t need to use Android’s Google Play billing for the near future. “We recognize that the worldwide pandemic has resulted in many businesses having to navigate the challenges of moving their physical business to digital and interesting audiences customers during a new way, for instance , moving in-person experiences and classes online,” it says. “For subsequent 12 months, these businesses won't got to suits our payments policy, and that we will still reassess things over subsequent year.”
Google’s Epic response: Android 12 will make it easier to put in app stores
Google today announced it'll make it easier to put in and use third-party app stores with the discharge of Android 12 next year. (Google releases new versions of Android annually and launched Android 11 earlier this month.) Google also reiterated its existing Payments Policy for in-app purchases of digital goods: Android developers who want to distribute apps and games on Google Play must use Google’s billing system. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Google is offering a 1-year grace period for developers who aren’t complying with this policy: The deadline is September 30, 2021.
Today’s announcements are an immediate response to Epic’s war with Apple and Google over the 30% cut the businesses take of each purchase on the iOS App Store and therefore the Google Play store, respectively. On August 13, Epic updated Fortnite for Android and iOS to use its own billing service, leading to Apple and Google deleting Fortnite from their app stores. Epic then rotated and sued both tech giants. The lawsuits could define how all developers, from individuals to massive corporations, distribute apps on the world’s duopoly of mobile operating systems.
While Apple has responded aggressively to Epic’s moves, Google has been sitting quietly on the sidelines, until now. Although the corporate is promising to form it easier to use other Android app stores next year, Google isn’t conceding anything. It’s just emphasizing how its app store approach differs from Apple’s: “Android has always allowed people to urge apps from multiple app stores. In fact, most Android devices ship with a minimum of two app stores preinstalled, and consumers are ready to install additional app stores. Each store is in a position to make a decision its own business model and consumer features. This openness means albeit a developer and Google don't agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform. This is why Fortnite, for instance , is out there directly from Epic’s store or from other app stores including Samsung’s Galaxy App store.”
Android 12 app stores
Google likes to mention that Android is open which developers can choose how they distribute their apps on the platform. While it's true that Google Play isn't the sole app store for Android (unlike Apple’s App Store being the sole app store for iOS), Google encourages device makers to incorporate Google Play on their devices and discourages them from including third-party app stores. In the name of security, Android also warns you once you install Android apps not from Google Play.
Google is signaling today that a number of this user experience will change in Android 12, without specifying how. Google says that in response to developer feedback, “we are going to be making changes in Android 12 (next year’s Android release) to form it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices while being careful to not compromise the security measures Android has in situ . We are designing all this now and appearance forward to sharing more within the future!”
Google also made bound to add that Android has “always” let users choose “which apps they use, be it their keyboard, messaging app, phone dialer, or app store.” Putting aside that this isn’t strictly true, the message is clear: Android gives users more control over apps than iOS. In short, Google’s argument amounts to “Please don’t punish us — Android is already more open than iOS when it involves apps AND we’re making it better.”
Google Play billing policies
Aside from the 30% cut, Epic and other developers complain that Apple and Google force them to use their billing systems if they need to use their app stores. Apple enforces this rule very strictly. Google hasn’t been enforcing its rule as strictly, so it’s taking the chance now to clarify its stance:
We only collect a service charge if the developer charges users to download their app or they sell in-app digital items, and that we think that's fair. Not only does this approach allow us to continuously reinvest within the platform, this business model aligns our success directly with the success of developers.
But we've heard feedback that our policy language might be more clear regarding which sorts of transactions require the utilization of Google Play’s billing system, which the present language was causing confusion. We want to make certain our policies are clear and up so far in order that they are often applied consistently and fairly to all or any developers, then we've clarified the language in our Payments Policy to be more explicit that each one developers selling digital goods in their apps are required to use Google Play’s billing system.
Google estimates that this impacts but 3% of apps on Google Play (97% use Google Play’s billing system today). Because of COVID-19, Google is giving those developers longer to form the change:
We recognize that the worldwide pandemic has resulted in many businesses having to navigate the challenges of moving their physical business to digital and interesting audiences customers during a new way, for instance , moving in-person experiences and classes online. For subsequent 12 months, these businesses won't got to suits our payments policy, and that we will still reassess things over subsequent year.
Google also made some extent to notice that its own apps won't be exempt. Google apps that don't already use Google Play’s billing system will need to be updated to try to to so by next September, too.
0 Comments