Earlier this year, Google started testing its User Choice Billing so that developers could use their own billing system alongside Google’s. Now, thanks to 9to5Google, we know that the company is looking to expand this program. Google’s User Choice Billing is available in more markets.
Google made a choice that would upset a lot of developers last year. It said that all apps on the Play Store needed to use Google’s payment service. It gave the initial warning last year and put it into action earlier this year. Most apps use this service already, but some companies like Hulu and Amazon took issue with that.
Amazon brought users to a separate page to make purchases and Hulu stopped sign-ups on its app. Other developers, however, didn’t quite have that luxury. It was Google’s way or the highway.
But, the company, seemingly because of the backlash, has back-peddled on this move. Google is starting to let companies use their own billing systems via its User Choice Billing program.
Google’s User Choice Billing it making its way to more markets
Right now, Google is User Choice Billing includes developers for non-gaming apps, but that could change down the road. This is good news for developers, but there are a few rules that they need to follow if they want to use their systems.
The rules
For starters, the developer needs to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Next, Google’s payment system needs to be an option along with their own payment system.
The developers must provide customer support for people who use their system. Lastly, the developer is required to have a system to dispute unauthorized transactions.
What countries are involved?
Google’s User Choice Billing has been going on for a few months, but now it’s expanding to more markets. The program is expanding to The European Economic Area, Japan, India, Australia, and Indonesia. Sadly, folks in the US will need to wait for this.
As time goes on, we expect this to make its way to even more markets. Hopefully, popular platforms will be able to bring their systems back to the Play Store. Not everyone wants to go to a separate site just to pay their subscription bill or buy a product.