As a part of a program that would have far-reaching penalties for the tech business, Google is launching a pilot to check third-party billing methods in Android and throughout its wider ecosystem. The firm introduced on Wednesday it plans to conduct the pilot with a handful of taking part builders, beginning most notably with Spotify.
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Beginning later this yr, Spotify customers who’ve downloaded the corporate’s app by way of the Play Store could have the choice to pay for a Premium subscription by way of both of Google or Spotify’s billing methods. “For the first time, these two options will live side by side in the app,” the corporate stated. “This will give everyone the freedom to subscribe and make purchases using the payment option of their choice directly in the Spotify app.”
Spotify stated it could start collaborating with Google on that performance inside the coming months, with the work involving product and engineering groups throughout each corporations. “This pilot will help us to increase our understanding of whether and how user choice billing works for users in different countries and for developers of different sizes and categories,” stated Sameer Samat, Google’s vice chairman of product administration.
For Spotify, at present’s announcement is nothing in need of a breakthrough victory. The firm has spent years campaigning in opposition to app retailer monopolies, its efforts culminating in 2020 when it fashioned, alongside Epic Games, The Coalition for App Fairness to stress Apple and Google to alter their insurance policies.
For Google, in the meantime, the pilot could be very a lot a defensive transfer on the corporate’s half. Like Apple, the corporate has spent vital time and sources lobbying in opposition to laws just like the Open App Markets Act, which was not too long ago superior by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Should the invoice grow to be regulation because it stands, it could stop app market house owners with greater than 50 million customers within the US from locking third-party builders into their fee methods.