For years, Google required Android developers to only offer its Play billing system in apps and take a cut from all transactions. The company didn’t allow developers to incle their own or any third-party payment services. Apple does the same with iOS apps. There has been strong opposition to this, including a few lawsuits. But the two mobile platform makers didn’t budge. However, in March this year, Google announced User Choice Billing for Android. The company teamed up with Spotify for the pilot. The music streaming app announced it will offer both Google Play billing and its in-house payment system in this Android app. It has finally begun testing this change in select markets. The company plans to expand User Choice Billing to more markets around the world in the coming weeks. It’s pertinent to mention here that Google will still get a commission for payments made through other services. But Spotify says giving users more choices is a major step forward in platform fairness. “Google has taken a bold step to help level the playing field, but this is just the beginning,” the company said in a press release announcing this test rollout of User Choice Billing in the Spotify Android app.
Google shares more details about this User Choice Billing test
Coinciding with Spotify’s announcement, Google has also shared more details about this User Choice Billing pilot. The company said the pilot program is now available in the United States, Brazil, and South Africa. The latest expansion means developers can now test User Choice Billing in over 35 countries around the world. The feature was previously available in Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and the European Economic Area. Google has also announced a new partner for User Choice Billing on Android. Dating app Bumble will soon join the pilot. It will roll out the feature in select countries in the coming months. “While this is still early days in the pilot, we’re encouraged by this initial response and momentum,” Google product manager Paul Feng said in a blog post. We “look forward to sharing more in the coming months as we continue to build and iterate with our partners and roll out user choice billing to more users. “
