Today, “Enforcement! Google: Developers must use the Google payment system and 30% of the rake” message exploded in the media. Some people complain about Google’s overbearing, some say that Google is “doing”, some are worried about companies going overseas, and some even think this is an opportunity for the rise of Huawei Hongmeng system.
But after asking a circle of developers, I discovered that the media’s concerns were a bit unfounded. The developer said very calmly “just follow the rules to access it . ” For developers, it’s an established fact that 30% is divided. This is not news. It has always been Google’s policy to require app developers to use the Google payment system for in-app purchase transactions. Developers are not too concerned about this. objection.
Follow Apple, Google charges “Google tax”
Google said on Monday (September 28) that it will implement app store rules from next year (2024), which require developers who publish Android apps on the Google Play store to use the Google in-app payment system.
Google has set aside a year for app developers to adjust, and the final deadline is September 30, 2021. At that time, developers will have to use Google’s payment system, and can no longer use its independent payment system, which means that their in-app purchase revenue will be taken by Google 30%.
In this regard, the industry said that Google once again aligned with Apple and began to collect “Google tax.”
It is understood that since 2011, Apple has been forcing developers to use their specific in-app purchase system. Through this system, Apple extracts about 30% of commissions from user purchases. This move is dubbed the “Apple tax” by the industry.
Many developers are very dissatisfied with the “Apple tax”, believing it is a very unreasonable measure, and even think it is a “overlord clause”, but Apple has not moved and has been doing its own way.
According to data compiled and analyzed by Sanford Bernstein, App Store and licensing business accounted for about 50% of Apple’s revenue and about 63% of gross profit. The market generally predicts that these two businesses will grow by $60 billion in fiscal 2021. Reached 13%.
Apple’s move has been subject to antitrust investigations in many countries. It is understood that in June this year, the US Department of Justice launched an investigation against Apple. The subject of the investigation was mainly aimed at the payment policy of the Apple App Store. Someone pointed out that Apple’s own software and services do not need to pay 30% of the commission, which constitutes unfair competition and that 30% of the revenue share is too high.
In addition, in August this year, Apple was also targeted by the EU antitrust agency. The EU antitrust agency has officially opened two investigations to assess whether Apple Pay and App Store violate EU competition laws. .
In September this year, Facebook announced that Apple agreed to temporarily waive the Apple tax for some companies for a period of three months, ending on December 31 this year. Apple said that the decision to temporarily waive Apple’s tax applies not only to Facebook, but also to any other small businesses, but game companies are excluded because they have not been harmed by the epidemic and have only provided digital services.
The developer is calm: just follow the rules
Google’s sudden request for enforcement has caused a lot of discussions in the industry. Some people complain about Google’s overbearing, some say that Google is “doing”, some are worried about companies going overseas, and some even think this is an opportunity for the rise of Huawei Hongmeng system.
First of all, this policy of Google has little impact on the domestic market. After all, Google Play is no longer available in China.
Secondly, does it affect developers who go overseas?
Li Kai (a pseudonym), a developer of a game manufacturer, said that the impact is not too big. Because 30% of the draw is always available, and the major domestic Android channel platforms also have a draw, and the proportion of draws is not low.
It is understood that the fixed percentage of the Apple App Store and Google Play is 30%, and the percentage of most other domestic mobile phone brand application stores and third-party application stores is around 50%.
For example, there have been reports recently that game developers such as “The Original God” and “The Awakening of the Nations” failed to be listed on Xiaomi, Huawei and other channels because they refused to share 55 shares.
Regarding the requirement of “mandatory access to the Google payment system”, Li Kai said, “Anyway, you pay as long as you access it, and you can access everything. It just takes a little time. And the mandatory implementation of Alipay or WeChat will have Not acclimatized.”
Therefore, developers are not very sensitive to mandatory access to the payment system, but instead believe that access is sufficient according to rules.
However, for the operation of “Google Tax”, some analysts believe that it may be beneficial to accelerate the penetration of new ecosystems, such as Huawei Hongmeng OS. After all, by choosing one of the two operations, manufacturers can also increase their bargaining chips, and at the same time enhance the awareness of developers and manufacturers to prepare for Plan B.
In addition, looking at the essence through the phenomenon, perhaps more attention should be paid to the fundamental purpose of Google’s recovery of payment rights, and how manufacturers and developers will get the value they deserve. This is the fundamental reason for the success or failure of Google’s operation.
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