Developers will be able to contact users to offer them subscriptions and products outside the application. In addition, Google has provided a fund of 90 million dollars which will be distributed among small creators.
After Apple, it’s Google’s turn to be forced to let go of the constraints of its application store. The publisher did not want to go to trial and reached an agreement with representatives of 48,000 small developers. They had filed a class action to denounce the commercial practices of Google concerning its Play Store.
The agreement, if validated by the Court of Justice, provides for Google to pay the sum of $90 million, which will be distributed among developers who have earned $2 million or less per year, over a period from 2016 to 2021. This is a little less than Apple, which had paid an aid fund of 100 million dollars in August 2021. Note that Google had already made a concession by lowering its commission from 30% to 15% on the first million dollars that a developer receives in the year.
Creators will be able to contact users
Google has also committed to creating a new section in its application store, which will be called Indie Apps Corner and will be dedicated to startups, as well as independent creators. The publisher will above all make the distribution agreement for the applications clearer on an important point: the developers will be able to contact the users thanks to the information obtained in the application, to offer them subscriptions and cheaper prices outside the app, on their websites or on another store.
The Mountain View company has also undertaken to publish a transparency report on the activities of its Play Store every year, with statistics indicating, for example, the programs withdrawn and the accounts deleted. Google is also committed to continuing a policy implemented in Android 12, which allows the use of other application stores without compromising security.
In addition, new laws are in sight to loosen the noose of constraints in the application stores of Google and Apple. In the United States, the Open App Markets Act should allow users to download and install applications without going through stores (sideloading). In Europe, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is expected to pave the way for app stores and alternative payment systems.
Source :
The Verge