Google will stop providing updates to its popular messaging app KakaoTalk in South Korea, according to a local report, after Kakao continued to use an external payment link in his Android app, in violation of Google’s new in-app payment policy. Google’s new policy requires developers selling digital goods and services to use Google’s first-party billing system, but Kakao has used an external link to his own websiteâ€
This is the first time Google PlayStore has prevented users from updating an app after the new payment policy went into effect last month. KakaoTalk can be updated on other app operators like Apple’s App Store and OneStore, according to the local media report. Two big questions now are whether Google is turning its attention to stopping updates to other apps that similarly provide third-party payment links, or going a step further and removing them altogether.
“All developers selling digital goods and services in their apps must use Google Play’s billing system,” Google wrote in a statement. note about the new in-app payment policy†“Apps that use an alternate in-app billing system must remove it to comply with payment policies… Effective June 1, 2022, any app that still doesn’t comply will be removed from Google Play.”
google said last year, it would comply with alternative billing systems in South Korea by allowing Android app developers to use third-party payment options, but offering them alongside Google Play’s own billing system after the country shuts its doors. in-app payment law – the first of its kind in the world – in August last year. That law is frequently referred to as the ‘anti-Google law’.
However, developers can’t add links pointing to their own websites in their apps, which would allow their users to buy directly, without completely bypassing Google’s billing.
South Korean app developers and content providers have increased their paid subscription and service fees on Google Play due to the high 15-30% commissions now required following Google’s policy changes.
The Korean Communications Commission said in April that banning app developers from using the web link payment option would violate South Korea’s app payment law that requires app store operators to allow third-party payments. The KCC told londonbusinessblog.com last month that it would be monitoring Google to see if they were removing apps that violated the new policy.
Apple announced last week that developers will have to submit a separate binary for iOS and iPadOS “distributed exclusively on the App Store in South Korea” in order to use a third-party payment system for the South Korean App Store.
londonbusinessblog.com contacted Kakao, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Google’s move. Google did not respond to requests for comment.
