Alphabet’s Google on Wednesday mentioned it might enable Spotify to make use of its personal cost system in its Android app as a part of a brand new pilot aimed toward countering appmakers’ issues about excessive charges and allegedly anticompetitive behaviour.

Users who’ve downloaded Spotify from the Google Play Store shall be introduced with a option to pay with both Spotify’s cost system or with Google Play Billing in some international locations within the coming months.

The pilot will enable a small variety of taking part builders, beginning with Spotify, to supply an extra billing possibility subsequent to Google Play’s billing system of their apps.

“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,” Google mentioned in a blog post.

Under a brand new competitors legislation in South Korea final yr, Google additionally mentioned it might enable builders to introduce a second cost system alongside its personal there.

Spotify mentioned its trial with Google was a part of a “multi-year agreement,” with out elaborating.

App builders similar to Spotify that promote digital items have complained for years about having to make use of the official cost techniques of the Play retailer and Apple’s App Store.

Google and Apple gather as much as 30 % of every cost as a price, which builders say is just too excessive. Both have lowered charges in lots of circumstances and have mentioned that they’re wanted to fund a secure and safe cellular ecosystem.

Google didn’t specify the price that it might gather within the new pilot.

The firm is ramping up enforcement of its Google Play Billing requirement, and it has mentioned non-compliant apps could possibly be blocked from publishing updates beginning on Friday.

© Thomson Reuters 2022