As a part of a program that would have far-reaching penalties for the tech trade, Google is to check third-party billing techniques in Android and throughout its wider ecosystem. The firm introduced on Wednesday it plans to conduct the pilot with a handful of collaborating builders, beginning most notably with .

Beginning later this 12 months, Spotify customers who’ve downloaded the corporate’s app by the Play Store can have the choice to pay for a Premium subscription by both of Google or Spotify’s billing techniques. “For the first time, these two options will live side by side in the app,” the corporate mentioned. “This will give everyone the freedom to subscribe and make purchases using the payment option of their choice directly in the Spotify app.”

Spotify mentioned it might start collaborating with Google on that performance inside the coming months, with the work involving product and engineering groups throughout each corporations. “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,” mentioned Sameer Samat, Google’s vp of product administration.

For Spotify, at present’s announcement is nothing in need of a breakthrough victory. The firm has spent years campaigning in opposition to app retailer monopolies, its efforts culminating in 2020 when it to strain Apple and Google to vary their insurance policies. 

For Google, in the meantime, the pilot may be very a lot a defensive transfer on the corporate’s half. Like Apple, the corporate has spent important time and assets laws just like the , which was not too long ago by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Should the invoice grow to be legislation because it stands, it might forestall app market homeowners with greater than 50 million customers within the US from locking third-party builders into their fee techniques.