Yesterday Google outlined the adjustments it can make to adjust to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) that goes into impact beginning at this time. One essential element it not noted, nonetheless, was whether or not it could cost builders who directed customers exterior the Play Retailer to sideload apps — and in that case, how a lot.
Now, Google has revealed that it’s going to certainly cost builders even when they do not use the Play Retailer, similar to Apple did with the App Retailer. Per new particulars discovered within the Play Console assist part, the corporate will cost two new charges:
An preliminary acquisition price of 10% for in-app purchases or 5% for subscriptions for 2 years. This represents the worth Play supplied in facilitating preliminary person acquisition.
An ongoing companies price of 17% for in-app purchases or 7% for subscriptions. This covers ongoing Play companies like parental controls, safety, fraud prevention, and app updates.
Builders can decide out of ongoing charges after two years if customers agree, however ongoing Play companies will now not apply. “Since customers acquired the app by way of Play with the expectation of companies reminiscent of parental controls, safety scanning, fraud prevention, and steady app updates, discontinuation of companies requires person consent as effectively,” Google acknowledged.
Google included the next chart to point out how the charges will apply to a hypothetical “Fantastiq App”:
With this, Google is taking the same method to Apple, which decreased App Retailer commissions however launched new charges. Particularly, Apple tacked on on a brand new 3 p.c “fee processing” price for transactions that undergo its retailer. And a brand new “core expertise price” will cost a flat €0.50 price for all app downloads, no matter whether or not they come from the App Retailer or a third-party web site, after the primary 1 million installations.
Google is justifying the charges by touting the worth it gives within the Android ecosystem: “Play’s charges assist our funding in Android and Google Play and mirror the worth supplied by Android and Play, together with enabling us to distribute Android at no cost and supply the repeatedly rising suite of instruments and companies that assist builders construct profitable companies, all whereas maintaining our platforms protected and safe for billions of customers worldwide.”
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney already blasted Google’s publish about DMA compliance yesterday, earlier than the brand new charges had been even made public. “Google introduced its malicious compliance plans for the European DMA legislation… it appears to be like like their unlawful anti-steering coverage might be changed by a brand new Google Tax on net transactions. We’ll seemingly quickly learn the way he and different builders react to the brand new charges.
