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It’s no secret that both Google and Apple run a duopoly when it comes to app content on their respective Play and App stores on mobile devices. Google has now been called out by a group of 36 US states, challenging their shady buy-off tactics and cornering developers to pay up to a 30% fee on apps distributed on the Google Play store. This may be offset by developers raising app costs.
According to the original Bloomberg report, the Alphabet Inc. owned Google had a complaint lodged against them in federal court, San Francisco on Wednesday 07/07. This comes after Google issued buy-off payments to unnamed developers after Epic Games began to distribute their killer free-to-play app ‘Fortnite’ outside of the Google Play Store on android devices.
Bloomberg go into more detail regarding the effect this has on consumers, noting year-on-year app purchase growth:
“Google and Apple are a duopoly dominating the app economy of the Western world. The companies have come under intense pressure from regulators and some developers who complain that high app store fees and complex rules raise costs for consumers. A total of $143 billion was spent in mobile app stores in 2020, a 20% jump from the previous year, according to analytics firm App Annie.”
When it comes to direct effects and figures for consumers, there’s no concrete information that highlight the costs involved in Google’s shady business practices. Here’s hoping that this case makes for a better environment for users and developers financially.
