EU Asks Developers About Google App Payments, Report Says

Antitrust regulators in the EU have asked developers about a threat from Google to cut apps out of its Play Store if they used other payment options, Reuters reported.

Google said earlier in the year that companies using another billing system would be removed from its app store by June this year.

The regulators want to know if the developers’ businesses were hurt by that.

Critics have said the fees charged by big tech app store gatekeepers are too much, and have made it so developers end up losing “billions of dollars a year.” This is proof of “monopoly power,” according to the critics.

There were questions asked about whether the policy change from Google hurt the distribution of their goods and services on Google Play, what apps had been affected and if the changes had hurt their ability to acquire users on Android phones and devices.

Regulators wanted to look into whether developers have had to drop other payment options, and if migrating users to another payment option hurt their numbers of pre-existing users. And they wanted to know if developers might do better in business if they could have access to another payment system.

Google has had various troubles of this type for some time. Earlier this year, the company was getting ready for the Digital Markets Act’s passing, which will make it so Google Play and various other companies to make changes to their operating models for the European Economic Area, PYMNTS wrote.

Read More: Google Play Prepares for Digital Markets Act by Allowing Alternative Billing Systems

The company said it would now be supporting alternative billing for EEA users, making it so developers of non-gaming apps will be able to use other payment options besides Google’s.

Those who choose to use another billing system will have to meet appropriate user protection requirements, and service fees and conditions will still apply.

The report also noted that non-EEA users will still see the Play Store as the main billing system for Google.