Google has paused Play Store billing policy in India
After the CCI order, Google said that even as it reviews its legal options on the matter, the firm's requirement to use its billing system still applied to users outside India.
FollowDays after the Competition Commission of India imposed fines to the tune of Rs 2,274 crore on Google for exploiting its position in the Android mobile app store and Operating System, the big tech firm has paused its policy in India that mandates app developers to use the Google Play billing system for buying digital goods and services.
Google had earlier set an October 31 deadline for developers in India to comply with its payments policy. After the CCI order, Google said that even as it reviews its legal options on the matter, the firm's requirement to use its billing system still applied to users outside India.
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The CCI had, on October 25, directed Google not to restrict app developers from using any third-party billing or payment processing services to purchase apps or for in-app billing on Google Play. While imposing a fine of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with regard to Play Store policies, the CCI also directed the tech to modify app payment norms that seek compliance within three months.
The CCI penalty emanated from complaints against Google's policy requiring developers who use its Play Store for apps selling digital goods and services to use its own billing system and pay up to 30 per cent of the sales earned as a service fee.
However, Google said that Android and Google Play's technology, security, flexibility and consumer protections had benefited Indian developers. A company spokesperson further noted how India's digital transformation had been powered by the company's model and expanded access for millions of Indians. To note, the California-based company's operating system is run on 95 per cent of India's smartphones.
Some days prior, on October 20, the CCI had imposed a penalty of Rs 1,336.76 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in the Android device ecosystem.
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