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Google to Open App Store Payments to Comply With South Korea Law

Google to Open App Store Payments to Comply With South Korea Law

Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it will add the option for developers to offer alternative billing systems on its Android app store in South Korea, complying with a recently passed law in the country.

The country’s National Assembly approved a new law in late summer, commonly referred as the anti-Google law, that mandated that mobile app store operators open up their platforms to outside payment handlers and give users a choice of how to pay. At issue in the matter are the long-established platform fees that Google and close rival Apple Inc. collect from every in-app payment -- typically a 30% charge that they justify on the basis of providing security for users and wide distribution for developers.

“In the coming weeks and months, we will share implementation details for developers, including instructions for submitting security and customer service verifications and a set of user experience guidelines so users can make an informed choice,” Google said in a statement.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.