Google and Apple forced to let developers use outside payment links
But they still take 26% of every transaction.
The story
South Korea fined Google and Apple $47.6 million for forcing local developers to use their in-app payment systems and delaying app reviews.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
Google and Apple are now required to let South Korean developers use outside payment links, but they still take 26% of every transaction. It’s like being told you can bring your own wine to a restaurant, but still paying the corkage fee.
The companies could have just let developers choose, but instead they made it a game of subtle coercion, charging more and withholding features. It’s not a free market—it’s a free market with a very expensive leash.
Now developers can use other payment systems, but only if they’re willing to pay the same 26% fee. The leash is still there, just a little looser.
