1 year, 1 month ago

Competition watchdog orders probe against Google for Playstore pricing policy. What's the issue?

The competition regulator ordered an investigation against Google on Friday for suspected anti-competitive practices regarding its pricing policy on the Play Store. Google under scrutiny for alleged discriminatory payment policies on Play Store The Competition Commission of India said that the informants were primarily concerned about Google's revised payment policies related to its proprietary app store, Google Play Store, which is alleged to breach competition laws. App developers have to adhere to Google Play Store's payment policies to distribute their apps, including using Google's payment processing system and paying a commission. 'Google Playstore's service fee as arbitrary and discriminatory' In its 21-page order, the regulator observed that Google charges a service fee for multiple services provided by the Play Store to app developers. Moreover, the CCI stressed the significance of the issue, particularly noting that many apps requiring physical delivery are substantial in size but don't contribute to recouping Google's investment in the Play Store.