During June of 2022, the United Kingdom’s CMA — Competition and Markets Authority — launched an investigation, looking into the payment methods utilized on Google Play. After that was going on for a while, today Google announced what changes the company will be making in order to resolve the investigation.
Now, before we go over the details outlined in Google’s blog, it must be stated that these changes aren’t legally binding yet. Right now, the CMA is asking competitors for feedback on its intention to accept the agreement. That should be wrapped up by next month, when an official announcement will clarify the final plans.
Hey, remember when the Play Store looked like this? | Image credit – PhoneArena
So, you’ve read the title. The Big G’s plan is to allow for third-party billing solutions — if developers choose to implement them in their in-app purchases — in the UK. This means that, if these changes go through, the next time you want to buy some RP from League of Legends, you won’t be forced into using Google Pay.
When the final judgment call is reached in May, Google is prepared to start rolling out these changes in phases. They will first become available to non-gaming apps, but game devs will be able to take advantage of them too by the end of October of 2023.
