One of the hottest topics, and one that has affected Apple and Google the most for quite some time, is that of the payment systems used by the users of their operating systems for devices, iOS/ipadOS and Android. And it is that, as you well know, currently both stores, App Store and Google Play, force users to go through their payment systems (with the corresponding commission) to those users who wish to contract these services directly from the apps.
We can say, without fear of being wrong, that this model lives its last days. We cannot know what its duration will be, of course, but the pressure from the regulators is increasing every day. We have recently seen how Apple has had to give in in this regard in the Netherlands and previously, at the beginning of the year, how it had to act in the same way in South Korea. This is just the beginning, as the scope of these actions is limited and, in addition, Apple has reserved the right to continue charging a commission even if its payment system is not used, but this will continue to advance in the future.
Google’s situation is somewhat less complex because, unlike iOS, Android yes it allows the installation of alternative stores, as well as apps downloaded directly from the Internet, without going through Apple Play or other stores. But, even so, it also maintains the prerogative of not allowing other means of payment in apps downloaded from its store, which is why it also expelled Fortnite from it at the same time that Apple did.
This, however, appears to be about to change. And it is that as announced by the streaming music service, Google and Spotify already offer UCB (User Choice Billing) on Android. At the moment this function is only available in some markets, as it is in the testing phase, but as we can read in said publication, its scope will be extended in the coming weeks. For its part, the Google publication shows us where this possibility is already available (and, good news, Spain is on the list) on this map:
With UCB activated, when users decide to subscribe to Spotify Premium directly from the app, they are redirected to a payment interface, where they can choose between various options, in this case the Google payment gateway or directly to Spotify. And, in the case of choosing direct payment to Spotify, as you can see in the image below, users can choose between making payments by credit/debit card or by PayPal.
There does not seem to be, at least in this case, a difference in price depending on whether we choose to use the Google system or the alternative offered by Spotify, but the two publications do not indicate whether, in this case, Google continues to receive a commission despite because their payment platform is no longer used.
In any case, Google seems to be responding in a much faster way to a change of model that is yet to come, and that will substantially change the business model of app stores on devices. And so, Apple seems to be completely alone in defending the closed model (only its app store and only its payment platform). A model that, as I said before, has its days numbered.
