What you need to know
- Google has agreed to allow Match Group to offer alternative billing methods to users.
- After Google made concessions, the Tinder owner dropped its request for a temporary restraining order.
- Match Group's apps will also continue to get updates even if they offer alternatives to Google Play Billing.
Google's aggressive push to make its Play Store billing system the sole method for billing transactions has taken yet another hit. Match Group, the parent firm of Tinder, has prevented Google from forcing the use of Google Play's billing system.
In a press release, Match announced that Google has agreed to relax the Play Store billing requirement for its apps. As a result, Match apps will no longer be booted out of the Play Store, even if they process in-app purchases through alternative billing systems.
In exchange, the dating app maker has walked back on its request for a temporary restraining order against Google.
"Match Group today announced it has withdrawn its request for a temporary restraining order against Google, after Google made various concessions that Match Group demanded to benefit consumers," the company said. "Those include guaranteeing that Match Group apps will still be allowed to offer users choice in payment systems, lessening the undue burden on developers by its previously stated policy, and eliminating Google's complete control over user data."
Match filed a lawsuit against the search giant in May after Google threatened to remove its apps from the Play Store for refusing to share a portion of its sales processed via Google Play Billing. Under the current billing system, the company takes a cut of up to 30% for every transaction.
Google's concessions are yet another major setback for its billing policy, which has already been challenged in court by several entities, including Epic Games. Earlier, the creator of Fortnite filed a court injunction to prevent Google from removing its Bandcamp app from the Play Store if it did not use its required billing method.
The concessions will also allow Match to push app updates to Android phones even though these apps "offer alternatives to Google Play Billing, continuing to provide users with the choice and optionality they've grown accustomed to."
In return, Match promises to "test Google's system on their platforms, alongside current payment systems" once Google resolves various issues with its billing system.
