Google Play Store billing alternatives pilot is here, but not in the US 

Earlier this year, Google revealed it would allow Android developers to offer alternative payment systems in its apps as long as the company still offered Play Store billing as an option. Now, the pilot for the scheme called “User Choice Billing” has been quietly revealed by Google with it announcing markets and various restrictions to which developers can take part.

The User Choice Billing pilot is specifically for apps, and won’t apply to game developers at this stage. At this stage, it won't be running in the US; instead, it’s for Play Store users in the European Economic Area, Australia, India, Japan, and Indonesia. Google has said it will be rolling out the scheme to other areas in the future, but it’s unclear when it’ll reach the US.

Originally Spotify was named as the first partner for the scheme back in March, but now any app developer with a registered business can apply to get involved in the scheme if they're in the right region. The service fees paid will be reduced by 4% if an alternative billing method is used, so it'll prove lucrative for some developers.

Those devs will need to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, provide customer support for the alternative billing system they provide, and also let Google know when you intend to change app enrollment preferences. That includes disabling or enabling user choice billing in particular regions, so you’d need to let Google know if you plan to roll the system out to other countries.

We’ve yet to see these options debut in any apps you can use, but Google is certain that the scheme is still continuing, and we should hear more in the near future. The pilot scheme is the biggest step forward in the project since it was originally revealed in March. Expect to see this start debuting at some stage later this year, or it may be that it falls to 2023 instead.

Thanks: Mishaal

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