Japan wants Google and Apple to allow payment systems other than their own

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A Japanese government panel wants to ban Google and Apple by law from requiring app developers to use the tech giants’ own payment systems when selling apps through the Play Store and App Store.

The proposed regulations should oblige tech companies to enable payments via third-party platforms. Downloads from app stores other than the Play Store and App Store should also be allowed as long as adequate privacy and security measures are taken. Furthermore, Google and Apple must ensure that pre-set apps on their smartphones are easy to remove and that their own services do not receive preferential treatment in search engines.

Apple and Google are dominant on the smartphone market with iOS and Android and currently force developers to use the payment systems of the tech giants. To the frustration of many developers, the companies charge up to 30 percent commission when smartphone users purchase an external app via the Play Store or App Store. The Japanese government panel, consisting of ministers Yasutoshi Nishimura and Shigeyuki Goto, among others, wants to change this.

The Japanese ministers also want OS suppliers to offer alternative ways to obtain apps in a secure way, instead of just through their own app stores. Google and Apple currently determine which apps can be installed on iPhones and Android phones. For example, Apple only allows iPhone users to download apps through its own App Store. The government panel wants to submit a bill on the issue to parliament next year.

Source: Medhat Dawoud, via Unsplash.

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