Spotify and Google team up for a new payment option in the US
Under pressure from various antitrust lawsuits over Play Store billing,Google decided to loosen its gripand allow apps to offer their own payment methods — as long as Play Store billing was still an option. The User Choice Billing pilot started with Spotify earlier this year, and users can nowfinally use Spotify’s payment option. And those in the US will now also see this optionas Google expands its pilotto a handful of more countries.
While we’ve heard a lot about how User Choice Billing might work, we now get to see what the actual payment flow looks like on the user’s end. On the payment page within the app, you will now get two options: one from Spotify and another from Google Play, as shown in the example below.
This leaves it up to you to pick whichever payment mode suits you the best. If you want to keep all your app purchases in one place or use your family’s payment mode, stick with Play Store billing. But now at least you have the option to use an alternate payment method that isn’t tied to your Google account.
If you use the app’s billing method, the developer will save some cash in the form of a reduced fee (by 4%) that it would normally need to pay to Google. The amount you pay in either case remains unchanged.
Google’sPlay Store billing pilot has been live for some timein Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and the European Economic Area since September, but it’s now expanding to the US, Brazil, and South Africa. App developers in these regions can now offer additional payment options inside their apps, while Spotify users should already start seeing the new payment option.
Google says that Bumble is another app joining the UCB pilot soon to offer a similar payment alternative to its users. However, this billing program is open only for apps, leaving out game developers, at least for now.
The note-taking app I should have used all along
Broader branding hints at wider paid-tier ambitions
Tidal is the best app for streaming music
Spotify AI is the reason I keep pressing play
App exclusive, at least for now
It’s been an interesting journey
