Google is halving the commissions it collects from developers on in-app purchases to 15%; however, this is only for the first $1 million of revenue in a year. The change, which seems to be aimed at bolstering Google's image of being friendly to small businesses, will be applicable from July 1, 2021. Google claimed in a blog post that 99% of developers globally will see a 50% reduction in fees because of this change. Google's main competitor Apple had announced a similar policy for App Store in November 2020. How Google's reduction in fees will work: Google said every developer that uses the Play billing system will be covered under the policy, even the ones that make millions of dollars every year. The company claimed that the fee reduction is being put in place to help developers spend more on hiring capacity, increasing server capacity and more during the early stages of their growth. Once developers confirm some basic information to help us understand any associated accounts they have and ensure we apply the 15% properly, this discount will automatically renew each year. We look forward to sharing full details in the coming months," Sameer Samat, vice president, Android and Google Play said in the blog post. However, there are some caveats for Indian developers. Earlier in October 2020, Google had announced that it will start mandating the use of the Play billing system — thereby, the payment of 30% commission to Google — on Indian developers only from March 31,…
