Amazon users in the US, the UK, and many other countries can no longer buy Kindle e-books through Amazon's Android apps as the company dodges the Play Store's billing requirements for digital purchases, the BBC reported. When attempting to purchase Kindle e-Books from the Amazon Shopping app, the user is now prompted to "buy on Amazon.com" website. There is no link that lets the user be easily redirected to Amazon's site to complete the purchase. Instead, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the page titled: "Why can't I buy on the app?" If the user clicks this link, a message appears, stating: "To remain in compliance with the Google Play Store policies, you will no longer be able to buy new content from the app. You can build a reading list on the app and buy on the Amazon website [sic] from your browser." Considering that Google has separate deadlines for compliance with its new Play Store policies across the globe, one can assume countries like India, where this rule is yet to be enforced, may also eventually lose the ability to purchase e-books on Amazon apps. What does Google’s billing policy say? In September 2020, Google – in a global announcement – said it would be enforcing rules that require app developers to mandatorily use its in-app payment system and remove external payment links. As per these new rules, companies with an annual turnover above USD one million must pay a 30 percent commission on all in-app…
