this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023
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The thing here is that you don't have to use play billing for in app purchases outside of the play store. The biggest example of this is Fire tablets, where you don't even have the option of play billing on your app even if you wanted it, and I'm sure Huawei isn't using play billing either. Let alone the fact you can sideload apps that have their own verification methods. When I bought gravitybox it was verified based on your PayPal invoice #. The secret revenue sharing, while "designed to keep apps down", is nothing more than an incentive to stay on their billing platform. If Epic isn't offered that deal they're still free to make deals with other app stores.
Meanwhile on camp Apple, there are no alternative vendors using different stores and you're unable to sideload apps without a developer account. There is no alternative to Apple's billing if you want to charge for something inside an app, which is precisely what Epic did to get banned in the first place.
I 100% the verdict to be appealed by Google. I'm not a big fan of Google as a company, but when they've specifically made it possible for customers to have the ability to sideload while Apple doesn't and they get spat in the face for it, why would they continue to make pro-consumer choices?
Google made back room deals with other development firms to help suppress the use of other app stores.
That's the issue here. The collusion aspect.
It's very different than Apple.
* Allegedly.
What exactly is evidence that Google has suppressed other stores, and in what manner ? If you consider say, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo etc - all have their own stores in parallel to the Play Store. And on all/other phones, you're free sideload any third-party app store.
Taking my Samsung phone as an example, I don't see the Play Store being promoted any more prominently than the Galaxy Store, nor do I see any blockers for using the Galaxy Store. I believe this is the same for other OEMs as well who bundle their own stores.
So tell me, where exactly is the suppression here?
While I agree, it seems like antitrust lawsuits gain a lot more ground if the defendant was paying people to switch from competitors which is what got Google here.