Google's in-app purchase fee to be selectively delayed

Google will grant a 6-month grace period for its 15 to 30 percent fee for in-app purchases, allowing some developers to start paying from April next year upon request.

Google uploaded a post on its Android Developers blog on July 16 indicating that it will allow developers to apply for more time to comply with its new payment policy, which is scheduled to start this October.

"After carefully considering feedback from both large and small developers, we are giving developers an option to request a 6-month extension, which will give them until March 31, 2022 to comply with our Payments policy," read the post.

The decision came after hearing from "developers all over the world that the past year has been particularly difficult" due to Covid-19.

Developers can start making their appeals from July 22. Google will "review" the requests and decide whether the developer will get to postpone the payment or not. Google did not, however, reveal its criteria for assessment.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]