Google Play suspends KakaoTalk’s software update over payment standoff

Seoul: The latest software update for KakaoTalk, South Korea’s most popular mobile messaging app, remained suspended for a week on the Google Play Store on Thursday, following the refusal by tech giant Kakao to comply with Google’s new in-app payment policy.
Google turned down Kakao’s submission application for the latest 9.8.6 version of KakaoTalk for Android on Google Play on June 30, citing Kakao’s non-compliance with the policy, according to Kakao.
Google’s decision is in line with its new payment policy announced in April, which requires app developers selling digital goods and services on its app market to use Google’s own billing system and remove external payment links, reports Yonhap news agency.
Previously, many app developers on Google Play directed users to external links for payment to circumvent Google’s billing policy, which takes a hefty 15-30 percent commission from in-app purchases.
Also Read Ford, VW-backed startup Argo AI bids goodbye to 150 employees Google has warned non-complying apps will be removed starting in June. This has prompted many content companies to remove external payment links and instead raise prices of content, such as webtoons and digital books, to make up for increased costs due to commissions.
Kakao, however, has apparently decided to challenge Google’s policy, which has been widely perceived by the local tech community as a violation of the country’s revised Telecommunications Business Act.