Android 12 Will Make It Easier For Users To Install Applications From Third Parties

Android OS illustration (pixabay)

JAKARTA - Android 12 is rumored to be launched next year. Google certainly brings many changes to its newest operating system (OS), especially this time Android 12 will be a profitable OS for third-party application developers.

Reporting from The Verge, the search engine giant said that the OS will later make it easier for Android users to install new software through third-party application stores on their phones. The changes were in response to developer feedback.

In addition, Google also explains its stance on in-app item purchases. The company will oblige all developers who offer items through their application, to process payments through the system on the Play Store.

Developers have until September 30, 2021 to build their apps according to the company's updated payments policy.

Google emphasizes that the policy will only affect at most three percent of developers with apps on the Play Store. And of that three percent, it says nearly 97 percent are already using the Google Play billing system to allow users to pay for their in-app purchases.

However, less than one percent of Play Store developers are companies like Netflix and Spotify that bypass that requirement by asking their subscribers to pay for subscriptions directly. With this policy change, Google will force the company to pay a tax of 30 percent for in-app purchases.

The rule came about in response to Fortnite's recent removal from the Play Store. In August, Epic Games added an alternative billing system to the iOS and Android versions of the game that allows players to bypass the App Store and Google Play when paying V-Bucks currency in Fortnite games.

In fact, Google explicitly mentions Fortnite when it talks about the openness of the Play Store, the company says, "even if developers and Google don't agree to the business terms, developers can still distribute on the Android platform," Google said.