Google Sued Over Android In-App Payment Monopoly
Online dating app company Match Group filed a lawsuit against Google on May 9, alleging the tech giant has created an illegal monopoly on Android by forcing apps to use its billing system.
Match Group, which owns 45 global dating sites, including Tinder, PlentyOfFish and OKCupid, claims Google’s in-app payment policies are anti-competitive.
“Ten years ago, Match Group was Google’s partner. We are now its hostage. Once it monopolized the market for Android app distribution with Google Play… Google sought to ban alternative in-app payment processing services so it could take a cut of nearly every in-app transaction on Android.”
Google charges apps a service fee of between 15-30% for in-app purchases on top of monetizing the personal data of billions of digital app users, according to a Match Group announcement.
“These exorbitant ‘fees’ force developers to charge users more for their services and utilize resources they would otherwise invest in our employees, technologies and user-requested features,” Match Group said in the announcement.
