South Korea, with a new decision taken by the government recently, has imposed restrictions on operators with application platforms such as Apple and Google (App Store, Google Play, etc.). According to the new decision, app developers will not be able to use ‘first-party’ systems for in-app purchases. While Google states that they will comply with the new decision taken by South Korea, Apple states that it is already acting according to the new law.
Announcing that it will make changes to the in-app purchases to comply with the new law, Google said, “We respect the decision taken by the National Assembly and we are making changes to comply with the new law. With the new changes, alternative payment options will be added for services purchased within the applications, as well as the options offered by Google Play itself to those living in South Korea.
‘Third Party Payment Option’ Will Be Offered
Alternative options that Google will add for South Korean users will be based on ‘third-party payment’. In this way, users will be able to shop with their preferred purchasing management. However, Google states that such alternative payment options may not always provide the same protection as Google Play itself.
On the other hand, Apple states that they are already complying with South Korea’s new law. Apple, which did not offer this option to its users for a while, was in court with Epic Games with the alternative payment option it added quietly for Fortnite. With the final decision taken in the case, it was decided that Apple would add alternative payment options. Last October, Apple complied with this decision and started to negotiate with application developers on third-party payment platforms. However, this application has not yet been implemented for purchases within applications.
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